I wanna get some Edelbrock headers and i was wondering:

a) If they are chrome plated, do i have to worry about the heat and do i have to get them treated like i would if they were just painted black?
b) how much would be a fair amount to pay someone to install them
c) How hard would it be to install them myself, keeping in mind i am not really experienced in doing anything major to cars

 

Yes, they do sell a pair that is chrome, after a while they will discolor a little. It might be a good idea just to hose them down with some cleaner every now and then, not sure.

A shop will charge out the @ss for them, and honestly most exhaust shops are too lazy for that stuff.

Took my brother and I 6 hrs to install mine in the driveway. But the AC was already out,and we didn't hook the emissions stuff back up.

 

the hardest part will probably be getting the old log headers off. All those years of rust will make things hard to remove. Just remember to soak everyhting for a while with a good penitrant before you tackle all the bolts that hold the manifolds on. The headers themselves arent too bad to get on. Theyll still take some time but its not too bad.

 

cali92rs, i see that you live in CA so let me do you a favor

first and most importantly those headers are listed as not being smog legal for CA so if you go in for emissions tests you're basically f-cked. i got my car, 89 GTA w/ 350TPI, with those headers installed plus a 3" pipe straight back. I bought all new components for my entire ignition and had a brand new catalytic converter put in, with all the original smog pump equipment still hooked up, and timing advanced 0 degrees ... and i have failed smog twice with that set up. sure, it may be the 1.6 roller cam on there helping a little too but those headers will kill you in smog shops ... find a friend that knows somebody before you find those headers

 

Yup once you get the old headers off you'll think putting the new ones on is a piece of cake. Now the only thing on my iroc is that the metal line going around the frame from the radiator to the heater core had to be moved, no big dealjust unbolt it (3 clamps) an move it. ut mine decided it wanted to leak so I bypassed it with my own "special"design:lala:
Oh and to remove the old ones I used a sawsall on one of them. If you don't need the old exhaust manifolds then get at a good angle and cut the head off with or without some cast iron and the slide the manifold out along the stud then cut the stud off as far away from the bolck as possible. I found that the nuts on the studs are much much harder to get off than a stud inthe block.

AND YES, after about a month you'll wonder why your CHROME headers became a mix of pink, blue yellow, and brown. Happens all the time.Only way around it is never put them on the car:sillylol: or get them coated.

 

Do yourself a favor and get Hooker headers instead. The Edelcrocks suck. The black paint on them is for show only, and it burns off in a week. Whats left is a white charcoal color that looks horrible. Plus the spark plug access sucks on them, too.

What part of SoCal are you from? My dad is a mechanic in Orange County and has done many header installs on thirdgens. You'll have to contact him regarding pricing and time. Check out the SoCal forum on this board.

Its not hard to install them yourself, but you will probably need to do some welding to get them to fit perfect. They never do.

 

Are hookers smog legal though?

 

Installing a heated O2 sensor could possibly help get through the California emissions problem after header installation.

 

My edeljunks fit quite nicely just bolting everything up. They managed to pick their way around the engine bay, oil pan and the cross member wile leaving semi-decent clearences all around. Welding shouldnt be necessary, but who knows... I would get the hookers, though, the edels arnt that great.

 

Wow!! It's nice to hear that everyone endorses the Edelbrocks.


- I just got mine yesterday, the nickel plated ones (#68741). Actually, I was getting ready to post, and was going to ask if there are any tricks to putting them on.

I know they are not "top-of-the-line", but I can't see spending the kind of bucks required for SS SLP's.

Are they really that bad?? They seem to be built really well, I just wish I would have gotten them w/o the air manifolds, since I don't use them anymore.

Also I was hoping that the Y-pipe was gonna be plated, but no, it's black painted. Other than that - they look great to me.

 

Depends upon which ones you get. If you get the 2055's, which have the A.I.R. pipes, O2 fitting, and y-pipe, they have a tag welded onto the #1 primary with the C.A.R.B. # on it.

FWIW, the chrome plating won't help with heat insulation. Ceramic coating will, though. Ceramic will also keep its color longer.

 

I've got the Edelbrocks on my 87 GTA, and I love them. As far as the paint they come with, it does burn off and damn does it smell bad (the ones on my truck aren't coated), but most headers come with the burn-off type paint job. I got mine coated by Jet-Hot and they don't discolor or "blue" like chrome, plus if you coat 'em before you use 'em, Jet-Hot warrants them for life. There are two problems I had with them though. First the y-pipe is a bitch to get back on the cat, and second the collector flanges are CLOSE to the starter and x-member so you have to be careful when you attach the y-pipe. They flow pretty good, and since I don't have a super hi-flo heads, or intake they work great. Chevy High Performance just did a test using 1-3/4" and 1-5/8" headers and the smaller 1-5/8" headers performed better, even on the nasty-a$$ 383 they had 'em on. As far as the spark plug clearance, I'm running standard length AC's and the only one that's a bitch is the #1 (front on driver side) plug. I use a deep offset wrengh fronm the bottom and it works great. Or if that's too much hassle, just rum Bosch Platinums or Accel shorty header plugs (I wouldnt use the Accel's personally due to the caps uscrewing all the time).Heres a couple of pics of my headers.

 

Let's not start that again. Those were long-tube headers, and their results have no bearing whatsoever when comparing shorties.

 

The starter goes at the top of this pic, trust me the collector heats up the solenoid BAD--get a heat shield.

 

And the left side

 

five7: you're right my bad. Sorry. Anyway, my Edelbricks work great for my application and they pass emmisions fine, right out of the box.

 

I have had no problems with my edelbrock TES. Yes the factory paint burns off instantly, but if you read the instructions carefully they do tell you to repaint them. Also the collectors are a tight fit as previously mentioned. Its important to "clock" them correctly before bolting everything down. On the passenger side they can hit the A-arm mount and body, on the driver side there's the oil cooler lines to watch out for like in the photo above. I don't really see any advantage with the SLP's other than being stainless steel. Maybe spark plug access too. Fit is better with the TES around the steering colum, and the price is way better.

 

Thanks for the "head's up" , Brian'sIROC and GTA-SPD. Like in the previous post, I have the nickel plated ones like GTA-SPD.


Oil lines shouldn't be a problem, since I have a T-5. I hope mine don't turn blue right away. But I thought there was a chance they might. I'll get the heat sheild like you recommend GTA.

I may even replace my almost new starter while I have it off. Even with the present stock exhaust, it seems to get heat soaked and is causing the car to srank slowly after it's hot. I hope Autozone will take it back since it has a lifetime warranty.

I had planned to adjust everything before I snug the collector bolts and Y-pipe down. Now I know what to look for. Thanks again guys!!

 

You might want to consider replacing your starter from another source besides Autozone. I've had more trouble with their electrical components the longer I use them. For example, I just replaced the 1-1/2 year old 30Kmi (12 month warranty) alternator on my wife's Bonneville, my NAPA window motor (replaced this summer) is about 50% faster than the Autozone motor (last summer), and I'm hearing the same things from others. Do what you like, maybe you like replacing starters but this has been my experience.

 

Well, I can tell you I'm not happy with their starter so far. It did take a beating though from cranking after the rebuild and all.

No - can't say I enjoy changin out starters. But hopefully, I can trade this one at no cost (lifetime warranty), and if it sh**ts the bed, I'll get a better one somewhere else....

 

BTW.....I just got done replacing my passenger side window lift motor last week - I'm not joking. Guess what brand I got? First two guesses don't count....

First the headers (read above), then starter.....now this????

I can't take this anymore. Think I should go to bed.....:lala:

 

about how much is it to get them coated by jet hot?

 

Cali - I paid $175 for mine about 4 years ago. I had bought them for my 89 Formula and then scrapped that project. So they were sitting out in a friends barn for about 3.5 years before I got my GTA. The only reason I kept them was cuz I thought they may fit on the wife's 260Z. Even if it's gone up in price, it is WELL worth the money. The headers on my truck aren't coated and they are pretty rusty, and generally look like $hit, so they'll get coated when I buy heads.