New LS1 Owners - Newbie Tech - Header install SUCKED! Kinda long sorry

Pacesetter headers+ORY Started at 8:30 finished at 6:30

Drivers side was cake, old stuff came off easy new stuff went on fine. The first header bolt isnt in all the way proably got 2 tuns left on but I cant get it to go down anymore. All the rest of the bolts are all the way down and spark plugs and wires are good. And it looks like the seal is good from front to back.

Passenger side OMFG!
Everything came out fine new went in ok. There is one bolt in the center that I cant get to go all the way down its about a little more than half way in. And that sucker aint goin all the way no matter what I try. But all the rest are good and looks like a good seal from front to back even though that one bolt refuses to go in. Spark plugs were a pain but there in and so are the wires.

02 extensions are tied back and secure, rear 02's are deleted.

Y-Pipe is bangin like crazy when I give it gas hard, and I think my band clamps are not sealin right cause I think I hear the drivers side leakin a little were the collector meets the Y-pipe.

So is that bolt on the drivers side ok if its not down all the way?
Is that bolt on the passenger side ok if its not down al the way?
How do I seal those leaks were all the connetions were made?
Im thinkin about takin it to a muffler shop and having them weld the connections so they wont leak. And will they have a fix for that bangin Y?

Im really discouraged over this header install and im pissed off cause it diddnt go as well as I thought. I really dont wanna take all that stuff off again so if you have any advise please share.

Sounds like you just went though the same thing as me... except i think my situation might be worse...for the holes the bolts wont thread into, i would suggest removing the bolts and inspecting the thread with a mirror and flashlight from wherever is easiest, and try a tap to clean up the threads inside... this is what i have to do tomorrow. Are you sure that the leak isnt occuring at the block?

http://ls1tech.com/forums/showthread.php?t=699281

Well this morning i removed the band clamps and used the C-clamps pacesetter sent me and it actually sounds better under the car. Now the only noise I hear under the hood is kinda like a ticking on the drivers side rear of the header. Maybe a plug not in all the way? And im going to the muffler shop tommarow to see if he has a better way of sealing the connections and see what he can do about the banging from the Y. Im pretty sure both sides are sealed up good. The passenger side with the motor running has no noise what so ever, the drivers side just has that faint tickin near the rear. ( A muffler shop wil work on my car even though there arent any cats right?)

a ticking sound coming from the headers is an exhaust leak. your gasket isn't sealing correctly. did you get a set of GM OEM gaskets? they're highly recommended on a header install.

I used felpro gaskets

Sorry to hear about your troubles...I just did a set on a buddies WS6 on Thursday and it took 3 hours from start to finish. Check your threads real good. You don't want to screw up the heads if you can help it.

good thing you didnt install slp lts,lol you would have really hated it

Yeah im goin to get all the connections welded tommarow, and as for that tick sound on the drivers side im lost. If its a bad gasket i guess il try an replace it, until then will a small leak hurt anything?

i am supposed to pick up my 99 formula m6 tonight, my mechanic installed my pacesetters, and he said, lot of fabrication needed, if you read what your buying you will see if your worried about the 02 sensors, unless your going to fabricate them back for use, this isnt the headers you want, on these header the back i beleive 2 o2 sensors are not meant to be used, which i think will ccause your check engine light to come on, not sure if it causes prolems with emissions, you also hae to fabricate your egr, anyone run into this problem like i did?

If you dont have cats and EGR then you just get the Race version without the provisions for all that.

yea i installed two pair of SLP longtube headers and it sucked but everything turned out good so can't complain

yea man the 1st time i hated it but since then ive done 2 more installs and removals and i still hate it lol but its worth it

Ok well I got a few more turns out of 3 of the screws on the drivers side and the ticking is gone, at least for now. Is it normal to have to tighten them up a bit the first few days?

i have the slp exhaust and i should be getting my car back tonight with the pace setter long tubes, what knda sound can i look forward to hearing, i am so excited and cant wait, i am also supposed to be racing my buddy with his new 04 gto, there is no break in period with headers are there?

Ok well I got a few more turns out of 3 of the screws on the drivers side and the ticking is gone, at least for now. Is it normal to have to tighten them up a bit the first few days?

yep, its normal.

did you use anti-sieze on the bolts? or blue loctite?

you probably know a little something about aluminum heads and know that the last thing you wanna do is strip one of them bolts in there, for gods sake be carefull, i havent came accross that problem though as far as having to tighten the bolts again after a couple days and i have done three of these type jobs

you probably know a little something about aluminum heads and know that the last thing you wanna do is strip one of them bolts in there, for gods sake be carefull, i havent came accross that problem though as far as having to tighten the bolts again after a couple days and i have done three of these type jobs

next weekend im putting mine in.

i have 3 broken bolts which i think are flush with the head. :cry:

so i got the extractors and center drills.

ya i mean i guess is not the end of the world, but definately a pain in the ass, right revelation, lol what kinda sound can i expect, i have a slp exhaust already and am putting the pace setter long tubes on should get the car back tonightt

ya i mean i guess is not the end of the world, but definately a pain in the ass, right revelation, lol what kinda sound can i expect, i have a slp exhaust already and am putting the pace setter long tubes on should get the car back tonightt

if you have the loudmouth the thing is gonna be stupid loud and raspy.

I don't know why people buy new header gaskets, the stock metal gasket is the best gasket you can use. They can be reused over and over. For the bolts that won't go in anymore, sounds like you started them wrong and chances are those bolt holes are fucked.

I used anti sieze, everything under the hood is ok now, I got a leak where the collertor meets the Y on the drivers side though. Welding them wasnt my first choice but looks like im going that way. While there in there im gonna have them weld all the connections and put a hanger on the Y to stop that bangin. Glad to hear im not the only one thats ever had problems! After gettin the welding on the Y done the only thing is that one bolt halfway in on the passenger side. Its not leaking but I dont wanna force that bolt in so I guess il have to wait an see what it does? For those of you that have had broken bolts how on earth did u find the room in there to tap them out?

i went to napa and got a set of metal oem gaskets. my old ones are fucked 3 ways from sunday.

did you use the U clamps on the collector?

New gaskets are like 10-20 bucks no reason in putting the old rusty ones back in only to discover a leak later on!

I don't know why people buy new header gaskets, the stock metal gasket is the best gasket you can use. They can be reused over and over. For the bolts that won't go in anymore, sounds like you started them wrong and chances are those bolt holes are fucked.
no, the stock gasket is not the best you can use, especially if yours have been on for 10 years. the 10 dollar felpro's i bought at autozone look 10 times better and have convient little hooks on either end of them so you can start the first and last bolt on the header and then drop the gasket down on in. you dont have to hold it while you start the bolts. cheap insurance IMO.

no, the stock gasket is not the best you can use, especially if yours have been on for 10 years. the 10 dollar felpro's i bought at autozone look 10 times better and have convient little hooks on either end of them so you can start the first and last bolt on the header and then drop the gasket down on in. you dont have to hold it while you start the bolts. cheap insurance IMO.

i have them too. saves my arm from going dead the whole day :judge:

I used anti sieze, everything under the hood is ok now, I got a leak where the collertor meets the Y on the drivers side though. Welding them wasnt my first choice but looks like im going that way. While there in there im gonna have them weld all the connections and put a hanger on the Y to stop that bangin. Glad to hear im not the only one thats ever had problems! After gettin the welding on the Y done the only thing is that one bolt halfway in on the passenger side. Its not leaking but I dont wanna force that bolt in so I guess il have to wait an see what it does? For those of you that have had broken bolts how on earth did u find the room in there to tap them out?
Do not weld them man, if you ever decide to put heads on that car you have to drop the headers and that will not happen if you weld, you will have to break out the sawzall.

And yes the stock metal gaskets are the absolute best gasket you can use, of course if they are rusty and look fucked up don't use them, but buy new OEM metal gaskets. I've done dozens of header installs, never 1 time have I had a leak w/ the stock metal gaskets.

[QUOTE=Revelation Z28]yep, its normal.

did you use anti-sieze on the bolts? or blue loctite?[/QUOT

Some anti-sieze is a good idea,but dont use loctite it can make removal of the header bolts very difficult later.You might even have to use a torch.

Ok well ive tried to turn all the bolts some more they wont budge especially the one thats half way in. And the tickin sound is back. So im takin to a custom muffler shop to see what they can do, they have more tools than me. And if they have to be rethreaded il let them takle that one. So worst case senerio a few threads have to be redone an I need 2 new gaskets how much $ we talkin about?

Why don't you see if someone w/ ls1 experience can help you locally. If you just take it to a muffler shop chances are they don't have much experience w/ engine work which is what you need. Don't take it to a regular mechanic cause they charge by the hour and it will take him longer than someone who has experience w/ ls1's.

Me and a buddy (with LS1) experience did it together, and with all thats going on ive had it with this job. So id love to find help somewhere else but its a long shot, I dont wanna pay what there gonna charge but atleast il have peace of mind that its done right. I do have a good performance shop here thats where im taking it first so hopfully they dont rape me for new header gaskets an tapin a few holes! This hole thing has frustrated me to the point that im gonna pay someone to fix what ive messed up. Live an learn I guess. Im pissed at myself for having to go somewhere for help but I see that as my only option left. Its my DD and I cant afford to let this problem linger on till I figure it out on my own.

from my experience, the center bolt hole (on the header) is the one you have to put in first. i believe it lines up the rest of the holes, if you know what i mean. i put in one bolt in a different place and the thing wouldn't line up, until i put the center bolt in first.

I just did my motor swap and noticed that the center bolts are shorter than the others. dont try to tighten them down anymore your going to fuck something up. Unless you have all bolts tight your gonna get a leak and that can cause a valve issue.

don't weld it man......mine was leaking pretty bad and I went to autozone and bought exhaust sealer ($3) and it sealed it right up. Looks messy under there but who is looking under my car?

when I did my header install I broke a bolt off in the head. I had to weld a nut on the end of the bolt to get it back out. Thanks to some friends it was all resolved without issue. I don't have any banging on the floor board like others have siad though. I would take the bolt out, spray some wd40 on it and keep working it (tighten then loosen) till you get it in all the way.

Did you use the stock bolts or the new ones that came with the lts? I know mine were differend and the stock ones looked stonger.

Well took the car to the shop today and it turned out to be the AIR gasket on the drivers side. The gasket was cracked and that was causing the ticking. So 2 new bolts and some RTV problem solved. Tonight im gonna get that bolt out thats half way in and use a smaller bolt. So now there are no leaks in the engine bay or under the car. Now for the y-pipe, its banging an vibrating like crazy where on the pipe should I be tryin to bend it? And after a little bending im gonna try to get a hanger welded on. Ive decided not to weld the connections I just tightened the hell out of those U-clamps and its good now. After the Y-pipe stops bangin il be good to go.

PS. Thank to all that responded to this thread

Update-

All seals are good I went to GM an got a new gasket for the air hose that was leaking. Went to a muffler shop an had them bend the Y till it stopped banging. And I worked that scew in on the passenger side after a tap cleaned the hole out. So now im 100% again, and loving my new sound and improved HP. Thanks to everyone that gave me advise. Im just glad its over an I can finally enjoy the car instead of worring about a banging ORY an bolts that wont go all the way in! Anyone on the fence about getting LT's just do it. Even if its a pain in the butt at the end when its all done its worth it!