Im thinking about buying some headers. How difficult is it to install headers, if i can jack my car up a foot and have a friend help me? DO you think we could it?
Difficulty with headers
Rice Killer
1 - 19 of 19 Posts
Joined
·
56 Posts
Im thinking about buying some headers. How difficult is it to install headers, if i can jack my car up a foot and have a friend help me? DO you think we could it?
Joined
·
896 Posts
Yes - its not a technically involved project, just long and tedious. Read some "how-to" articles and follow them during the install.
Joined
·
3,776 Posts
That's what I am doing pretty much to a t, minus the help, so I think you will be set! Unless acuboost comes to help out... lol
Joined
·
11 Posts
Its not bad. I did mine in the garage. So yes you can do it with a friend
Joined
·
3,776 Posts
I just planned on torque to what I think is right...lol, it is pretty much time consuming? I am jacking the car up on 4 jacks, take starter off, steering linkage.. unbolt and put gaskets on then put new headers on.. bolt back down..right? Left out the mid pipe but that just unbolts.. swap o2 sensors... lol
Joined
·
8,176 Posts
You're going to have to raise the engine and probably unbolt one or both motor mounts but ya, that's pretty much everything. It'll get frustrating at times, but when you start getting frustrated, just slide out from under there, drink a beer, smoke a cigarette, and try again. Me and my buddies made a party out of it. We had pizza delivered and kept plenty of beer on hand. Made it 20 times easier but it probably made it 20 times longer too. It also probably helped that one of those buddies owned a 9 second fox lol.
Joined
·
56 Posts
Lol 101fng. I was hoping i didnt have to raise the engine. I have a friend who has a cherry picker, so if i HAVE to, i can. But, its absolutely necessary to raise the engine?
Joined
·
3,776 Posts
If the car is jacked up, just put the jack on the oil pan with a phone book and lift it slightly, that's my plan...unscrew both motor mounts to where there is only a couple threads and lift it a little... but I am sure you need too..
Joined
·
8,176 Posts
Ya, just jack it from underneath. Don't pull out the hoist lol. Be careful jacking it up using the oil pan, the pan is pretty maleable. Using a phone book and some 2x4's will help spread the load.
Joined
·
3,776 Posts
Well is there a better place to do it? Also where is the best place to jack up from the front? My jack is low profile, and I wasn't sure last time I jacked it up, didn't feel comfortable..
Joined
·
2,516 Posts
It will be WORLDS easier on you if you have someone helping you.
Its a technically simple job. Very straightforward, unbolt part X bolt on part Y type thing.
The thing that makes it suck, is if you are doing it yourself, in your garage, you will be standing bending under your hood, then laying down and sliding under the car, then twisting your hands up into tight spaces, they sliding out, standing back up, bending under your hood, and repeating the whole process 8328472837947 times.
It makes it take a lot longer than it needs to, and makes it a more physically draining job to do.
Having someone there to hand you another tool, or do something from up top while you are under, will make it a LOT easier.
But yes, on jack stands, in your garage, yes its just fine you can do it.
Its a technically simple job. Very straightforward, unbolt part X bolt on part Y type thing.
The thing that makes it suck, is if you are doing it yourself, in your garage, you will be standing bending under your hood, then laying down and sliding under the car, then twisting your hands up into tight spaces, they sliding out, standing back up, bending under your hood, and repeating the whole process 8328472837947 times.
It makes it take a lot longer than it needs to, and makes it a more physically draining job to do.
Having someone there to hand you another tool, or do something from up top while you are under, will make it a LOT easier.
But yes, on jack stands, in your garage, yes its just fine you can do it.
Joined
·
1,081 Posts
Do every thing these guys have said. Just like every one said, its easy just time consuming but it will be much easier since you have a friend. I did mine at Jdos1(a member here with a '11 GT) house. We put it on 4 jack stands and went to town. It took us roughly 9 hours but we goofed off a bit and ate lunch and dinner so it could have been done a lot quicker. After you bolt the up and get the engine back on the mounts, I say you turn the car on so you can hear that awesome open header sound before you bolt the mid pipe on.
Joined
·
2,516 Posts
Well yeah you CAN do it with one man. Its just a lot nicer to do with 2 (because of the getting under and out from under the car so many times factor)
As for loosening the motor mounts one side at a time, even with the nut only on by one thread (or almost tight, I tried both ways) my motor would not lift by one side. I had to unbolt both, at which point I could just manhandle the motor around as I needed.
Also, my motor wouldnt jack up high enough on its own, I was lifting the car off the jack stands and it wasnt up high enough, until I just grabbed the motor and shoved it over. Then it was fine.
Any thoughts on that? Like I said, I tried it with the side I wasnt working on at the last thread, I tried it with it tight, I tried it with it halfway.
The only thing I can think of is that the automatic tranny is fatter, and hits the trans tunnel earlier. It also seemed like the FRPP intake manifold was getting awefully close to the firewall, from what I could see (I had the car up really high, and I am only 5'9") so I thought maybe it was interfering as well?
I mean it wasnt a big deal, it really wasnt harder than just grabbing the motor and giving it a shove.
In case you have the same issue, remove BOTH motor mount brackets (easy) and you can move the motor from side to side over an inch, this gives you the room you need.
Also, when you are done and putting that motor mount bolt back on, leave (that top nut) it loose, until the VERY last bolts. At that point, with the car back on the ground, ready to be started, take your flashlight, and look down both sides and verify the clearance. If one side is a little too close, take a prybar and put it between the mount bracket and the framerail and gently move the motor over till both sides have even clearance. (you can also just take your hands and give the motor a shove, but the prybar method will allow a lot more control over how far you move it, and will be easier)
Joined
·
818 Posts
As much as i would like to do this on my own it sounds like a pita.I installed my blower that was tough but exciting and that took a couple days but this sounds like a really trouble some mod.As far as a tune is concerned how far does it throw it off.
Joined
·
3,776 Posts
you could drive without one... but i dont think you would want too..
1 - 19 of 19 Posts
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
