Like the title says, my Hooker 2055 shorties came in, but I found that at the flanges to the y-pipe, the plates on the headers don't even come close to mating with the slide plates they bolt to on the y-pipe. Is this normal? Am I just supposed to bolt them together this way? They've gotta be likt an inch apart. Maybe less, but they're nowhere near touching.

And do I need some type of gasket/donut here? Doesnt seem like it would make a good seal.....

Thanks!

 

You won't need a gasket in there. Just tighten each bolt a little at a time, drawing the header and y-pipe together. Don't overtighten at first. If it leaks, tighten a little more.

 

Do you have sportsman II heads??

-- Joe

 

what heads do you have?


some heads have a raised exhaust port... and that makes the header come up short of the y pipe.

 

Thats what I was getting at..

 

yea i realized that


i just thought id throw out the why in case someone else is reading the post...

 

do you need new headers if your heads have a raised exhaust port?

 

usually no. i havent seen a case yet where you have.

however the regular y pipe might come up a lil short... it may have to be modified to fit..


athough ive heard (never seen, so im not positive) of people using thoes doughnut gaskets to span the space... but i would just extend the y pipe a lil.

 

No I have the stock heads. I put the assembly on this afternoon. I really like them, but MAN are they a bitch to get the bolts in! I ruined a couple 7/16 wrenches and nearly rounded a few of my Stage 8 bolts.

Is there a better set of bolts or method to installing the headers? I have them on for now but I know I'll have to remove them to change my spark plugs........

 

You should not have to remove the headers to get to the spark plugs. A lot of people, including me, have cut down a spark plug socket to make it fit between the headers and get on the plug. If you used Stage 8 bolts, you can get an allen head wrench and it makes it a lot easier to tighten the bolts down because you have more room to work with.

 

Explain how to use an allen head on the bolts please.

 

stage8 is a company.. they have allen head bolts...

you used regular grade8 bolts.. you have to use a wrench or a socket on them.

in the future, i would use either allen head bolts, or the small head header bolts...


you shouldnt have to remove the headers to change the spark plugs.... if you want though, on some of the plugs you can slide a wrench on the plug and use that to break it loose.. then use your fingers.... much easier.

ive always found it easier to change plugs on cars with headers then with the stock manifolds.

 

Ok I see. Seems like an allen head bolt would strip out easier. At least that has been my experience.

With the AIR tubes removed, it became REALLY easy to change the spark plugs on my stock manifolds. It just didnt make sense to keep them, though.

 

When you said you used Stage 8 I thought you meant the locking bolts from the Stage 8 company. The bolts they use are the small head bolts, but they have a hole for an allen wrench also. When I put the headers on an allen wrench seemed to work fine. I was using the dead soft aluminum gaskets and tightened them from the inside out. I was being careful not to put too much torque on them because I was worried about stripping out the allen heads, but they worked great. I also dropped the engine in with the headers on so it was great not having to wrestle with an in-car header install.

 

I do have the locking Stage 8 bolts. I would swear mine don't have allen holes in them, though! Maybe I'm wrong, I'll be sure to check, but I think I definitely would have noticed on installation because it sure would have made it easier!