Peptidbond & I have installed the Crawford Headers & Hi-Flow Cats today. I must say that it has been a chore, enjoyable none the less.

 

. . .

 

will post more tomorrow after Borla is installed & a test ride.

 

buff you can lift the z up in that position from there?...using that specific jack? can you show a close up of where to put it please?

 

To answer your questions. . .
The backend of the car is on Ramps & the front is sitting on Jackstands, I think the setting is 4 or 5. The first picture is from when we lifted the motor to remove the motor mounts & rock the headers into place.

We started Saturday afternoon (11-11:30) and wrapped up last night around 11:30. We had two brakes for food & 1 trip to Sears. So we're looking at @ 9 hrs for the install. We will be doing some "clean up" work today, after a trip to Summit Racing & to the Home Depot.

Gotta run will post much more this evening.

 

impressive, i did not think headers could be installed off of jack stands. i like seeing people tackle such a tough job as that!

 

Must post video clip!

 

Need.....pics....my...precious...

 

Congrats Buff and Peptidbond, it is definitely not any easy install in the garage with jack stands, but once you are done there is a wonderful feeling of accomplishment.

 

great job!

 

OK here goes. . .

We ended up only taking a few pics due to our "grubby" condition through out this install. I'll be the first to admit that this was not an easy project. We actually installed an entire exhaust system in 1 weekend. As far as I can guestimate, with Pedtid's help, we added @ 40 rwhp.

Here's a brief take on the project:
There were times that this was a TOTAL pain in the ***! There are certain bolts that are difficult at best to get to BEFORE the headers are installed & near impossible to get to AFTERWARDS. ie. motor mounts, top cat bolt on driver side. As ZZZYA stated there is a huge feeling of accomplishment after this install. The sound that is created with these parts in unblievable. While on the test ride Peptid commented on how he felt like being pushed back into his seat under WOT.
I have also developed a distinct rattle from the Borla, so I will have to crawl back under the car to straighen that out, but other than that I am very happy with the way this project has turned out.
I would strongly reccomend that if you are not very mechanically inclined to PAY to have this mod done. On a scale of 1 - 10 I would put this install at about an 8, Although at times I would argue that I'm low balling it too.

I will try to answer any & all questions that you have. Peptidbond & I will be working on an adendum to the Crawford Manual, so any one else that has done this install please PM us with your comments.

 

Impressive work man! Headers on jackstands is quite an accomplishment.

I know you're excited but 40hp is a pushing it. A nice gain of 20-25 seems common for that setup.

What's your next plan for the car?

 

I'd say your avatar is not for the faint of heart.

 

My actual quote was 30-40 peak. Keep in mind that we replaced the entire exhaust system. That is headers, cats, and exhaust. So, 30-40 is possible at peak. Certainly we raise the HP across the board.

As for the install with jack stands, it was tough at times but okay. We had to drop the steering rack (not removed, just lowered) and that caused a little under car clearance issue. However, one of us worked from the top and one from the bottom. It was a good system.

As for jack placement, as Buff mentioned, the jack in the picture is holding up the engine. However, you can jack the car in the middle like that. Your placement is to put the jack head on the engine support cross-member.

As for rating install difficulty I have to disagree with Buff. If a 1 is installing a battery and a 10 is a full motor rebuild, I would put this at 6. Overall, if you have a really large tool collection, the Crawford manual, a friend to help, and some patience, then YOU CAN DO THIS. And contrary to what the Crawford manual says, you do not need a lift (although I understand why they say you do). Thanks to Zzzya for telling us this.

Regarding our adendum to the Crawford manual, I have almost completed it. I should have it online by mid week. Crawford is of course welcome to use any of it in their official manual.

You might think I am crazy for spending the entire weekend working on someone elses car. Afterall, I do feel like I have been hit by a bus today. However, it was fun and I earned the same in return from Buff. I will be doing the same mod soon and Buff has agreed to help me.

Finally, a big shout out goes to Zzzya, everyone at Crawford (especially Doug) and all the other members that provided tips and tricks. We could not have done it without you. In fact, we probably would not even attempt it. If you want to do this mod, which I would highly recommened, let me know and I will help all that I can.

 

do you guys plan on re-torqueing the header bolts after a few days?

 

That is up to Buff. In truth, they would be extremely hard to reach without disassembling the cooling system. I guess if he finds a loud leak he will work on those nuts.

 

I went back in and checked my header bolts about 2-3 weeks after the install and didn't have any loose nuts. I think if you tighten them in the proper sequence you will not have problems. If you tighten them in a goofy order then you may run into some issues with most headers. The Crawford ones are a little different and not quite as sensitive to this because each tube is seperated from each other mounting to the engine whereas some headers are more of a bracket all attached together. It is still good practice to tighten equal small amounts on each bolt until you start to get them torqued down.

 

OK, can I get you scheduled in my garage next weekend....

What do think are the most importanat tricks, suggestions in accomplishing this task?

 

There will be a newer version of the install manual being made available sometime soon. Kudos to those who wrote the manual because they had me read through it and I think they did one hell of a job. This manual will be pretty damn good and should be able to help anyone get through this install if they have the ballz to give it a try. I did this install by myself, so it can be done, but I strongly suggest a second person to help out. If nothing else, you can cuss and swear together

 

If you want me, then come to Cleveland. I am not that far from Michigan. We can use my garage even. I only charge $30 an hour. THAT IS HALF PRICE! J/k, but if you want to come down, I will help.

As for the instructions that Zzzya mentioned, they are finished. Buff and I put the final touches on them today. Zzzya read for accuracy and Doug from Crawford provided his sign-off. I will be posting them in about 30 minutes (currently 5:40pm EST). This should help everyone. The damn thing is 6 pages with detailed nut and bolt sizes and even a troubleshooting section. Hell, it even has some jokes in it (look at the troubleshooting section under "Fire").