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header install advice

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Old Mar 14, 2010 | 10:50 PM
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Default header install advice

Just got done installing my pacesetter long tube headers, new spark plugs, and spark plug wires. Thought I'd just give a quick run through and advice for anyone who wants to read it. (For the spark plug wires I dont remember exactly when I changed them, but pretty much whenever you think they're the easiest to get to)

Like everyone says jack it up really high. I used some real big jack stands and then put cinderblocks under it as well jsut incase the jackstands gave out for some odd reason. I also put the jack under there almost touching the car jsut as a back up for my back up.

The old exhaust came off easily. Just cut the pipe going over the axle and take off the part from the axle back.

From there jsut unbolt the y pipe and mid pipe form the piece right after the cats. Btw 3 of the 4 bolts broke. It actually just made it easier.

Unbolt the rear O2's and front O2's.

After that i unbolted the cat from the passenger side. This was kind of a bitch but it made it so much easier to get to the last two header bolts.

Loosen all the header bolts. I found th driver side easy to get to all the bolts from the top. The passenger side was a lil tougher, I unbolted the rear two from underneath.

Then while I had no exhaust in the way, I took out the old spark plugs.

Before I started with the new headers I went ahead and put a lil oil on one of my new header bolts and threaded them in each heeader bolt hole just by hand so it would make them a lil easier to go in later. How much this helped I don't know for sure but I didn't have any problems later.

I alos wiped off the sides of my block where the new headers were gonna go just to make sure I had a nice clean surface for my new gaskets.

Now is time for the the new headers.

For the driver side some say they unbolt the steering knuckle or cut off that block that's in the way, the block that you will obviously notice is in the way. For this part I didn't do any extra work, I literatly just forced that in there by pushing real hard and it jumped right in there.

I then jsut started the front header bolt and the back one to hold it up in there. Now i put the new plugs in there and tightened them in. By not tightening the header all the way up it made it much easier to manuever around the exhasut to get to the plugs. Then do the rest of the header bolts. (Don't forget your gasket)


Now for the passenger side.... It's cake. Until you get to the rear 2 plugs. For these I just had someone hold the header up sort of in place and put those plugs in and then made sure not to let the header hit those plugs at all. I now went ahead and put all the header bolts in and tightened them down.

For the other two plugs on the passenger side they're really easy to get to from the top.

Now that those are done go ahead and bolt up your AIR and EGR if you have it. (If you do I would just suggest getting rid of it, there's plenty of threads for that just do a search)

And for the front O2's go ahead and jsut get some vette ones, I say this becuase I went through the time to splice, extend, and wrap the old ones in tape just to get to my tuner and have them say they are jsut gonna get some vette ones cuz I guess after all the connectors and stuff you lose too much of that current and voltage to get good readings.

Well if I missed something I'm sure someone will say something.

Once I was al done I drove it to the shop to get my true duals fabbed up nd installed all the way out the rear axle, and get my tune. I got two magnaflow 4x9's. Now I can't wait to get it back.

Oh and btw if you plan on driving it to the shop like I did on just headers, it's LOUD!! but sweet...
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