I'm looking at installing the Headers very soon. I'd like to go with the Crawfords, but have been told that they are a HUGE pain in the @ss to install. Need your suggestions/Recommendations
Thanks

 

they are all difficult to install, some more then others because of nut clearances.

there are many install instructions, be prepared to spend 10-40 hours depending on how good your tools are and your experience.

 

Just take it to the dealer. Mine knocked it out in just 4 hours. It was worth the money.

 

I think John is down to around 5 hours for ours in house. It took me (with lots of help from Doug) around 7 hours.

I would not call it a pain, just time consuming. It would be a pain if you did not have air tools and a lift. Just ask zzzya about that. He is the master of grounded header install.

 

how much did you pay to get them installed?

 

do a search for my post on the header install. if you need any help installing them give me a call at 979-219-2748 i live in texas so it may be long distance. or you can just aim me at track350zcar.

 

my gf's dad said he would help me by takin my car to his garage and puttin it up on the lift. he works at a pretty big ford dealer, so i think we'd have everything we could need there. u think him and i, plus a friend, could handle it?

 

The Crawford Headers are not easy to install and do require more steps than any other header I have read about on the market for the 350Z. At the same time, they are still the only ones I would want on my car. That being said, an install at home with just jack stands and no fancy tools is not easy at all. I did it by myself and still have some flashback nightmares. If you plan to do it at home on your garage floor, at least have some help if nothing else and it will go much better. I have not read the latest revision of the Crawford install manual but when I did my install, the first version had just been posted and it left out some major details. I will glance over it to see if some of those issues have been resolved. Be prepared for it to take a good 8-12 hours. Now that I have done it, I know that with a second person, I could have it done in 4-5 hours. The first time through by myself it took 10-11 hours. One of the hardest aspects of this header install is that you have to go as far as taking the motor mounts off and while supporting the engine with a floor jack, move the motor around to get the headers up into place. With a 6MT it might be easier because the tranny is not as large, but the 5AT takes up more space and requires more manipulation. That is the part that became very difficult as I was doing this by myself. I had to get under the car, get the headers up as far as I could, then get up over the engine bay and lift the headers with one hand while moving the engine around with the other. Sound fun yet?? Once they were in place, you have to put on the bolts but only slighty on, because you then have to reinstall the motor mounts or you will not get all the bolts back in because the headers get in the way. In the end it was very much worth the effort and I felt a great sense of accomplishment. The performance after installing these headers will simply light up your face when you get on the gas. Incredible power around 2.5K and up. Combined with the rest of the Crawford package and a nice exhaust, your love for driving this car will increase ten fold.

 

I think the Stillen headers are a very nice set as well. They are genuinely equal length (at least according to the Stillen guy who posts here) and made pretty good gains according to the dyno he posted (again, its their own dyno, but he was pretty good about answering questions regarding how they did the tests).

I wouldn't bother with the NISMO or Borla.

All will be difficult to install, as indicated by zzzya's excellent post above.

-D'oh!

 

D'oh - thanks for the reference! You are correct.

The headers are indeed True Equal Length Shorty Headers. They also do not delete the catalytic converters. So, you'll not be 'pushing' out any extra emissions. This doesn't, however, guarantee passing an emissions test 'at this time'. Install time is anywhere from 4.5 - 6 hours depending on the workshop and if their proficiency. We offer them in Ceramic Coated Mild Steel or Stainless Steel.

Hope that helps.

AC

 

Go to Crawford Z Car site, http://www.crawfordzcar.com
Click on Support in upper right on Home Page for header installation manual. You'll need Acrobat Reader to download.
Hope this helps with some idea what is involved beyond the response from zzzya.

 

150 dollars. We printed out Crawford's instructions and identified which steps were skippable since I was not using the headers from Crawford. I did not have to loosen motor mounts or the steering joint. It is a pretty straightforward job, you just have to do a lot of stuff in the process.

 

Thanks for the help everyone. Buff and I are doing this together at his house on his car first. If all goes well, mine is next. As we work our way through this, we will make sure to share our experiences and photos where possible.

Cheers y'all (god I love the internet)

 

 

You my friend are a VERY brave man. I was glad I chose to drive all the way to Nashville to have my install done, especially after seeing my engine being suspended in mid-air by a stand!
John did a great job on mine

 

Thank you I am not sure brave is totally true, more like foolishly lucky Thankfully I have worked on cars and engines most of my life, just not on a newer car with practically no room in the engine bay to work. I had originally intended to drive down to TN for the install, but the weather was getting bad and I couldn't wait.

 

What is the real difference between these two and which would you recommend??

 

If it were further downstream, i.e. exhausts I would want to have the highest quality metals to prevent rust.

At the header however the exhaust is still very much in the form of a gas and in no position needing something to prevent rust.

It's not until after the cats would I start worrying about stainless steel components.

 

Uh, headers will rust before the exhaust system because there is a lot of moisture that attacks the headers. They get REALLY hot and cool down, they have unburnt fuel trying to cool them even when they are really hot, etc. The headers take a lot of abuse and will turn colors, and show signs of oxidation before an exhaust system. On my last race car I had regular steel type headers which were a few years old and they were rusty inside and out. It was pretty bad. On the race car I run now, I have stainless steel headers that are still nice and shiny. There is a huge importance in longevity, durability, and aesthetics (can't see em on the Z anyways) in header material used. Def. don't skimp there.

 

i like the stillen headers but the thought of not passing emissions scares me away....especially with the installs being such a pain i would only want to do it once. with that said i like the crawfords but i will wait and see how the dc headers prevail and then go from there. good luck with your decision and keep us posted