Is It Even POSSIBLE To Install Hooker Shorties???
04-24-2010, 05:55 PM
#1
Is It Even POSSIBLE To Install Hooker Shorties??? I finally decided to tackle the job of installing my Hooker Shorties this weekend. They are the carb-approved for 96+ LT1 with dual cats. I am doing the drivers side first. This is the side where the pipes look like a bed of snakes. There are a couple of bolts that I can't even figure how to get any type of socket or wrench on them when I'm holding the header in my lap. I know there is no chance of getting to it when it is on the car. Any suggestions?
04-24-2010, 07:42 PM
#3
Oh, I expected that. But I can't even figure out how to make it work holding the header in my lap!! And one of the bolts is about a 1/4" shorter than the others. I have a feeling it is supposed to go in one particular hole that is especially tight. The other bolts have to be forced into that hole because the tube is so tight against it.
04-24-2010, 08:20 PM
#5
Yeah, I figured that out. What I'm saying is that I don't even see a way to get a wrench on two of them after they are in place on the header, let alone something to torque them down with. Cant even get a socket on them so don't know how I will torque them.
04-24-2010, 08:32 PM
#7
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I have slp midlength headers, single cat style, and the access on many of the bolts is pretty bad. I never used a torque wrench on any of the bolts. I can barely get to half of them so I figured what was the point of torqing the others. I just tighten them all with the same force. I didn't use locking bolts and I never have any issues with leaks or any getting loose.
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04-24-2010, 09:11 PM
#8
Hooker 96 LT1
04-24-2010, 10:27 PM
#12
I give up for now. Just left those two out and the others are just started in the holes good. Moving on to the passenger side now. Need to feel like I made some progress before I go to bed.
04-25-2010, 12:15 AM
#15
You might have to make a custom wrench. I used to have dual cat style shorties on my car (JBAs to be exact) and there was one bolt hole that there was no possible way a wrench or socket was going on it. Not from above. Not from underneath. Not even if the engine was out of the car and on a stand.
I had to grind the crap out of that wrench. It looked like a tuning fork by the time it was done.
Funny thing is it was an autozone wrench, and it lasted like 3 years after that. Even with putting cheater bars on it and such.
The only other way to do it might be to get stage 8s, since you can turn them with a hex key..... but to hell with trying to put those clips on, especially with shorties.
Ghey California Air Resources Board is why. 
I had to grind the crap out of that wrench. It looked like a tuning fork by the time it was done.
Funny thing is it was an autozone wrench, and it lasted like 3 years after that. Even with putting cheater bars on it and such.
The only other way to do it might be to get stage 8s, since you can turn them with a hex key..... but to hell with trying to put those clips on, especially with shorties.
04-25-2010, 12:28 AM
#18
I read threads all the time where people claim that longtubes are soooo much better than shorties, but no one can ever prove it. But I have seen proof to the contrary.
I saw a site that showed dyno graphs of the same engine with shorties and with long tubes. The engine had a similar power band as the LT1's but it did not specify the engine or the brand(s) of headers. Out of a peak hp of around 400, the long tubes had less than a 10 hp advantage in the upper rpm range, and the shorties had the same advantage at a lower rpm. Nowhere in the range did one have a big advantage over the other.
I did see one guy claiming he had proof that his lt's had over a 20hp advantage over his shorties, and put up dynos. But he finally admitted that he also installed 1.6 rr's during the same time as the lt's.
My theory is that the shorties started falling out of favor with the fbody crowd after the LS1 came around. The LS1 has better factory exhaust than the LT1, so shorties don't do as much for it. Plus the LT1 makes it's best power in the upper rpm's, where the stock exhaust is more restrictive but lt's work best.
Either way, I have personally seen an LT1 gain 23 on the dyno with shorties and dual cats before a tune. I'll be happy with that.
04-25-2010, 09:30 AM
#19
Prove it.
I read threads all the time where people claim that longtubes are soooo much better than shorties, but no one can ever prove it. But I have seen proof to the contrary.
I saw a site that showed dyno graphs of the same engine with shorties and with long tubes. The engine had a similar power band as the LT1's but it did not specify the engine or the brand(s) of headers. Out of a peak hp of around 400, the long tubes had less than a 10 hp advantage in the upper rpm range, and the shorties had the same advantage at a lower rpm. Nowhere in the range did one have a big advantage over the other.
I did see one guy claiming he had proof that his lt's had over a 20hp advantage over his shorties, and put up dynos. But he finally admitted that he also installed 1.6 rr's during the same time as the lt's.
My theory is that the shorties started falling out of favor with the fbody crowd after the LS1 came around. The LS1 has better factory exhaust than the LT1, so shorties don't do as much for it. Plus the LT1 makes it's best power in the upper rpm's, where the stock exhaust is more restrictive but lt's work best.
Either way, I have personally seen an LT1 gain 23 on the dyno with shorties and dual cats before a tune. I'll be happy with that.
I read threads all the time where people claim that longtubes are soooo much better than shorties, but no one can ever prove it. But I have seen proof to the contrary.
I saw a site that showed dyno graphs of the same engine with shorties and with long tubes. The engine had a similar power band as the LT1's but it did not specify the engine or the brand(s) of headers. Out of a peak hp of around 400, the long tubes had less than a 10 hp advantage in the upper rpm range, and the shorties had the same advantage at a lower rpm. Nowhere in the range did one have a big advantage over the other.
I did see one guy claiming he had proof that his lt's had over a 20hp advantage over his shorties, and put up dynos. But he finally admitted that he also installed 1.6 rr's during the same time as the lt's.
My theory is that the shorties started falling out of favor with the fbody crowd after the LS1 came around. The LS1 has better factory exhaust than the LT1, so shorties don't do as much for it. Plus the LT1 makes it's best power in the upper rpm's, where the stock exhaust is more restrictive but lt's work best.
Either way, I have personally seen an LT1 gain 23 on the dyno with shorties and dual cats before a tune. I'll be happy with that.
Plus if your car is supercharged one day the longtubes are probably likely to give a significant bump over shorties (low compression = harder for the engine to push exhaust out).
04-25-2010, 10:29 AM
#20
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been there and done those several times. It is trial and error and knowing the tricks on getting to all of the bolts. You will bruise and cut your forearms up most likely with any shorty. I had trouble with stock passenger would always loosen up, no matter how many times you went back to tighten bolts.