A novice here, playing around with the engine for the first time.
I'm trying to remove the stock exhaust headers (with AIR pipes attached), without lifting the whole engine out of the car.
Any tips on how to do it?
I've managed to unscrew a few bolts but some of the bolts have weird metal flaps to protect the bolt from moving and you have to pry them off. I don't really understand their purpose but because of this + the workspace being so tight I can't really get the job done.
Going underneath the car wouldn't really help with the upper bolts, I think.

Also, I'd appreciate if you could recommend some new headers that will fit without having to do any modifications to the pipes since I can't weld.

 

yes, those little metal pieces are a PITA to remove . the drivers side is easier than the passengers side . If you can't weld you can either buy a cat back system specifically for your car or take a trip down to an exhaust shop and have them fabricate the exhaust from the cat back . A lot of people run shorty style headers . most popular shorty headers that come to mind are dyno dons headers and the hooker headers . bot have the AIR tubes built in . Dyno don can fab headers without AIR tubes also . if ir remember correctly there is a bracket that goes from the back of the alternator to the exhaust manifold . that needs to be removed first in order to remove the manifold . same goes for the passengers side .

 

be aware that a few exhaust bolts will probably break.

 

I'm almost there, with hours of work and bleeding wounds in my hands.
The metal clips are a nightmare if you don't lift the whole engine out of the car.
What are they for anyway? I just want to know that I'm wasting my life removing something has a purpose.

By the way, are there any exhaust headers that would actually fit the stock Y-pipe?

 

Ahh, the debt has been paid in blood! As it is with the world of hotrods, they all require the sacrifice!

As for headers, none of them will fit the stock Y-pipe.

I recommend either Hooker 2055 headers or Dyno Don's which seem to be gaining traction as the new site-favorites for shorties. Both come with a Y-pipe that will fit your car with little to no issues.

 

I did what you are doing recently. Went with Hooker shorties and the Hooker y pipe. You can remove the air pump and replace the serp belt with a shorter one if that's what you have. I was not intending to put headers on, but when the one remaining air pipe nut broke off at the back of the pax side manifold THEN the extractor broke off in the hole....
Anyways yes its slow cramped going, and I did not lift the engine. Good luck with yr project.

 

The little pieces your talking about, do they a tab that has been bent over the head of a bolt. If so they are there to prevent the bolts from backing out of the hole.

 

I finally removed the passenger side exhaust header.
There's still one bolt left on the driver side one, and for that I need to remove the power steering pump but I guess it's no problem.

Yup, I kind of anticipated that one.

How do I install the new Y-pipe? Now would be a good time to do it since I'm dismantling the engine. But because of this I can't drive the car to a shop in case it's something that can't be done in my garage.