Header Replacement STARTED

This will be nice thread to follow I am sure I will have to go down this road sooner or later...

 

Glad ro see that headers replacement is not an engine out type of service on our cars.

 

Nice. Let us know how it goes!

 

Good to see you are having a go Keith.

Happy wrenching brother!

 

It is not, but it really helps with two tips:

1) Remove the right side oil remote oil tank.

2) Get that Snap on "cap" wrench that is posted with part # in another thread here...it is very helpful in removing the copper nuts on the exhaust manifold.

 

Did you get the Fabspeed's or rebuilding yours?

 

I was able to remove the right side header (when it still had the OEM heat shielding) only removing the lower oil pipe on the oil tank (as opposed to removing the tank) but I did have the inner CV joint disconnected at the drive flange which gave extra wiggle room.
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It's definitely a good idea to break loose those halfshaft bolts now and then anyway. If you wait too many years there will be hell to pay trying to get them loose!

By the way, after removing the lower oil pipe I only got about half a liter of oil from the tank. I was expecting more and that it would come out in a torrent but it was pretty controlled and I managed not to make a mess. The fact that the oil was cold (thicker) probably helped a lot.

There's a rubber O-ring at the pipe connection just above the heat shield. You might want to order that, if not on-hand already, and replace it while the pipe is off.

PS. I see that you have the air injection manifold rail that is curved at both ends. That should help a bit with removal and install. I have the ones with squared-off (90 degree) ends making it a little more awkward.

 

That oil line, both radiator fans and the fiberglass CV heatshields are the only things I had to remove to wiggle my OEM manifolds out.

Interesting pics, I thought the QV rebuilds reinstalled or reused the factory heatshields ?

In the near future I will be making a custom set of stepped tri-Y headers for my twin bypass 5.2 project. 'Modular' header heatshields are also a current contemplation for the effort.

 

Good to know about removing the radiator fans. I had to remove the halfshafts anyway to replace the inner CV joint boots so I never even thought of them. If I have to pull the headers again maybe I can save the step of unbolting the inner joints.

Do you have the headers with the squared-off air injection manifolds or the curved ones? I think that may make a difference too.

I don't have QV rebuilds. Those are my original headers (35,000 miles). I just removed the heat shields and had them ceramic coated, added various additional heat shields here and there and had some custom air injection manifold caps made by Sean "Puffy" luckydynes

 

I did not require removing the radiator fans, but they are so easy to remove, no reason not to, it only takes about 5 minutes on each side...four 10mm bolts and unplug the power cable.

 

Cool !! My manifolds have the squared off air injection rails.

 

I am not certain but I think the early ones had the 'rounded' end air rails vs the later square rails. I don't think it makes a difference in function but it seems the square ones would be easier to make, simply because there is no 'bending' operation involved.

 

I also thought the earlier cars had the rounded ones. That's why I was surprised to see rounded air manifolds on Keith's car which is a year newer than mine.

I certainly would have preferred to have the damn things cut off on mine but who knows what the future holds............

 

If you ever want to get rid of them, just let me know ........ I can use them on a project !

 

Not until they melt into blobs!

 

I better start saving my money then ............. !!