installing headers...harder than i thought

[supritdeol]

i havent given up yet, im gonna go buy a air compresser and air ractchet. I stripped a bolt on the manifold collector on the passenger side.

Any tips on making the installation easier?

[dyogim]

Lots of patience!

You pretty much need a bunch of different extensions in order to get to some of the nuts. One thing that helped me was spraying each bolt/nut with PB Blaster and let it sit for half hour to an hour. This should help loosen some of those rusty nuts and bolts.

[TMS2U]

aside from putting on a body lift 1st, not much else besides having plenty of patience and something to take your frustrations out on

[craneman]

i havent given up yet, im gonna go buy a air compresser and air ractchet. I stripped a bolt on the manifold collector on the passenger side.

Any tips on making the installation easier?

I worked on headers and exhaust manifolds for about 9 years in my Dad's muffler shop and I would never recommend using air tools for this job. Its waaay to easy to break/over torque something. Make sure you use lots of penetrating oil, WD40, weasel piss, or whatever you call it and let it sit, and keep spraying the stuff as you go. I also never use anything bigger than a 3/8" ratchet, cuz whenever I did the stud usually twisted off. The best trick I used for really rusty/tuff nuts on the studs is to heat the nut with a torch and then work it slowly while its hot. But stop twisting if the nut stops making a squeeking noise as you're turning or it will break. I've used the torch plenty of times to heat up old rusty manifolds in order to remove those studs too.

You need a lot of patience, this is the reason shops charge lots to do this especially on little older vehicles. Good luck!

[Toasted Coastie]

on the right header, working from the top, you can use open ended wrenches. on the bottom row of studs, I used a wrench, a small rachet with a 1" extension. But I wasnt taking of the manifold, i was taking off a header. You should give yourself AT LEAST 5 hours a side working by yourself.

[ThomasE]

The 3 nuts on the collector to catalytic convertor is the hardest part of the job. Out of 6 nuts, I got one off no problem, broke one stud, used nut splitter on the rest. You don't need air tools, just get a nut splitter for $8 and go through the wheel well. Also there are rounded nut removers that will bite into the side of the stripped nut you can use after using the nut splitter. Once you get the collector nuts off you're home free.

[supritdeol]

i just bought a air compresser, hose, fittings, and a air ratchet...and it didnt do anything! cant take the bolts off, i ended up stripping a bolt on the passenger side collector.

At this point i just give up, ive been tackling it since firday and only removed 1 collector bolt, the heat shields, and 4 top bolts on the passenger along with the battery and air intake to get room to work. Does anybody know where to get them put on cheap in central coast CA or colse to San Luis Obispo?

[ThomasE]

Don't give up! Return all the compressor stuff and goto Kragens or Sears and get a nut splitter. Split the nut open then use the next larger sized socket on it and it will come off. I was in the exact same position as you are now and I got them off in about an hour with the nut splitter. Nut splitter looks like picture in following link.
http://www.jcwhitney.com/webapp/wcs/...atalogId=10101

[supritdeol]

I just dropped off my truck at a shop, paid $328.00 labor. Ive been working on it since Friday, and i needed my truck. I was going to use the 328 for a magnaflow muffler, intake, installation of my lift and alignment. But now i will probably have to wait a few more months to get all that put in.

[tuesdayd]

I just dropped off my truck at a shop, paid $328.00 labor. Ive been working on it since Friday, and i needed my truck. I was going to use the 328 for a magnaflow muffler, intake, installation of my lift and alignment. But now i will probably have to wait a few more months to get all that put in.

Hey, $328's a good price for the install. An air ratchet will speed things up, but an impact wrench is what will torque/hammer loose stuck bolts; may have worked on those collector flange nuts. They were the hardest to get off when I did mine. I had to strip one of the manifold studs, and it was smokin' when the nut finally came off. But your truck is a 2000 with some more time to freeze those nuts so all six could have been challenging.

[PagalDesi4Life]

Just curious if anyone has done a writeup on installing headers? How are the instructions that come with them?

[jmoudry]

You can view the JBA instructions from their web site. They are pretty weak = one of the reasons I paid a shop to do the install.

[alohatundra]

Just curious if anyone has done a writeup on installing headers? How are the instructions that come with them?

There are LOTS of writeups in this forum about header installs.
This (thanks to DevinSixtySeven) is just one long one I found with a few minutes' search. There was another really good one about a JBA header install a few years back.

[KorovaB2]

I would never recommend using air tools for this job. Its waaay to easy to break/over torque something

THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT I DID.

I stripped two bolts because of the impact wrench.

[kmcsprings]

If your taking 3 flange nuts, go to home depot, get a grade 8 nut and bolt or each on of the three (6) sets. Now head over to harbor frieght for a cheap
air grinder. Crank you air machine up 90 PSI and saw the bastards off...like buuttta. Bolt new units in, you good!