Hey guys let me pick your brain. I just got this 87 GTA and it's been 20+ years since I work on a 3rd gen.

The car has Hedman long tube headers and they are actually pressing against the frame and A arm mount on the passenger side. It makes a horrible vibration. I have been able to minimize the noise by removing the mount bolts, jacking up the engine a little and jamming a piece of heater hose wrapped in "header wrap" between the header tube and frame.

But what I want to do is take the header out and dimple it or grind the frame to make more clearance.

So please your opinion....do you think I can get that header out without getting the car off the ground or any other crazy stuff?

Now the dilemma.....if I can get that header out with minimal cussing and bloody knuckles.....can I get the driver side out? Then do I change the headers? But I would need new headers that put the collector in exactly the same place because I just had a new exhaust system put on the car. So obviously I would need identical long tube headers, but maybe some coated or chrome ones. These are really rusty under the car.

 

New motor mounts will raise the engine up almost 3/4 of an inch on some cases. I have had to replace many motor mounts to get slp headers to clear the steering shaft properly.

 

New mounts were my first thought. But there is no way the new mounts will give the engine enough height. I had to jack the engine way up just to get clearance enough to shove a piece if heater hose in. And I'm talking about a cross section flat, not a round piece so with the engine jacked way past the mounts I only got about 1/2" space so new mounts will certainly leave the header still touching.

I'm afraid the only way to rectify this is to remove the header, dimple the area hitting and possible even grind a little off the frame and A arm mount.

What amazes me most is that someone went through the trouble of putting headers in this nice GTA and not take the extra few hours and do what was needed to not have them hitting. Aside from the header issue this car is in really great condition, it's like buying a new car, hitting a light pole denting the fender and being OK with it and not getting it fixed. I don't get it.

 

Update....

The piece of heater hose between the header tube and A arm mount on the passenger side made a big difference. But there was still a super annoying vibration at certain RPMs or when I would turn (body flex)

So I went hunting, gut under the car on the driver side and found a similar issue. Tube resting on the bottom of the A arm mount. I notched out a small bit of the corner and this really seems to have done the trick.

Before..


After...I used that hole as an aim point for the cuts. Its not pretty but it works. This picture look deceiving like it's still hitting at that top corner but there is a minimum of 3/8" clearance.