First bolt on headers and full exauhst help!
Thread Starter
Staging Lane
Joined: Jun 2010
Posts: 53
Likes: 0
First bolt on headers and full exauhst help! just bought my 2000 trans am yeusterday and want to get it into the shop for full exhaust work. I want to buy pacesetter long tube headers, off road y-pipe, no cats, and loudmouth 2 muffler. I just wanted to make sure if I buy all of these parts off slp.com will the shop need anything else for installation? Or will it all be there. Also does anyone know if the slp airbox does anyhting worth buying same with the slp smooth below? I have k&n intake do i really need a box or anything? Please let me know the earlier I get some feed back the sooner I can overnight all the parts
You need to read the sticky. O2 extenstions will be needed if you don't want the shop to rig the wires up. You should get better gaskets too. You don't need an airbox if you already have cai. I'm almost just as new as you to the ls1 world and even I know that the below is a waist of money, mostly just for looks w/ little to no gains. All this is really easy to install and you should attempt it yourself 1st and if absolutly stuck then take it to a mech on less that is you got da money to blow and in that case I would question why you went w/ the cheapo pacesetter and not some kooks or other higher brand LT's?
Also new MM are recomended while doing this job.
Also new MM are recomended while doing this job.
11 Second Club
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From: Your girl's back door giving her the long stroke while you're at work
You can find the parts you are wanting cheaper through some of the other sponsors.
I'm not sold on the smooth bellow, IMO it's more for apperance than performance
I'm not sold on the smooth bellow, IMO it's more for apperance than performance
I'm not sold on the smooth bellow, IMO it's more for apperance than performance[/QUOTE]
and this. both true.
Do you have the actual k&n CAI or just a filter in the stock lid?
Bellow- not worth the money
pacesetters can be had at most sponsors for as cheap as $270 for painted (ceramic coating doesnt last long, so dont bother). also, get better gaskets. paper ones that come with them suck. Just know that you have been warned: LM2 with a non-catted Y will sound raspy as ****. some people jsut want loud and dont care about sound, some do. I say get a better catback if you really want to stay with a Y, but true duals (like TSP's rumbler) sound sooo much better. Screams at WOT, and no rasp.
Also, headers arent a hard install. You dont need any special tools or anything, plus youll get to know your car a little better. Save the money, and spend some time with your car and do it yourself.
just bought my 2000 trans am yeusterday and want to get it into the shop for full exhaust work. I want to buy pacesetter long tube headers, off road y-pipe, no cats, and loudmouth 2 muffler. I just wanted to make sure if I buy all of these parts off slp.com will the shop need anything else for installation? Or will it all be there. Also does anyone know if the slp airbox does anyhting worth buying same with the slp smooth below? I have k&n intake do i really need a box or anything? Please let me know the earlier I get some feed back the sooner I can overnight all the parts
2) Actual Band clamps for each joint. They seal better, aren't that expensive, and the shop may try and get away with using U-bolt style clamps which are pretty much garbage. The exhaust shop can also weld them in place, but once welded if you change your mind all those parts have to be cut off which kills resale value. Flanges are a good weld on alternative especially at key joints like the headers to Y, Y to I, and I to your over the axle pipe.
3) o2 extensions. I wouldn't trust an exhaust shop with trying to swap pins on my PCM.
4) Possibly hangers though I'd check with the shop on what they use for hangers.
As for the air box, most lids are lids and the difference is minimal. If you already have a K&N intake it probably wouldn't be worth the cost of swapping unless you planned to do a full cold air intake that bottom feeds air from under the car.
As others have said, the bellows is more appearance than anything. It removes the kinks that the acordian style bellows use, but then so would a $4.00 piece of PVC pipe from home depot.
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I have a smooth bellow and I really like it but I put it on along with my lid, p/p throttle body, SSRA, and K&N filter so I noticed a difference 
I guess it's more of an appearance thing but like I said I like it. Yes you might want to rethink that loudmouth exhaust with something better sounding unless that's what you like. I was told to get different band clamps but I decided to just have the stuff welded on. It's important though that you get the LONGER vette o2 sensors (I think they are the rear ones, do not go with the extensions!!!) and some poly motor mounts to avoid the pipe banging on the floor. Learn from my mistakes 
I guess it's more of an appearance thing but like I said I like it. Yes you might want to rethink that loudmouth exhaust with something better sounding unless that's what you like. I was told to get different band clamps but I decided to just have the stuff welded on. It's important though that you get the LONGER vette o2 sensors (I think they are the rear ones, do not go with the extensions!!!) and some poly motor mounts to avoid the pipe banging on the floor. Learn from my mistakes Last edited by 01SuperSport; Aug 14, 2010 at 02:31 AM.
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Thread Starter
Staging Lane
Joined: Jun 2010
Posts: 53
Likes: 0
The K&N was on it when I bought it ? I have listned to countless sound bites of exhaust's and I found this setup a guy was running and it sounded ridiculous exactly what I wanted! I thought I might need a 02 extension and does anyone know exactly what gaskets to buy and where to buy them. I keep hearing pacesetters are cheap but what is the difference between them and kooks, or slp?
1) New exhaust gaskets, most prefer GM's MLS.
2) Actual Band clamps for each joint. They seal better, aren't that expensive, and the shop may try and get away with using U-bolt style clamps which are pretty much garbage. The exhaust shop can also weld them in place, but once welded if you change your mind all those parts have to be cut off which kills resale value. Flanges are a good weld on alternative especially at key joints like the headers to Y, Y to I, and I to your over the axle pipe.
3) o2 extensions. I wouldn't trust an exhaust shop with trying to swap pins on my PCM.
4) Possibly hangers though I'd check with the shop on what they use for hangers.
As for the air box, most lids are lids and the difference is minimal. If you already have a K&N intake it probably wouldn't be worth the cost of swapping unless you planned to do a full cold air intake that bottom feeds air from under the car.
As others have said, the bellows is more appearance than anything. It removes the kinks that the acordian style bellows use, but then so would a $4.00 piece of PVC pipe from home depot.
2) Actual Band clamps for each joint. They seal better, aren't that expensive, and the shop may try and get away with using U-bolt style clamps which are pretty much garbage. The exhaust shop can also weld them in place, but once welded if you change your mind all those parts have to be cut off which kills resale value. Flanges are a good weld on alternative especially at key joints like the headers to Y, Y to I, and I to your over the axle pipe.
3) o2 extensions. I wouldn't trust an exhaust shop with trying to swap pins on my PCM.
4) Possibly hangers though I'd check with the shop on what they use for hangers.
As for the air box, most lids are lids and the difference is minimal. If you already have a K&N intake it probably wouldn't be worth the cost of swapping unless you planned to do a full cold air intake that bottom feeds air from under the car.
As others have said, the bellows is more appearance than anything. It removes the kinks that the acordian style bellows use, but then so would a $4.00 piece of PVC pipe from home depot.
The ceramic coating on my Pacesetters, at least at the collectors, didn't make it a year. About 5 years later, and the only place they still have coating at is on the flanges, and the primaries right at the flanges. They were only $350 though, so I'm not complaining. Were I buying budget headers again, I'd pick up another set. I'll actually probably wind up blasting and painting the set that's coming off my car, along with my set of Lane's duals, just in case...of what, I don't know, but I'm sure as hell not chopping them up for scrap.
TECH Resident
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 873
Likes: 1
From: oakland, ca
i went with ceramic coated and i am regreting it..looks like **** after 2 years..a freind of mine went with American racing headers and y and a magnaflow catback not only does his look great still but his car sounds better than mine..you get what u pay for!!!