citationls

Ok so I wanted to do something to my car (2000 transam) and I had decided on a CAI until I found out my car already has CAI. Right now all I have is the CAI and hooker cat back exhaust as far as I know. I'll post pictures later so you guys can tell me if the rest of my exhaust is stock. It should be but who knows, I'm finding lots of random upgrades on my car (I got it 2 months ago).
Anyway, assuming my exhaust is stock except for the cat back, would I be able to install headers without any fitment issues. Would the headers be able to hook up to the stock exhaust? If so would headers even do me any good if I have a stock exhaust other than the cat back or would it all just be restricted by the stock pipes? Also, I'm looking at brands and types of headers and I'm thinking about going with stainless because I don't want them to rust out after a few years even though I only drive my car in the summer. Would I even be able to install headers myself considering I've never worked on a car before other than an oil change? I have experience with working on dirt bikes/snowmobiles but none with cars.

Thanks for your help. If you can answer every one of these questions you win 100 bucks

matt224

You would need a new Y pipe too, but a lot of headers come with a Y pipe so you should be all set.

citationls

Ok, I was just looking at hooker super comp headers, does anyone know how those are or if they fit good? Or is there another type good quality stainless headers that I could get for around 600 total, y pipe and all?
Thanks

zracer323

iTrader: (12)

Take a look at LPP headers. they are stainless and run about $650 for headers+y-pipe. Also check out ebay. You can find stainless headers on there for about $200. The fitment isn't great but its a good way to save some money.

As for the install, you need to get the car as high as possible. If you have a good set of swivels and extensions, the install isnt too bad.

garygnu

do your motor mounts before installing the new headers.

HAZ-Matt

iTrader: (8)

I had the Dynatech Supermaxx headers w/ cats and Y into the stock catback. Just have to open the I pipe slightly with a pipe expander and it slides in.

There will be a little restriction from the stock catback, but if you are otherwise stock it won't be too bad. The good and bad is that this will be pretty quiet and as such the tone is sort of odd.

MikeWS6

I heard one with lts and stock exhaust and it was pretty high pitch.

joecar

I have the Dynatech Supermaxx headers/cats/y-pipe... they fit very well and very easily.

(Dynatech has one of the best properly-made F-car stainless-steel y-pipes).

With the stock catback it sounds a just a little louder than stock at idle, and when revved it barks nicely, different but nice... (I don't get any high pitch).

cyberkill

YES! DO THAT!

THere're only horror stories of people trying to do them after headers.
I wrote a long pictured writeup several months ago (that still needs some editing) of doing both Poly MM & headers.

https://ls1tech.com/forums/generatio...otsa-pics.html

zacht

iTrader: (18)

do the mounts AS you do the headers. i think new mounts are 60 bucks....

GSus

iTrader: (2)

^^^^ha!

I haven't shut my comp off since last week because of your write up. Took several refreshes and the download of another browser just to get all of the pics....so I'm not taking any chances.


Thanks btw

citationls

Why would I need to replace my motor mounts just curious? Is that only if I'm gonna build up my engine a lot?

OMGls1jz

iTrader: (5)

yea i never understood why we should replace motor mount when putting in headers beause my brother didn't do it and it didn't seem to give him any problems

Element

iTrader: (5)

Stock motor mounts are rubber and allow a good bit of engine "deflection", which is basically just lost power. Plus, rubber dry-rots and goes to ****, the stockers are known to split, and poly mounts aren't that expensive. They're not expensive and swapping them with the headers out is the easiest way of doing it, so why not?

skopers3

iTrader: (3)

Personally I think replacing the motor mounts is a waste of time and money. They day you ahve to do it or the header will bang on teh floorboard, and yes mine did. But I just took a pice of rubber hose and clamped it around the pipe where it was hitting and fixed the problem for less than $5.

Element

iTrader: (5)

That's not fixing the problem at all - your motor mounts are going, causing the exhaust to hit the body. The only thing you accomplished was stopping the noise - about like putting a bandaid on a compound fracture.

If you'd ever driven in a car with shot motor mounts, then driven in the same car with new motor mounts, you'd understand why it's not a waste of time or money to do it with the headers out.

cyberkill

If you read that writeup I linked a few posts ago, one of the pics shows what my rubber motor mounts looked like after about 95,000 miles in 9 years. They were cracking and splitting.

The idea behind doing motor mounts is that polyurethane is much stiffer than rubber. When your engine is revving it vibrates, and the rubber motor mounts lets the engine move around when doing so, and if some of that energy that your engine is producing is wasted by transferring it into engine motion, you lose power (albeit just a tiny bit). In terms of performance upgrades, it can probably be thrown in the "Every little bit helps" category, but the reason why everyone tells you to do MM when you do headers is because trying to do them AFTER headers is a real pain in the ***. I did mine with headers, so I can't attest to it, but before I did it, I read forums and so many people had horror stories and posts like "if I went to hell I'd be doing MM every week." The LT headers really get in the way of where you would be wrenching to get that motor mount replaced.

citationls

Alright, I can see why it's a good idea to replace the motor mounts now. I'll definitely do that if I get headers. By the way that thread is rediculous! haha That's the mother of all instructional threads in my opinion.
So now I just have to convince my dad to let me install headers if I decide to go through with this. He wants me to have someone else install them. Then I have to decide what kind to get. I'm still debating between hooker super comp and lpp.
Thanks for all the info

citationls

K one last question. I took a picture of my current exhaust pipes as close to the headers as I could get and they should be stock but if someone could confirm that, that would be great.

King Nothing

iTrader: (9)

yep your a bone stock T/A with a 6 speed manual trans. ditch the cats and just get the pacesetter LT's and their y-pipe with a stock cat-back it sounds great . . . it's what i'm running and i love it. i used to have 3" true duals but with the attention it pulled from local police i'm happier with being quiet enough to go un-noticed