Hello i recently purchased a 86 z28 with a 305 tpi. I have read alot of the post on here as i want to build this car up and make it mine!! starting with replacing the u joins, full tune up, taking off the smog pump ( does not have a belt on it so it does not do anything anyway) and last but not least redoing the whole exhaust system. as thanks to this neat site it seems the exhaust system is where i should start. so i am planning to put headers on it along with a flow master muffler. my question here is.. can anyone point me at a good header to get for that camaro that is not super pricey? i got on summit and nothing is specific enough for me to commit on a purchase. basically.. if it does not say 1986 camaro headers .. i have not a clue if they will fit. price range is around 100-130. one most question is does the tpi unit make my car have cool air intake? i noticed the air filter running up to the nose of the car. so if i get good air filters doesn't that make it cool air intake? any other suggestions on small things i could do that would help would be awesome!

 

Flowmaster 80 series is what ill be putting on mine. Are the catalytic converters already cut out? And for headers, what i suggest is running hooker competition shorty headers (Painted), they go into the stock collector, they run about $190 (I know you said 100-130) but these fit well and aren't cheap crap. All you need to do is strip the paint they come with off and paint it with high heat paint (The paint it comes with will peel right off and start to rust the header). For air filters, i suggest a k&n stock replacement should do fine (It frees up 2-5hp) unless you wanna replace the whole intake to a cold air intake system.

 

Hooker is preferable over Hedman in my experience. I've had too many warped flanges on the Hedman stuff.

GD

 

A Mike, welcome aboard thirdgen.org. And congratulations on your new ride.

summitracing.com is actually pretty good about application-specific parts choices. Use their menu choices on the left margin, and you'll get parts recommendations specific for your car. It's what I did to get the information about headers I quote below.

The $190 Hooker shorties do not go to the "stock collector". They require fabrication to go between the header collector and factor Y-pipe connections.

And the factory Y-pipe is a big reason why the factory exhaust is so poor. So if you go with those $190 headers, the best way to get the most benefit out of them is to dump the factory Y-pipe as well, either with a custom Y-pipe fabricated locally - a real crap shoot, as most chain exhaust shops won't do any better than the factory did, and charge you an arm & a leg to not do it well; or Hooker's $275 Y-pipe for their $190 headers, which, guess what? Isn't very well done, either. It is intended to eliminate the cat on TBI cars, and does so with a 2-1/2" outlet, smaller than your factory pipe. Getting it modified to perform correctly will require its own custom fabrication (cut the 2-1/2" pipe off the "Y" portion, replace with 3" pipe), meaning more cost, but at least that's fairly straight forward.

Bottom line is you aren't going to improve the factory exhaust without spending a pretty good chunk of change. The best off-the-shelf header setup is what Hooker now calls their "Street Force" 2055HKR kit with headers and Y-pipe. They run $535/set ($755 for the ceramic coated 2055-1HKR). They are made to fit directly on your car and directly to your factory exhaust. Best deal out there IMO.

There is also a TGO member Dyno Don who makes headers to fit our cars. You'll have to get a hold of him for prices. I don't know how much he charges, but I haven't heard a complaint here about his product, either.

If you are going to do headers, I highly suggest choosing ones that include a good Y-pipe that connects to factory exhaust. Get a direct-fit cat, and direct-fit cat-back exhaust. If you want a Flowmaster muffler, get a Flowmaster cat-back instead. Get all direct-fit stuff from headers to cat-back, and you can install it all yourself without the need to visit a muffler shop. That is the most cost-effective way to get a good-flowing exhaust on a 3rd gen. (For the record, Flowmaster mufflers sound like they are flowing well better than they actually flow.)

Having used that high heat paint on more than one application, I can say that in order to get it to last, complete removal of the shipping paint and proper surface prep are an absolute must to get that paint to last any length of time. Sand blasting is best for both removal of the shipping paint and roughing up the surface to allow the paint to adhere, followed by careful solvent cleaning. And it should be cured in an oven after painting. Even then, its days are numbered. Ceramic coating is superior both for rust protection, and for its heat control benefits. Ceramic coated stainless steel is the best of all worlds, but now you're really getting pricey.

I would not recommend K&N for two reasons: 1) the oil used on the filters will coat your MAF, reducing its function, and requiring frequent cleaning; and 2) the dirty little secret is K&Ns are terrible at stopping small particulates that even paper filters stop. You're trading a very little increase in flow (that your engine probably can't even use) at the cost of increased wear on your engine. That isn't a smart trade, in my opinion. Stick with a good quality replacement paper filter and you'll be fine.

 

The best thing you can do for that 305 (after the basic tuneup) is the full exhaust. Ya it gets pricey but its worth saving up for and doing it right, once. I run those hooker shortys on my 350 and previously my 305, they are great with the y pipe, cat delete and 3" single to stock style muffler. I run a magnaflow, im sure flowmasters sound good too. The cat delete is if you dont have smog restrictions in your area.

Im running an edelbrock 14" x 3" filter with an 1 1/2" drop base. They look like K&N and are cleanable but are a dry filter so you do not oil them. They have a white strip on them so you know how dirty it is. I like it, not sure if it works any better or worse but it looks pretty good!

 

Thanks for all these great responses! Sorry it has taken Me a bit to get to you all. I think I'm gonna go with the full kit from headers to muffler.. 575 is pricey for me. But I don't have an exhaust at all at the moment for it. So its must sadly. Can some one elaborate on the y pipe issue? If I spend that 600 bucks do I still need to worry about that or is the 3 inch onw already on?? And can I get a link to the one that has been spoke. Of on summit? Thanks again you all. I swear you should get paid for this in depth help!!

 

https://m.summitracing.com/parts/hok-2055hkr

thats the link for the headers and y pipe. Im guessing the coated ones are out of your budget so you can strip these and paint them for fairly cheap. Make sure you use high temp header paint.

You need the y pipe, that is the "custom" pipe that connects the headers to a single pipe exhaust for that particular header. It should bolt up to the cat, if you do not have a cat to bolt up to you can get one for your car or just delete it and get an exhaust shop to weld in a pipe to connect the y pipe to your cat back exhaust kit. Also called a cat delete pipe. Unless they make a full header back kit, not sure if anyone else on the site knows of one?

You came to the right place, the people here on TGO are the most knowledgable and helpful bunch around. They helped me alot when i was an ametuer wrench turner. Good luck!

 

I got the Hooker and Y Pipe from Summit. Bolted on nicely but I did have to get the pipe welded at the converter. I did buy the aluminum gaskets and Summit High Flow converter. Been on for a year now.

HOK-16767HKR Y PIPE
$266.95
HOK-2460-1HKR COMP HDR-CAMAROMCTBC
$428.95