I just got done today installing the headers, whew! I got photos and all kinds of stories if anyones interested

 

I haver a 87 IROC 5.7 and I am thinking about getting the Hooker 2055 as well. Please do tell about your install. What problems did you run in to?

 

want to know about these stories. have any problems? you get the y-pipe also?

 

I have the same headers, install was less than 45 minutes.

 

Well to start with:
-nelapse, 45 minutes to install headers? on what a new mtr on an engine stand?
-my car is an '88Iroc that was never apart for anything. It's only got 26K mi on it. I soaked all the manifold and Y pipe nuts overnite. I could not seperate the y pipe from the cat and had to sawzall it off. That left a ppipe slug in the cat that my local midas shop was able to get out for me. The y pipe nuts came loose ok with a little bit of a torch on 'em. All the manifold nuts and studs broke loose ok, it was just a pita to get at some of them. After pulling the air pump and swinging the dipstick out of the way I still had to yank the a/c compressor and diconnect the heater hose to the heater valve to get the header down the right side. Remember I'm using the a.i.r. setup so there's the extra tubing up top to clear. I decided to relocate the heater valve at this time and do the coolant bypass at the throttle housing too. I also installed new valve covers so the old ones had to come off too. On the left side the alternator had to be swung out of the way to get the cover off easily. I re-used a couple studs on #1 and #3 to re fit the air pump support bracket and the alternator and p/s pump brackets on the left side. I also changed over to the 3-wire heated O2 sensor. I'll take a break here and post some photos

 

For some reason I had trouble posting this thread last nite and now there are 2 threads. Let the other one die

 

P&B blast the manifold bolts. cut the Y-Pipe, remove manifolds, install new headers, torque, install new Y-pipe, install stainless steel band clamp.

45 minutes.

I also have a lift if it makes you feel better.

 

i had to unbolt my pass motor mount and lift the motor a bit before my header fell into place

 

I've heard that some had to do that but mine went in alright. I did have to swing the dipstick out of the way though. ck out the new location for the heater valve

 

LOL how did you get to the last bolt on the passenger side near the firewall? OMG...2 hours on that alone I was so pissed by the time I was finally able to get it tighened down my wife wouldn't come near me. I think every loose tool/item I could grab except the ones I needed found a place imbedded in the garage wall during that exercise in near futility.

I would get my tool on the bolt, only to have it slip off...or I wouldn't be able to tighten it and would have to reset the wrench...grr...oh that made me mad.

What tool did you use? I wound up using a bendex socket extention with a wobbly end and one of those pre-fabricated swivel 7/16 ends. I think that was the hardest bolt I could have ever gotten to. Now...I did leave the AC Accumulator in. Had I pulled that it might have gone a bit easier.

 

ya it was a pita but i just used a small wrench, im not a big guy (about 5/7) so that helped alot. i used locking bolts so i hope i never have to do that again.

 

yeah that one in the back was bad. I used a tiny screwdriver to unfold the locking tabs and then got the 9/16 wrench on it w/ a 3/4 wrench as a reverse breaker. On my back under the car reaching up. I had the fronts up on ramps and the rear on jackstands so there was just enough room. Other than the 2 front studs that I reused the rest I used the stage 8 locker bolts. Doing the next to last one and the one behind #5 were the worst for me. But I'm ambidextrous so I used my sawzall box as a stepstool and laid on the mtr and used my left hand to snake down in there to start and tighten 'em LOL! This is one of those jobs that I used every physical position and quite a few different tools!...and..I used Delco Platinum plugs...a standard 5/8 socket w/ a 3/4 wrench was good in some spots while I used a cut down specialty socket w/ a 5/8 wrench on others. This photo is of tightening the bolt for the wire loom holders.

 

took mine to the local high preformance shop guy said they were easy and told 200 for the header's y pipe and new cat new wires new plugs so i let him go at it my bolts were in there good and he unbolted the motor in the end but it still tookk him about 10-12 hours worked out good for me bad for him the going rate on labor there is about 45 an hour

 

sweeet! the going rate around here is $80-100/hr. I was doing the coolant bypass and I relocated the heater valve so I wanted to do it myself to make sure it was just what I wanted. The only thing I'm not too happy about is the gaskets. So I'm going to go back in soon and put a set of Mr. Gasket Copper gaskets in.