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Got around to installing the header we got off Ebay last month... Allocated a morning to do the job, parked the car in place last night so it was nice and cool to the touch this morning.
Step one, jack stands. Doesn't have to be way up in the air, in fact, you only want it as high as it needs to be, you'll be doing things above and below throughout the project. To high and you'll have trouble doing the above stuff.
After removing the engine cover and the top of the heat sheild (10mil), here's what you'll see...
This has to come out! You'll have to remove 6 bolts (13 mil) from the top side along with two nuts (14 mil) on studs in the upper corners. At the bottom, there are four nuts that hold the converter on. I recomend disconection the O2 sensor lead now too. The exhaust itself need not be removed, it'll hang and move where needed thanks to it's rubber hangers (Thanks David!). I had to beat the cast manifold free with a 2x2 and a rubber mallet. Once free it came out with little trouble. Little, not none mind you, there's a little bugger in there waiting to make this task a little harder than it has to be, but there's no way around it. There's a pressed in 'stud/bolt' that is part of a support bracket at the bottom of the manifold. The bracket is also part of a bushing the the axel passes through, so removing it isn't in the equation, you'll have to mess with it in place. Since it's a 12 mil bolt on the top, I simple put a wrench on it and twisted till it came loose and removed it. Took a while and wasn't all that easy, but it came free at last. Once all that's done, you'll see this...
A comparison between the cast manifold and the header...
After checking the metal gaskets to be sure they were in good shape, I installed the header, it pretty much falls in place...
I had to reuse the stud I took out earlier as the header didn't have a long enough bolt, no big deal. Reconect the O2 sensor and disconect the battery (if you hadn't already) for 20 minutes so the computer takes new readings when you start it up the first time.
All done! Took my time through the whole project, even gave the engine cover a much needed bath. Started about 8:30 am and was in the shower cleaning up by 11! Other than a T-bucket I built a few years ago it was the easiest header install ever!
Step one, jack stands. Doesn't have to be way up in the air, in fact, you only want it as high as it needs to be, you'll be doing things above and below throughout the project. To high and you'll have trouble doing the above stuff.
After removing the engine cover and the top of the heat sheild (10mil), here's what you'll see...
This has to come out! You'll have to remove 6 bolts (13 mil) from the top side along with two nuts (14 mil) on studs in the upper corners. At the bottom, there are four nuts that hold the converter on. I recomend disconection the O2 sensor lead now too. The exhaust itself need not be removed, it'll hang and move where needed thanks to it's rubber hangers (Thanks David!). I had to beat the cast manifold free with a 2x2 and a rubber mallet. Once free it came out with little trouble. Little, not none mind you, there's a little bugger in there waiting to make this task a little harder than it has to be, but there's no way around it. There's a pressed in 'stud/bolt' that is part of a support bracket at the bottom of the manifold. The bracket is also part of a bushing the the axel passes through, so removing it isn't in the equation, you'll have to mess with it in place. Since it's a 12 mil bolt on the top, I simple put a wrench on it and twisted till it came loose and removed it. Took a while and wasn't all that easy, but it came free at last. Once all that's done, you'll see this...
A comparison between the cast manifold and the header...
After checking the metal gaskets to be sure they were in good shape, I installed the header, it pretty much falls in place...
I had to reuse the stud I took out earlier as the header didn't have a long enough bolt, no big deal. Reconect the O2 sensor and disconect the battery (if you hadn't already) for 20 minutes so the computer takes new readings when you start it up the first time.
All done! Took my time through the whole project, even gave the engine cover a much needed bath. Started about 8:30 am and was in the shower cleaning up by 11! Other than a T-bucket I built a few years ago it was the easiest header install ever!