HITMANSS

Thanks to the generosity of my good buddy Jason at F-Body Central, I recently acquired a set of prototype Jet Hot headers for my '04 C5 coupe. Jet Hot donated the headers, and Jason did the install for free. The purpose was to make sure there were no fitment or installation problems before Jet Hot starts selling these headers on the open market.

This was a wise approach, as the first attempt at an installation back in May revealed an obstruction on the passenger side --- the front header tube interfered with the coolant line that exits the back of the A/C compressor. It took Jet Hot a few weeks to fab up a new passenger-side header, and then another few weeks for Jason & I to arrange a mutually convenient time for the second install.

Here is a pic of the Jet Hot headers: They are nice & shiny, have thick flanges, and look great on the car.



I also installed a Random Technology 2-3/4" X-pipe, w/ metal matrix cats, and some take-off Z06 titanium mufflers. They fit perfectly with the headers, and sound great. At idle, there is just a mild "muscle car" rumble, just slightly louder than a stock Z06. At cruise and mild acceleration, it sounds vaguely exotic, like a Ferrari. At WOT, the sound is very aggressive, but not annoying. I'm VERY pleased with the overall sound.

I'll post again in a few minutes with step-by-step pics of the install, a few problems we ran into, and how we solved them.

HITMANSS

OK, here are links to pics of the entire install process. First, the car was driven to F-Body Central, near the Baltimore Beltway, put up on the lift, and the stock exhaust was removed.

http://tinypic.com/zolt
http://tinypic.com/zom1
http://tinypic.com/zomc
http://tinypic.com/zomv

Both the passenger and driver side stock headers came out from the top. The passenger side Jet Hot header dropped right in from the top, but the driver side had to be installed from underneath.

http://tinypic.com/zon7
http://tinypic.com/zon9
http://tinypic.com/zond

Next the mounting tabs had to be mated up to the headers. The tabs have to be reversed to fit correctly.

http://tinypic.com/zonl
http://tinypic.com/zono

Then the new Random Technology X-pipe was installed. The header flange slid right over the X-pipe inlet, and then band clamps were used as connectors. Unfortunately, I didn't get any pics of the band clamps, but did get a pic of the new X-pipe next to the stock piece.

http://tinypic.com/zomo

Finally, the stock mufflers were removed, and the Z06 titanium mufflers were put in their place. They bolted right up to the flanges on the RT X-pipe. Here is a pic of the completed installation.

http://tinypic.com/zonq

The car sounded great after the install, w/ no fitment problems or vibrations. The passenger side header fits very closely to the A/C coolant line, but that line is protected by a fire sleeve. The Jet Hot header coating is so efficient that within a few minutes after turning the engine off, you can touch the surface with your bare hand. There is very little chance of the heat from the headers affecting the coolant line in any way.

During the week after the install, one of the band clamps developed a leak. A judicious application of RV sealant inside the band clamp solved that problem.

These headers fit great, look great, and sound great. SOTP power increase is VERY noticeable, and I hope to have some dyno numbers to post within a week or so.

Gary

ssthunder

nice,i had them on my 99 ss.any idea what they ll cost? will they bolt up to the stock h pipe?

HITMANSS

Nope, the Jet Hot LT's are quite a bit longer than the stock exhaust manifolds, and the stock H-pipe is quite a bit longer than the Random Technology X-pipe. You can see the difference pretty clearly in the pics. What gets eliminated is the pup cats.

I haven't heard what they are going to charge, just that they will be on the market as soon as they can get some inventory manufactured. My guess is that the price will be comparable to some of the other headers out there, only they will be coated instead of stainless.

ssthunder

myself,i think all the vette headers are over priced.i dont see it costing any more to make a vette header than a camaro header.jet-hot hookers for a camaro were priced better than the others when they came out.i hope hooker and jet-hot come through on the vette headers as well.keep us updated plz.

HITMANSS

I checked with Jason, and he indicated that the headers will be priced right around $700.

He also provided a point of contact at Jet Hot (todd@jethot.com) if you would like to share your opinions on pricing. Be sure to mention that you saw this thread on this Forum.

Gary