I have an 1986 z28 with the LG4 motor in it and I'm thinking of doing an exhaust setup. I want to get headers and run 3" exhaust. I'm going for the best horsepower improvement for my money, I don't want to spend a million dollars on this. All in all though, I'm not sure what to get.

I have a summit magazine which has lots of headers but I have no clue which ones should I get. How much money will I need to spend to get a good set of headers? I know they range from like 150 all the way up to 500. Which ones are good for the price?

In the future I will be going to a larger motor, so I will want to get 1 3/4" headers right? Can I get the long style headers? Or do I have to get the shorty ones? I've read of ground clearance issues with the long style ones? BTW: I do live in Wisconsin so emissions is no issue at all.

Lastly what are some good mufflers?

THanks alot!

 

HOK-2055. Hard to beat that set for street use. The y-pipe is just sweet, worth the price of the set just for that. The 1-5/8" primaries are more than adequate. Unless you're going with some mongo stripe-use-primary set-up, you aren't going to need long tubes. Sticking with shorties, y-pipe and single pipe back is the best combination of performance and ground clearance.

You can either go with a Catco CTO-9118 direct-fit cat or rig up a pipe between the y-pipe and catback.

Good muffler - there's an "objective" question. Hard to beat Borla for flow and sound, but they're pricey. Spintech, Dynomax, Flowmaster, Hooker all make good stuff for the typical street car.