Headers
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From: Victoria, TX
Headers My fisrt question is whether or not going to LT's is really worth it (I'm pretty sure it is). I made the mistake of putting JBA Shorty's on my 01 SS 
. Now I'm looking at cams and am thinking of making the switch to LT's. Couple more questions coming... The price of Pacesetter's make them a very attractive choice, but I've heard some stories about having to notch the k member and the ORY banging. I've heard that going w/ a custom ORY is better, but there are no shops in my area that do mandrel bending 
.
Is it better to work these problems out or just go with a different manufacturer? One last question, is it worth the xtra cash to get the ceramic coating?
Thanks in advance,
Craig
01 SS
Lots of bolt ons
TCI 3500 TC
. Now I'm looking at cams and am thinking of making the switch to LT's. Couple more questions coming... The price of Pacesetter's make them a very attractive choice, but I've heard some stories about having to notch the k member and the ORY banging. I've heard that going w/ a custom ORY is better, but there are no shops in my area that do mandrel bending .Is it better to work these problems out or just go with a different manufacturer? One last question, is it worth the xtra cash to get the ceramic coating?
Thanks in advance,
Craig
01 SS
Lots of bolt ons
TCI 3500 TC
Yes, LT's are worth it!
I've heard people notching the k-member w/ Pacesetters too. Most aftermarket y's are gonna bang. But that can be fixed pretty easily.
You've got Hookers and Flowtechs that are right in the same price range as Pacesetters. Good quality all around.
Yes, ceramic coating is worth it... But Stainless is the best.
FYI- Check out JRP's sticky at the top of the forum here. Newbie Exhaust Guide. Also try doing searches to find out more about the different makes of headers, and their pros/ cons.
I've heard people notching the k-member w/ Pacesetters too. Most aftermarket y's are gonna bang. But that can be fixed pretty easily.
You've got Hookers and Flowtechs that are right in the same price range as Pacesetters. Good quality all around.
Yes, ceramic coating is worth it... But Stainless is the best.
FYI- Check out JRP's sticky at the top of the forum here. Newbie Exhaust Guide. Also try doing searches to find out more about the different makes of headers, and their pros/ cons.
Originally Posted by calongo_SS
One last question, is it worth the xtra cash to get the ceramic coating?
Stainless is a great choice but I just have a hard time justifying the extra cost for virtually the same net performance results...a little surface rust never killed anybody.
TECH Veteran
Joined: Aug 2003
Posts: 4,954
Likes: 1
From: Kent WA
LTs are definitely worthwhile... the Pacesetters weren't hard to install at all, just takes a little time, like all header installs do. Took me and friends about 8 hours to install headers, ORY, catback, and a shift light... that included the time it took to take out all the old stuff, and of course a beer and pizza break.
All you need is a sawzall to notch the k-member for clearance... and use a pry bar on the y-pipe to give yourself a little more clearance. I only have a little banging with the y-pipe against the floorboard when creeping away from the line under extremely low load (like idling away from a stop). In any other situation, including WOT, the y-pipe doesn't bang.
And the coating is worth it... not just for resisting rust, but also to help keep under hood temperatures down. Here is some pics of the coating I had done on my Pacesetters by a company called Performance Coating. The color is called "Black Satin":
Passenger side top view:
Driver's side top view:
Passenger side under car view:
Driver's side under car view:
Driver's side, close up of notched k-member:
All you need is a sawzall to notch the k-member for clearance... and use a pry bar on the y-pipe to give yourself a little more clearance. I only have a little banging with the y-pipe against the floorboard when creeping away from the line under extremely low load (like idling away from a stop). In any other situation, including WOT, the y-pipe doesn't bang.
And the coating is worth it... not just for resisting rust, but also to help keep under hood temperatures down. Here is some pics of the coating I had done on my Pacesetters by a company called Performance Coating. The color is called "Black Satin":
Passenger side top view:
Driver's side top view:
Passenger side under car view:
Driver's side under car view:
Driver's side, close up of notched k-member:
