4.5 hour LT Install -
I have had my headers for over two weeks now, but they had been sitting in the garage the whole time because I was undecided on whether I wanted a shop to install them, or install with a friend. So my buddy (owns a WS6) calls me up outta the blue, while I'm on my way home from work, and asks "What are you doin today?" I tell him I'm gonna go to the gym, and just chill out. He then says, "Wanna get started on those headers?" I tell him hell yeah, and I meet him at his house an hour later.

Anyway, we begin the install at 7pm (engine was pretty hot still ) so burned the hands a lil bit, but not unbearable. Removed tubing, manifolds, spark plugs, stock y-pipe, cats, header bolts, headers etc. etc. etc. and not necessarily in that order....had the new driver's side header in within 2 hours from start time (with a lil wrestling up toward the header opening). It's now about 9pm and we're making very good progress with the install and then...

Assembly and install of the Jet-hot y-pipe. This part was a pain. We had the car jacked up pretty good - the tough part was assembling the y-pipe and getting all the parts to fit together nicely AND fit in with the headers and the stock i-piping. A LOT of twisting, forcing and flat out muscling the piping into place - that went down for around half an hour, but when you're under the car and doing this it seems like forever. It was very tiring.

Okay, headers in, y-pipe in and everything clamped down. Time to clean up and fire up the engine (11:30pm). Fired up clean, although - a tiny bit of smoke, as expected, emits from the engine bay. And the smell was strong too. I let her sit idling for around 10 mins while we finished cleaning, etc. And took her out for a short cruise.

I am very happy with this install. I've never installed a part like this on a car. Besides the burned and scratched hands and wrestling with the piping under the car, it went well. I couldn't have dont this without my homeboy (SVC707 here on LS1Tech). He actually did more than half the work and knew what he was doing.
I will post pictures asap. Thanks for reading, peace.

 

very nice! just yesterday me and two friends finished header install on my ls1 also. did you go with cats or not? i went with the ORY, but i forgot to pickup simulators for the rear o2s and now my car idles rough. i think i might just get cats welded because the rasp at like 2300-2800rpms can get quite annoying since i do have loudmouth. so what headers did you go with?

 

Thats Pretty Good My First Install Took About 5.5 But It Was A Complete New Exhaust

 

went with cats. i forgot the o2 simulators too i like the way the headers sound though - it gave mine a more "hollow" sound to the exhaust. i went with jet-hot headers. your ORY with the loudmouth must sound pretty mean!

 

yeah man. i can't wait to get my exhaust, i should have it by saturday, hopefully, or early next week. that should bolt right up in no time...5.5 hours is pretty damn good for complete exhaust.

 

remember this was my actual first install too... and yeah quite a FEW scrapes and a blister. i forgot how hot cats get since i never really had any in my cars lol.

 

i hope to get my headers in this weekend. the stock manifolds are off, so i'm just waiting for my new ones to go on.

one of you said your car idled rough w/o the rear O2's. I have an ORY pipe, how badly am I going to idle?

just curious so I don't freak out when i start it up. and would it be a good idea to start it with just the ORY on before i put the rest of the exhaust back on?

thanks guys

 

Congratulations on the install. Nothing like doing it yourself and standing back and enjoying the satisfaction. 4.5 hrs for a first time install is pretty good.

As far as a rough idle after install, I would take another look at the plug wires and look for a possible exhaust leak. You should not have a rough idle from just headers. A more authoritative and sexy sound, but not a rough idle. LOL

Congrats again,
Dave

 

thanks. the car idles well as far as RPMs. soundwise, a bit louder than the stock idle and definitely a different exhaust note while driving than before. I like it a lot. Just wait until I get that GMMG on there
I couldn't agree more.

 

btw - on the way to my buddy's house for the install, i had a lil race. I was on a junction heading toward my friend's house when I come across a corvette. it looked like a newer one, licence place said " I [heart] my C6" I thought they were Z06? forgive my ignorance...anyway i pulled up to her at a stoplight and it's a short distance so i figure no use in even starting anything so i let her pull ahead and continue driving. later on down the road, maybe two stoplights ahead, guess who it is? lady in the 'vette again, different area - didn't expect to run into her again, but she is pulling up to a stop light and switches lanes - kind of inviting me over. i pull up next to her, she doesn't even look over. BUT i knew she wanted to run cuz she even waited for the cars turning in front of us (from the opposite side traffic) to clear both of our cars after the light turns green. so whatever, i start to move and actually test by giving a little throttle and next thing you know we are mashing the pedal and at WOT. through first gear i was at her rear view mirror - hit second and my tires give a little chirp - back at WOT in second and at the top of 2nd gear, i'm at her bumper and we shut it down. She signals to turn left at the next street and i look over to give her props but she's too cool and doesn't even look over. ah well, nice little run and i am not ashamed of this death to the 'vette even though it was to a woman. i was satisfied with my first race from a dig. i think she had an automatic.

 

man nice job gettin it done in 4.5 hrs

first time i did a header install (well i helped a friend, he did most of it) it took like 15 hours

we are gonna do mine this weekend and hopefully it will go a little smoother haha

 

same here. my friend (SVC707) did the majority of the work - but i did do enough work to lose skin off my knuckles from all those damn bolts and also wrestling with the piping underneath the car, damn it was just as good a workout as going to the gym! very happy with the install, but now i have a lil "sewing machine" sound when i accelerate so i will triple check all possible leaks/gaps and also put on those block-off/restrictor plates. that should do it

 

My LT install w/damn qtp y-pipe took like 13hours.

And to whoever said they forgot their rear o2 sims and now their car runs rough, that is not your problem. Rear o2s don't control a/f in any way, they just throw ses codes when the cats aren't doing their job.

 

that Y-pipe was a biznatch!!!!!

 

4.5 hours is pretty impressive, congrats!

 

I finished mine up last night. It took me about 6 hrs to put it in. I know what you mean about the scratches the guy's at work asked me if I got in a fight with a cat. You should consider yourselves lucky the two "friends" I had helping me didn't show up so I went at it alone.

 

Exactly. All the rear O2s do is tell the pcm if the cats are functioning properly, when you don't have cats or rear O2s it just puts the light up there telling you they aren't working. But as it has been said MANY times there is NO decrease in performance from this. I actually bought the race style headers and I didn't get the simulators, no reason to because the !AIR would cause it to come on anyway. So I just look at the SES light for now, I'll have HPtuners before long. Congrats on the install