Header Install

[thearborbarber]

To the guys that have done headers before I've read on here 18-20 inches. Is that from the tire or K-member? Right now my K-member is about 21 inches. I was trying to go higher and almost dropped the car. Well it did drop some but I had a back up. Only damage is the paint on the ground effect.

That is about as high as I had my car. You will f with it for a while then it will just slide in and you will be like how the hell did that happen.

[kingls1]

god damn. you guys would probably figure i'd be done by now...but i still can't get the headers in the engine bay. went out to get the motor mounts off today and every bolt is fighting me...plus the "genius" places that the engineers put bolts and whatnot...i'm not making any progress whatsoever. i'm getting really really frustrated.

Went through this a few weeks ago, take off the heat shield on the driver side fire wall 2 7mm bolts, remove the bottom bolts from motor mount on frame(4) jack up motor a little make sure jack is as far forward as possible and use wood not at damage pan, turn header so front tube goes in first slide up look to where it hits firewall in rear, and mark area remove header and use a ballpin and other tools to bend in area, keep fitting and massaging area until it slides in. Make sure to bolt motor mount before you tighten header all the way, then put back the heat shield on and it will cover what you bent in... It will go so take your time and keep fitting and checking but don't force it and bend the header....this was a nightmare but worth it...took me two full weeks for headers and full Magnaflow exhaust, plus other things, take your time and walk away when needed to regroup...lol

[1MileCrash]

oh i've definitely been doin my fair share of walking away. as ron white would say "that boy's got a lot of quit in him." go outside pop the hood, spray a lil pb blaster, knock a bolt or two loose, lose some skin, start bleedin, put the tools away and the hood down and back inside. all of about 15 minutes worth until i'm annoyed, angry, and bleeding. car's been up in the air for about 2 weeks now with a total of probably 12 hours spent on it over that amount of time.

[pajeff02]

The motor mounts are a pain -- poor access, poor placement, and poor orientation. Try unbolting the stands from the K-member if you can't get the mounting bolt out.

[kingls1]

The motor mounts are a pain -- poor access, poor placement, and poor orientation. Try unbolting the stands from the K-member if you can't get the mounting bolt out.

I agree Thats what I did and just slide bolt until it hit the alt. there was enough room,also firewall mod. All of us have gone through it read my thread "Headers Fhooy" in External Engine section, you have great members on here like pajeff that will help you through it, just listen, My Hands are just healing up so I know what your going through, By a pair of mech. gloves from the auto parts and try to use them when you can somethings you can't do but thay will save the skin.. as soon as it slips in the job goes much better, Be sure to retorq the bolts after you warm it for the first time you don't want to redo this job....

[1MileCrash]

Thanks for the moral support guys. I have thur and fri off this week so im gonna get out there again...maybe get the fiance out there to get a pry bar in place

[kingls1]

Thanks for the moral support guys. I have thur and fri off this week so im gonna get out there again...maybe get the fiance out there to get a pry bar in place

The car or for that matter anything with a motor is a great thing to be involved in and patience is needed the most, some take years to build cars and bikes (I have) but when thay are done and you have done the work yourself you can be proud and brag about it at the cruise in or the track, but the key is to enjoy what you are doing and it becomes a hobby save the work for your daily driver.....let us know when it's done we're pulling for you

[1MileCrash]

just thought i'd drop in an update. got a kid that i know from my youth mentoring group to come by and help me out with it. works out great for me cause he's got smaller hands and can reach everything...works out great for him cause he wants to go to UTI and can use the experience (at least that's my excuse).

at any rate. got the driver side motor mount out yesterday...unbolted from the block and the k-member and took it out as one unit. drilled out the rivets and the tac welds and put in the new energy suspension motor mounts...could not freaking believe out shriveled and broke up the rubber was on the original inserts. got the driver side header up and in the engine bay and wrangled the motor mount into place and got the bolts in place...not fully tightened down yet but in the right spots.

after that we got the passenger side mount out and i put the new insert in on that side. took out the starter and did a test fit...passenger side is going to be worse to get into place than the driver side i dare say. so with that we called it a day...put the mount back in and settled the engine down onto the mounts until we can get back on it come tuesday or wednesday next week. it's coming together slowly but surely. and the kid (kid...yeah...he's like 20 but i'm 28 so yeah)...seein as how he's bein such a huge help on this project and as how he has always ogled the car...i'm gonna let him drive it when we get it all done. i mean...i'm gonna be in the car cause nobody drives my car...but he'll be one of the few that will get to take it for a spin as a thanks for his help.

[Cutlass]

Its interesting how different headers install easier then others. My passenger side header was breeze. It slide right up in there without taking anything apart. Driver's side was almost impossible. I have Kooks headers

[1MileCrash]

i'm working with texas speed 1 3/4. it is funny...i read all these different articles and how to's about what to do...and hardly any of it applies past the generals. ha...it seems like we should have tech articles written up on every one of the different brands of headers.

[1MileCrash]

taking a fiver from the install so here's an update.

if you don't already have a good low profile jack with at least 20" of height go down to harbor freight and pick up the following item # 68050 2 ton low profile service jack. $160 regular price on sale right now for $130. okay.

so using that new jack i slid under the car while my friend kept an eye on clearances and the damned passenger side header slid in with ZERO effort. it was damned retarded how easy and quick it went in...like hate my damned life what the hell man too easy.

so now we are working on getting the rest of the motor mount bolts in. one of them on the driver side MIGHT be cross threading so we are going to pull that side down and take a look at it quick...maybe run a thread chaser thru it to be safe. but if things continue to go this smoothly the car will be on the ground and running either tonite or tomorrow. like i say...just have to put the mounts in place, the starter and alternator back on, replace the trans mount, and do the final bolt on of the headers and put the ignition system back on the car and put oil in it.

[blackcar]

Were you jacking up the car or the motor? I need a good jack, but if I buy one I'm gonna get a 3 ton so I can use it on the truck and suburban, too.

How high is the k-member from the ground?

[SMWS6TA]

taking a fiver from the install so here's an update.

if you don't already have a good low profile jack with at least 20" of height go down to harbor freight and pick up the following item # 68050 2 ton low profile service jack. $160 regular price on sale right now for $130. okay.

This is what I have and it's been a god send for working on the TA. Everything else was to short of lift, to tall to slide under, too expensive.

Like you got mine on sale with 25% coupon ended up paying on half the full price

[1MileCrash]

Were you jacking up the car or the motor? I need a good jack, but if I buy one I'm gonna get a 3 ton so I can use it on the truck and suburban, too.

How high is the k-member from the ground?

i don't know that i maxed out the height of the jack so i was probably around 22" high at the front sub frame (the jack point next to where the door meets the front fender). i had to jack the motor up a bit as well so i assume that i got that around 24-25" of lift (with a block of wood on the jack).

we have a bit of work to do on the exhaust mid pipe behind the y-pipe tomorrow. just have to cut it back a couple inches to get it to fit up correctly. otherwise the bolting of the headers went smoothly. starter and alternator are back on already. i'm not reinstalling the support brace on the back side of the alternator. i figure that 3 bolts are plenty since most every alternator up until 1990 only had 2 bolts holding it on. then the ignition and oil and the O2 sensors to put in and get it on the ground. will have to call my buddy to get him to come by one day soon to do the tune on the ecm...but i'm sure i won't be able to wait that long to drive it.

oh...also did the trans mount while we were under the car today. literally a 5 minute job. amazingly easy and needed. my rubber insert was broken in half...no bullshit cracked all the way thru and collapsed on one side. things are going almost too smoothly as of close of the hood today so as you may be able to tell i'm in a good mood and in high spirits.

[1MileCrash]

This is what I have and it's been a god send for working on the TA. Everything else was to short of lift, to tall to slide under, too expensive.

Like you got mine on sale with 25% coupon ended up paying on half the full price

it's a damn fine jack well worth the price.

[1MileCrash]

THEY'RE IN! hahaha...finally. fuck does that feel good to say. they are a bit tinny and raspy as you get to the mid and upper rpm range...so i'll just keep the r's a little lower. i plan on a magnaflow muffler to replace the original after a while so i can live with it until then.

and the car shifts like a dream...better than it has ever shifted since i have owned it. those poly motor mounts and poly trans mount REALLY did the trick. smooth as glass now. i was always having trouble getting it into gear when it was cooler out and the gearbox just felt notchy. but now...with the drivetrain tightened up with the new poly mounts...wow. i had people telling me to pull the trans that i had a pilot bushing that was bad or a bad throwout bearing or a this or a that...well to hell with that. new motor and trans mounts and it seems as though my problems are gone.

this was one hell of an install. now the only thing left is to get the computer tuned this coming sunday. thanks again guys for all the help and moral support...hopefully i can repay it to others.

[pajeff02]

Good to hear. Enjoy it!

[blackcar]

Congrats. I'm so ready to get mine finished.

Next step is to start drilling out rivets. The two rivets with the heads on them is it easier to drill them out or grind the heads off??

[1MileCrash]

i used a center punch to mark the rivets then drilled a pilot hole and then drilled them out all the way.

[pajeff02]

+1. I drilled mine out too.