Finally got motivated this morning. Cut the back leg of the AC / PS bracket, installed it and the ps pump and after loosening this bolt, tightening this one etc, finally got the Driver's side wrapped up.

On to the pass side. Dropped the manifold, everything came out nice. Even got lucky and the metal tabs weren't installed on the back exhaust bolts. Even left the plugs in.

Went to pull dipstick out, and realized the AC evap can was going to be in my way, and since I won't put AC back on the IROC until Spring, after I've installed a serpentine setup, I just yanked the offending AC component out Ahhh yes, much more room to work with.

I read and heard plenty about the bitch of the headers being the pass side. I must be living right. I simply unhooked the alt wire and the engine ground to the front of the block. Dipped the header in low at the front and slid it straight back. All of 2 minutes compared to the driver's side which fought me. I did have to clearance a tube slightly right at the flange to get a bolt to go in straight, but I did use bolts with alot bigger shoulders on them than most header bolts. Just from my experience, the bigger bolts let you get more leverage tightening them without rounding the bolt head. I did have to "acquire" a "custom" tool to make installing the pass side bolts easier on me....I simply grabbed a cheapy 7/16 wrench, and took it to the grinder, cutting it down to about 4" and then rounding the end off so I wouldn't slice myself too badly. Worked like a charm.

The clearance on both headers is VERY good. The closest thing was the brake lines on the driver's side. I just bent them to conform to the steering shaft and all was well. Pass side clearance is good, and it looks like the starter can come out with the headers and Y-pipe in place. Spark plug access is MUCH better than the manifolds. All can take a standard spark plug socket or swivel combo except #5. It tightened with a box end wrench easy enough.

I ended up using tie wraps to keep my stock type replacement wires happy. Since there were 2 straight plug boots on the pass side, I figured it would be a pain. I planned on getting some new cut to fit Taylor wires, but couldn't find the centerbolt VC mounted Made for U wire looms locally, and by the time I thought of ordering 'em online, it was too late, especially with the holiday, to hope to have them in time.

Anyway, the straight boot on #2 cylinder fits good. Ran the wire outside the header tube and it's fine. #4 had a straight boot as well. Ended up trimming some length off the boot, and it's close but has at least 1-2" clearance, so it'll be fine until I get my new wires on.


Lastly the Y-pipe install. NOTE......this was BY FAR the most annoying part of this job. It's a bolt up Y-pipe made for the Hedman's, and it fits well, but was a bitch to get in. I ended up installing it with NO collector gaskets. The bolt on flanges match up well, and doesn't "seem" to leak. I couldn't get the collector gaskets ( dead soft alum ) to go on, it kicked the pipe out of alignment. Driver's side wasn't bad. The passenger side can bite me!!! The way it's made the best possible fit still puts one of the bolts RIGHT on top of the pipe, and it's a blind install. I ended up putting on one bolt / nut loosely, then rotating the collectors around until everything was okay. Everything else bolted up fine.


Dropped it off jackstands, made one last check ( forgot the dipstick ) , and fired it up. Not as loud as I thought it would be with just the headers and the Y-pipe. Seems to be leak free underhood, no annoying ticks I could hear. Same underneath.

I ended up cruising around the neighborhood, it's not bad at idle, but give it much more pedal and it feels / sounds like a Circle track car Brings back memories.

Tomorrow morning I'm gonna take it to the exhaust shop, get the cat mounted, the Y-pipe welded up and may even change out my Flowmaster muffler for a Hooker Aero Chamber I got awhile back.

I'll give an update on power gains from the butt-dyno tomorrow evening.


Later
Chris

 

i had that same problem with my hedman Y pipe and hedman Ellite ceramic coated headers. i just kept tweaking it until i could get a bolt in on each side of the header collectors and went from there. definately a PITA. just a suggestion to you, i would have the exhaust shop open up your hedman Y pipe to a full 3 inches. the exhaust shop i went to couldnt do it without the car there, and of course they wouldnt have done it for me unless i had them install a catalytic converter as well, so i didnt have the option of having it expanded. but if i were you i would definately have the Y pipe opened up to a full 3 inches and get rid of that bottle neck in the exhaust.

 

cool!

 

Just got back from getting the exhaust welded up. He made an adapter to connect the Hedman Y-pipe to the factory wide oval bolt on cat ( opps all the insides fell out..must have been old ), from that to the 3" Flowmaster I-pipe that was on it.

It had a Flowmaster on it when I got it. I swapped on a 3" in dual 2.5" out Aero Chamber muffler. Sound is much quieter at idle than the previous system with stock manifolds, stock Y-pipe and the Flowmaster. It DOES sound more throaty with the headers and Hooker muffler. More like the chambered exhaust GM used to put on the old Camaro's....

Sounds mean at WOT too And with the headers, it gave the IROC a DEFINITE kick on SOTP performance.

HTH

 

You lucked out. I installed mine this week. Driver side needed a hammer taken to one primary.
Passenger side I had to cut the corner of my mini starter. The primaries really needed a hammer taken to them to be correct. However, there was no way to get it in and out. Instead I had a bottle jack underneath and one on top and between them contorted it to the correct shap.

 

*** the horror stories of header installs never get old to me, im glad im on the FINISHED side of the install rather than the opposing just started side. y pipe ....--give it the finger-- not fun doing it alone, no help, and your car on ramps.....2 days, no sleep no food and alot of cussing screaming bleeding throwing tools and i was done...oh and mine DID have those lil gay @$%%ING tabs on the first and last two manifold bolts, had to bend a screw driver at 3 angles to get those SOBs off......