Monday, February 11, 2008 - 10:05 am, by: Troy Martin(Radelaide)
hey just received your headers cant wait till there in just wondering if it makes much difference if you don't ceramic coat them because i cant fit it into my budget?
Monday, February 11, 2008 - 12:50 pm, by: Paul Mainey(Gttv8)
G'day Troy,
I recently fitted these headers to my car. I didn't get mine ceramic coated however i did wrap the headers in exhaust wrap to help keep the temperature down.
I used 30m of exhaust wrap to do mine, but that included the resonators i welded to the end of the headers.
I'm not sure if your going to install them yourself, but if you have any questions send me a message and i will give you as much advice as i can.
I'm currently in the process of fitting my twin high flow cats and balance pipe, with the possibility of another pair of resonators as my twin 3" system puts most V8 supercars to shame on the noise scale.
Monday, February 11, 2008 - 03:06 pm, by: Murray Lund(Murray)
Paul, I am interested in the complexity of the task for a reasonably competent DIY. How long did it take? How much dissassembly to get in? Need car on a hoist? etc. Murray
Monday, February 11, 2008 - 05:08 pm, by: Troy Martin(Radelaide)
Paul,
hey thanks for your comments nah im not doin it myself dont really have the mechanical brain for that. AAA exhaust in adelaide is fitting them on wednesday and i have to get it done by this week as i start a new job on monday and i need my car.
Where did u get the exhaust wrap from, does it work well and how long does it last? thanks
Monday, February 11, 2008 - 05:16 pm, by: Paul Mainey(Gttv8)
Like Neil told me:
"I won't lie, it's not easy"
Murray,
It took me about 4 hours to get the old ones out and the new one's in.
Firstly you need to drop the lower control arms so you can remove the rear crossmember. This will effectively loose your front wheel alignment, so you may want to mark the positions or get an alignment once your finished.
You'll then need to drop the original exhaust or what ever you have bolted up, as you will need to shorten it to suit the headers. The headers are probably 10" longer.
Then it's just fun and games as you try and get to the header bolts. You'll need to remove the heat shields to give you access. The passenger side one will slide out no worries, but the drivers side gave me some hassles due the steering shaft. Some snips and some persuation (read: hammer) it came out.
Disconnect the O2 sensors.
You will need a small 1/4" drive set with a flexible connection to get the angles right. I even used a ring spanner with a movable head to get a couple. I still have the scabs on my hands and arms from the skin lost. What can i say, I like to put all my blood, sweat and tears into my cars.
The headers will come with new gaskets to suit, although the standard multi layer gaskets will still be in good condition to re-use. Then it's just the reverse process to get it all back in.
A hoist would make life easier, but it is not necessary. I lengthened my headers by about 12" by adding resonators, so it became a lot harder to get them in with nothing but a jack and some stands.
Some little things to remember, the O2 sensor on the drivers side is on the opposite side of the headers compared to the standard ones. Not sure if this is normal or only on mine. You will need to remove the bracket holding the plug to get the extra length.
Also, the Cat sensors flanges on the headers are not tapped. Therefore you cannot just screw them in like the factory ones. You'll need 4 small nuts and bolts to secure them, remembering that you don't have much room to work with. Some slim line nuts and I think about 15mm long bolts should do it.
If you have any more questions send me a message and I'm sure Neil would be more then happy to help you out also. He sent me in the right direction.
Monday, February 11, 2008 - 05:26 pm, by: Paul Mainey(Gttv8)
Troy
I bought the exhaust wrap from a guy on ebay. It cost me $50 for 30m. Pretty good if you ask me.
The wrap is good. We used to use it all the time on our turbo manifolds. It should last quite some time as long as you don't damage it yourself.
I actually wrapped mine right down to the resonators I welded on to the headers. Unfortunately, They are sitting a little close to the ground and I scrapped them getting into the driveway at my work office and ripped the wrap off. It's a one off thing, you shouldn't have the same issues.
I wish I could tell you what the engine bay temperatures are like, but since putting the exhaust on I have not really driven my car due to the noise and the incomplete exhaust system. That and the fact that I have recently relocated with work and have left my car and the rest of my belongings behind.
It's currently sitting in a workshop waiting for the ECU to be wired up and a mate to finish the exhaust for me.
Ashley Leach Goo Roo South Australia GT Limited UZZ31 V8
Friday, May 16, 2008 - 08:59 pm, by: Ashley Leach(Ashlar)
I had mine ceramic coated at Ceramic Coat Australia, just down the road from AAA Exhaust where I had them fitted.
Can't tell you if it's worth the $$$ or not as I went from stock exhaust to ceramic coated twin 2 1/4" goodness straight away.
All in all I think it's better than not having it done. Cost about $330 and I suggest you just save for it as they won't be coming out once they are in. In retrospect I should have paid for a double coat...
Saturday, June 12, 2010 - 11:16 pm, by: James Buchan(Jrbuch)
I too have mine ceramic coated, by Jet-Hot in Castlemaine. Cost me around what Ashley's cost.
Keeps the underbonnet temps way down, which was a real problem with stock headers. Plus it keeps the heat inside the extractor, thus apparently increasing power.