Well, I did it today with a friend in about 5-6 hours actual work time with about 2 hours worth of tomfoolery and eating and stuff...
The driver side went in pretty easy from the bottom... I took the coil packs off and that was it. The headers had plenty of room away from the K member... They fit pretty well..I was impressed.
The passenger side: I tried first to get them in from the bottom with only the coil packs off. I didn't have the car high enough so I tried sliding them in from the top by taking off the valve cover. I ended up scratching them to hell and then resorting back to the original plan of going from the bottom. I jacked the car up and insane height with a floor jack by the K member while on like three jack stands in the back and both front wheels on ramps except for the now higher passenger side wheel. It was crazy, and I should have taken a picture! They went in like butter once the car was insanely high off the ground...butter After that, I bolted them on using my friend to hold them from the bottom. I replaced the spark plugs etc. and put the "top" back together. The Y pipe was a pain in the ***. I disconnected the back of the exhaust from the rubber hangers and pieced it in after trying every other way. Now for the moment of truth: I cranked her up and she sounded good. I checked all the joints to check for leaks and found one on the Y, but tomorrow I am gonna go get the joints welded to seal em all up. I noticed that the pipe(s) bang against the floorboard of my car...don't know why, they fit real well...My car had eibach sportlines and I will be raising it back to stock height due to severe ( and I mean severe ) clearance issues. I hit a normal little bump and the damn thing scrapes..this week the car will be raised back up..The 02 extensions are worth the money..get them.. I didnt and it was a pain to splice..other than that, on the way home I noticed a little more power, but I didnt really get into it like I wanted for fear of scraping..Does anyone know how to cure the banging against the floorboard problem? Thanks...

 

Normally the passenger side is the easiest to install with Pacesetters.

Don't weld the Y-pipe to the headers!

Did you have to cut off the casting tab on the driver side?

Also, the banging Y-pipe is common with pacesetters..you could try to lodge something between the Y-pipe in the floor, like a valve spring or something...I don't have a catback, just a muffler on the end of the y-pipe with a turndown, and if you get an exhaust hanger at a good spot it will keep the pipe from banging... or get a hammer and knock in the Y-pipe some.

Edit: I just noticed you where from Memphis.. where in the area are you?

 

cool install man. gives me confidence to install headers

 

oh ya what yr is your car?

 

Ruben, the hardest part is getting the stock pieces off...then as long as you have your car high enough the Pacesetters will slide right in. Except, most people have to cut the casting tab off the driver side of the motor...only about 1/2" of it. I just stuck a sawzall up to it and it cut through it like butter.

I just reused the stock exhaust gaskets and bolts, but my car did only have 45k miles on it.

 

wow i cant believe u have to raise the car again, I installed the same setup along with a rebuilt tranny in about 9.5 hours but we had a lift and whole shop handy. My z has been lowered 2 1/4" from stock height and i have no clearance issues and can even make it over the speed bumps at my work mind u i have to take them extremely slow but it will clear. I never had the banging issue like most people have guess im one of the lucky ones

 

sounds good JETLAG i got 57,000miles. maybe i can reuse my gaskets. income tax is what im waitn for

 

Be sure to cut your catalytic converters off the stock Y-pipe and sell them... Several guys on here pay $140 for them.

 

damn they do?

 

Im from S'haven... Yeah, I didnt have to cut the tab..mine slid in perfect...I think the rattle is from the U clamps(one on the ds header to be exact) cuz it was right on the floorboard..why not weld? its a better seal...plus I dont want to take them off Dang Matt, we are like in each other's back yard LOL

 

Just less trouble to unbolt the y-pipe than cut it off if you eventually needed to maybe remove headers, or pull the motor or something

And a good band clamp will hold just as good as a weld.

 

i thought about gettin some of those...can you get them at NAPA? what size? Are there different ones?

 

Yes u can get them at napa size does range just get the measurement for size from the header. I got 3 1/4" from napa about $13/piece.

 

Not sure if Napa would.. Thunder Racing sells them for $12 a piece.