FAbspeed headers and supersport x-pipe install

I finally got this system installed yesterday. I would like to start off by thanking Evan at Fabspeed for the great deal he gave me and the technical assist. I would also like to thank Gil (808forza) for the O2 sensor photo.

Anyone planning to do this yourself allow for plenty of time and have some good friends that are car savvy to help. We were a team of three (all over age 50) of which none of us had ever worked on a Ferrari before. We are all current or previous Corvette guys. We have done numerous header, exhaust systems, and supercharger (centri and pd) installs on Corvettes.

We used a 4 post lift but due to ceiling height could only raise the car about 3-4 feet. This did give us plenty of room but we could not stand up under the car. Based on my research from both DIYer's like myself and the pros, all said the right side was the easy side. Not on this car. The left side despite the AC compressor came right off. The right side had two very difficult nuts to get to and the motor mount was in the way. We finally managed to get them out but the studs came with them. From the few service records I got with the car, the factory headers were replaced under warranty just before I bought the car.

The muffler and pipes attached to the muffler came right out as did the cats. The header install went smooth with just a few tight spots again on the right side. We had a little difficulty initially aligning the cats. Once we got the correct orientation the new pipes and tips lined up pretty well. The x-pipe resonator assembly dropped right in and feels like it weighs half as much as the factory muffler. Once everything was loosely in place we got everything aligned and level and tightened it all down.

Once everything was aligned and tightened we did a leak and sound check while the belly pan and diffuser were still removed. No leaks and the sound is awesome. We had severe weather roll in on us last night so we put it all back together and left it on the lift. I retrieved it this afternoon and took it for a short drive.

The sound is like it should be now. I was not happy with the stock set up even with valves in the open position all of the time. I installed the non-valved option from Fabspeed. From the inside of the car you get a nice performance sound yet it is not deafening. I had the windows down and could still hear the Becker at cruise speed. At 5K during upshift, it wails. There is some burble/backfire at decel I'm assuming due to less back pressure. I have the O2 extenders installed in the proper locales so time will tell if I avoid a CEL.

Things learned:

Fabspeed's instructions are OK but somewhat vague in areas.
The rear wheels and liners do not have to be removed.
A small flex head ratchet and a thin walled combo wrench is a must have.
WD40 and PB Blaster are your next best friends. The guys helping you should be your best friends.
You will get cuts and scrapes and mechanics gloves will hinder your ability to start the 12mm nuts by hand.

Overall it was a great experience. We started at 0900 and finished up at 1900. We took an hour lunch break, a 30 minute break to get new clamps and some short wrenches from AutoZone and another break around 1500.

I did have one cracked bracket (left side). My friend welded the crack and repainted the bracket. I will be ordering the Capristo brackets tonight.

Here's a few pics. Forgive the smudges. Foul weather again today so no chance to detail the car.
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Thanks for your kind words. We have a line of severe weather that will be in the area all week. As soon as it lets up, I will get some video.

 

Unfortunately this is not my garage. I don't know the lift brand (I will find out for you) but the garage is 20Wx25L with a 9' ceiling. His ceiling would be higher but he built a storage room above the work area.

 

I have a couple but they did not turn out too well. Trent has better photos at this location and I used these as a guide before I started the job.

http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/360-430/382912-f430-exhaust-manifold-header-install-diy-fabspeed.html

 

They're close but there is space between the airbox base and the pipe. I'm going to see if I can get a little more clearance. I've only driven the car a mile since the install due to crap weather.

 

Surprisingly it is not as loud as you'd think. It has a deeper sound at idle and the perfect Ferrari sound at 5K and higher. I am running the stock cats.

 

Thanks Evan. I was hoping to be all smiles but got the dreaded CEL this afternoon. I sent you an e-mail that goes into the conditions the car was in when it happened. I did not notice any degradation in performance and would not have known had I not seen the CEL light.

 

I haven't downloaded the OBD II yet to see what codes were set?

 

P0420 and P0430. Catalyst below temp. I suspected as much. I cleared the codes. We'll see how long it takes to return. There was absolutely no degradation in performance.

 

It looks like I'll need the ECU tune to permanently remove the CEL issue. I can make two trips to work (~35 miles in traffic) after clearing the codes before the CEL comes back. No degradation in performance, just the annoying light.