Header Install

**chuckie669** · 03-04-2009, 03:25 PM

Would like to start up a technical post on long tube header install. I see allot of people that have bought headers recently (including myself) and are wary about installing them.

I’ve tried to take the best photos I have, but please excuse if the photos are dark, most of my work was done in the garage at nighttime with the doors closed and my cheap camera tends to blur if I try to toy with the settings.

Tools
* Floor jack - at least 20" of lift. 18” is bare minimum, but not recommended
* 4 Jack Stands - at least 20"
* ratchet - 8mm for battery: 10mm for coil pack bolts and header bolts: 8mm (deep) and 13mm (deep) for leads to starter and 13mm (deep) for starter bolts: 15mm for dipstick tube and exhaust plumbing: 5/8" spark plug socket
* wrenches - 10mm ratcheting wrench for last bolt on each side of coil pack holders: 7/8" or 22mm wrench to remove 02 sensors.(then throw that damn bolt away)
* PB Penetrating lube
* Anti-Seize – buy a big bottle. Keep it around.
* Soft blanket or fender mat – protect your car paint from scuffs while leaning into your engine bay.
* A friend to help!!! I’ve heard of people doing this themselves and I did all but line up the gaskets on the headers by myself. Don’t be stupid like me.

Optional Tools
SAWZALL – if your having problems with your bolts from the flanges on the y-pipe people have referenced to cut it.
Benzomatic Torch – stubborn bolts

parts
* Headers - Your choice. I used the Pacesetter ceramic coated
* Y-pipe – referenced here is the TSP catted Y-pipe. PITA
*exhaust clamps – Your Y-pipe should come with new clamps, verify.
PLEASE… Don’t use the u-bolt style exhaust clamps. Get band clamps
* GM Header Gasket - new model released PN 12617944 $21 each (GMPartsDirect has them for ~$9.80 ea)
DO NOT USE PAPER GASKET SUPPLIED

optional parts
* Corvette 02 sensors - Rear 2001 Corvette 02 Sensors Bosch PN 13111 (square end connectors) $69.99 ea.
Just noticed it looks like our front 02's are the square pin connectors which would be the rear corvette 02's
* 98-02 02 sims - $99.99 pair (ouch)
* 02 extensions - 2 24" square 4-pin extensions PN O2EXT12 ~$30
* Stage 8 locking header bolts - $37.99
* 98-00 EGR Block off Plate - $9 ea
* 98-02 Air block off plate & gaskets - Pair $12

* Spark plugs – If you haven’t changed Plugs before, now IS the time to do it.
* Spark plug wires – ditto
* Motor mounts – some change while they’re in there

food for thought
-Corvette 02's you can get from any major parts store, or you can get the extenders but just one or the other.
-No sims, get it tuned out in your mail order tune (tunedbyfrost.com $125 for mail order tuning)
-most people re-use their stock gaskets and never have problems, just make sure you DO NOT use the wierd paper gaskets most headers come with because they will burn through.
- plugs and wires
- I will try to list sizes of tools during the install, but probably won’t go into specifics if you should use a shallow socket, deep socket or wrench. I’m hoping you can figure this out on your own.
- Make sure to pretreat your bolts with PB Blaster. Life is so much easier this way.
- I did not list it, but ANTISEIZE all threaded bolts that deal with heat.

**01ws6er** · 03-04-2009, 08:20 PM

Originally Posted by chuckie669

I would like to start up a technical post on longtube header install. I see allot of people that have bought headers recently (including myself) and are wary about installing them.

Now I've installed everything on my car sofar excluding welding and alignments and have no reservations about installing headers.

If you can post up and I'll update this initial post with part numbers, tips to make the job easier, tools required, bolt sizes etc...

I'm amazed installuniversity and ls1howto don't have a header write up and would be happy if we at LS1.com could get a good thorough thread.

Tools
Floor jack - at least 20" lift
4 Jack Stands - at least 20"
ratchet - metric sizes 8mm for battery: 10mm for coil pack bolts and header bolts: 8mm (deep) and 13mm (deep) for leads to starter and 13mm (deep) for starter bolts: 15mm for dipstick tube: 5/8" spark plug socket
wrenches - metric sizes 10mm wratcheting wrench for last bolt on each side of coil pack holders: 7/8" or 22mm wrench to remove 02 sensors.(then throw that damn bolt away)

SAWZALL!!! Cut your stock y pipe off before just after cats cause on 3 cars I've done we could not get the bolts out of those triangle and ball-type flanges

optional parts
Corvette 02 sensors - was 97 rears the replacement we can use to fit LT's instead of extensions?
02 extensions -
02 sims -
GM Header Gasket - new model released PN 12617944 $21 each

-Corvette 02's I got from autozone, or you can get the extenders but just one or the other.
-No sims, get it tuned out in your mail order tune (LSXTune.com $125 for mail order tuning)
-most people re-use their stock gaskets and never have problems, just make sure you DO NOT use the wierd paper gaskets most headers come with cause mine burned through.
-plugs and wires

Install
I/P

-Remove negative battery cable (or both if u wanna).
-Jack car up and put it on stands.
-Remove 13mm bolts holding starter in place and carefull wiggle it free. Then remove the 8mm nut holding lead to ignition and 13mm nut and power wire and remove starter.
-Remove 10 (5 from each side) 10mm bolts from coil pack assembly (99-02 cars, 98 cars will have to remove them one by one). The last bolt on each side is gonna be a major PITA, but the 10mm wratcheting wrench will do wonders! *Step optional but gives you so much more room to work*
-Remove plug wires from coil packs and remove assembly.
-Remove spark plug wires and spark plugs (5/8" plug socket)
-Remove 02 sensors

-Now, get under the car with the sawzall and safety glasses and cut that POS stock y-pipe out of the way just after the stock cats. Then either cut it or slide it out of the intermediate pipe.
-Remove dipstick tube by unbolting 15mm bolt that holds the bracket to the head.
-Use 10mm sockets and ratchet and start removing AIR pump fittings, EGR firring/valve (98-00 cars), and manifold bolts and slip manifolds out through the bottom.

-Installation of the headers is pretty much the reverse of removal but can vary a little bit per setup (ory/catted y, band clamps, etc)

**NoscamaroSS** · 03-05-2009, 08:21 AM

You dont necessarily need to remove or unbolt the starter. Ive installed 4 sets of headers on 4 different vehicles and I never had to touch the starter.

**01ws6er** · 03-05-2009, 09:01 AM

Originally Posted by NoscamaroSS

You dont necessarily need to remove or unbolt the starter. Ive installed 4 sets of headers on 4 different vehicles and I never had to touch the starter.

No, you don't need to unbolt the coil packs either but for an extra 20 min of work it gives you a little bit more room. Whats it take, 5 min to remove a starter...?

**chuckie669** · 03-05-2009, 02:39 PM

All information is fine with me. I'm working on collecting everything I can and when I do my install, I plan to take pics and post them up along with steps labeled optional. Any info that makes the job easier is definitely welcome and will be posted accordingly as non essential to the effort. I plan on going to Oreilly tonight to find the right corvette 02 part number and brands that I can use to replace. Also, GMParts direct who I believe is a sponsor sells the header gaskets for 9.80'ish which is more than $10 cheaper than dealer.

Post up anything beneficial to the install and I'll be sure to post up initially and then after completing I will be cleaning the initial thread up and formatting in a project style order (thats the goal anywhoo).

Be in touch,
Brad

EDIT: Anyone who has done this without a lift (using jack, jackstands and rhino ramps), what height did you have your car lifted to be able to install?

**2000sevan** · 03-05-2009, 07:29 PM

really good info i just got me some hooker headers myself. i hate reading instructions. any videos on how to intall them

**chuckie669** · 03-05-2009, 07:43 PM

Originally Posted by 2000sevan

really good info i just got me some hooker headers myself. i hate reading instructions. any videos on how to intall them

I'm hoping to have some good pics, but 8 hrs of cursing is probably not what you want to see.

**01ws6er** · 03-05-2009, 08:53 PM

Everytime I have done them I've jacked the car up as far as I could get it just to make it easier, but I'd say around 2 ft...? Wish we had taken pics, but too focused on the work/drinking beer to reall take pics as we did the work.

**02transamce** · 03-05-2009, 09:03 PM

lift def.makes this install a WHOLE lot easier.i installed pacesetter long tubes last sat.and on the driver side we had trouble getting the header in,the instructions say to loosen the d/s motor mount but that's some b.s.,just remove the trans mount bolt and lift the rear on the trans up and the header will slid right in for automatic cars.also found that on drivers side a 24 inch o2 extension would be better than a 12 inch,because on my car the o2 wires were laying on the header pipes,we modified the 12 inch ext,added about another 12 inches and rerouted the wires for a MUCH better fit.these were the only issues we ran into,otherwise a straight forward install.

**Y2KPewterSS** · 03-06-2009, 09:31 PM

Good info guys, I will probably make this a sticky at some point.

**mpfranks** · 05-10-2009, 10:42 AM

can you guys go a little more into the O2 sensor stuff. im gonna be installing my QTP longtubes here in the next month. i am gonna be running magnaflow high-flow cats, and keeping the egr/air. i already have headers, cats, clamps, and stage8 bolts. my car is a 2000. do i need to buy new O2 sensors, or will my stock ones work? im also gonna have the car mail order tuned. just want to have everything so my car isnt on the lift for a week waiting for parts. thanks guys.

**chuckie669** · 05-10-2009, 03:06 PM

Originally Posted by mpfranks

can you guys go a little more into the O2 sensor stuff. im gonna be installing my QTP longtubes here in the next month. i am gonna be running magnaflow high-flow cats, and keeping the egr/air. i already have headers, cats, clamps, and stage8 bolts. my car is a 2000. do i need to buy new O2 sensors, or will my stock ones work? im also gonna have the car mail order tuned. just want to have everything so my car isnt on the lift for a week waiting for parts. thanks guys.

I was starting this up to gather all the info for header installation from our knowledgeable members since the posts out there are very limited. My inspection is up in June, so I'll be doing the work and documenting in this thread within the next month hopefully. O2's will need to either have extensions or get the vette O2's which I believe are already posted above for PN.

**chuckie669** · 06-07-2009, 08:41 AM

Alright guys, Need a little help and I'm sure most everyone that's done headers has had this issue. Trying to test fit the new Pacesetter on the driver side by sliding in from underneath and it gets caught up Looks like I need another half inch to an inch maybe. What did you guys do for the driver side? Options I can think of are to cut the k-member which I'd rather not do initially or unbolt the motor mounts which looks to be a huuge pita

. Opinions or suggestions?

**02transamce** · 06-07-2009, 09:17 AM

Originally Posted by 02transamce

on the driver side we had trouble getting the header in,the instructions say to loosen the d/s motor mount but that's some b.s.,just remove the trans mount bolt and lift the rear on the trans up and the header will slid right in for automatic cars.also .

that will do it

**chuckie669** · 06-07-2009, 06:29 PM

Well, cranked her up. Holy shit is it loud. Of course its still only open headers so what do you expect.

Tomorrow is figuring out how to put this damn TSP catted Y pipe in. I gotta find a pic or manual, something, because this looks like a damn puzzle.

Damn it sounded good.

Night.

**thearborbarber** · 06-07-2009, 08:18 PM

It's a good feeling to hear it fire up the first time.

**Patrik** · 06-10-2009, 01:03 AM

Hi !

I've installed flowtech longtube headers and Y-pipe on my Z28, 99¨.
I did not removed the starter and had no problem to get the headers in place.
What happend after on month was that when I should start the engine it just said click and everything went black.
After short troubleshooting I found that 50 amp fuse for ignition has blown.
I tried with new fuse and it also blow right away.
I've jacked the car and found that lead to ignition on starter was touching header and that isolation on lead was burned and shorted to header.
So I had to remove starter and reroute lead to get better clearance.
Now it works fine again.
If you don't remove the starter make sure that it's good clearance between leads and headers.

Installation went smooth. Jack the car as high as possible. I installed the headers alone so I put a floor jack under the headers to support them when I attached them to the engine.

I've some picture on where you can see where lead touched header but I don't now how to attach the pictures ???

Besr regards

//Patrik.

**chuckie669** · 06-10-2009, 03:13 AM

Thanks for the post. You can create an account at photobucket dot com and from there its as easy as uploading and then clicking on the img tags by your picture and pasting them into a reply window.

**Patrik** · 06-10-2009, 05:47 AM

Hi again !

Here are some pictures of my installation. Due to limited space it was hard to get good pictures.

//Patrik.

**chuckie669** · 06-11-2009, 03:03 PM

Alright, give me this weekend and I should have some pics and info up. Just drove her around the block and I probably looked like a retard with the bigass grin I had. Sofar, biggest downer is that my car is lowered and on the lowest spot I went from 3.5 in to 2 in ground clearance. Not sure if that's gonna work.