Mike-

I have been tossing around the same question. List price is $33 each side. TOR's price is $22 plus shipping. So for $50 I could have 2 new gaskets. Since time is on my side, I am going to rip everything out, and inspect the stock gaskets. It's pretty easy to indentify if the stock gaskets are toast. There will be a wear pattern that can be felt by touching them if they are bad. If they are flat and in good color, I may reuse them due to cost. Things just keep adding up, and I need to draw the line somewhere.

So far:

$375 headers
$200 HPC coating

I know what some of you are thinking: I should just front he $50 to be safe and not have to deal with changing the gaskets again. I agree, but I am going to inspect them first and go from there.



:pat:

 

Just got back from CHRISTIAN's place and he was able to remove the crossover pipe without using any cutting device.

I had to come back because I had other things to do or else, I would have stayed longer.

We concluded that going with the EDELBROCK gasket will go better with the EDELBROCK headers than the stock gaskets even though the stock gaskets are made of what I suppose better material.

CHRISTIAN should have the headers on by tonight, I would assume.

 

guys, any pics?

 

Christian,

No! Bad idea!!!
Okay, well I guess I'm a little too late now. I'll tell you what - just drive on over to San Diego and I'll swap my OEM parts with those headers.

No, no, no... no need to thank me. I owe you at LEAST that much

Hope they're runnin' good

 

FINISHED 5PM yesterday!!

Here is a quick summary until I can post an official thread tomorrow. (With Pics)

Like everyone says, that install really sucks. By the way, I did not get the crossover pipe out without cutting it. I thought I was going to, then KING left. Instead I got pissed after farting around with it for 1.5 hours and cut that puppy off with a sawzall

The easiest part is removing the stock parts. All bolts came off for me. You definetly need a plethora of tools - luckily I have a bunch!

The absolute worst part of the install is the drivers side header, center pipe, lower 14mm nut head. That alone took me 2 hours and a trip to Sears. I had to buy a 14mm wrench head just to tighten it 1/10 each turn. That was horrible. I had the cat flange welded on by midas for a $10 tip. I stuck with the edelbrock supplied gaskets.

Performance impression? Well, to be honest, it's not what I expected. Maybe it was all hyped up or something, but the gain is not that significant. Definetly not 20hp as some have claimed. Maybe 10HP. Is it worth it? For me, I guess. If you have to pay someone to do it then no. By the time you pay someone, and have the headers coated, you are looking at nearly 1G. That's about 65% of a TRD supercharger kit. Stick that 1 large in a good stock and buy a SC after a year.

Total install time: 10 hours
Crossover pipe: subtract 1.5 hours

:pat:

 

Are we gonna see some soon?

 

Yep. I will start a new thread tomorrow. The HPC coating looks really sharp - especially with BL. You can really see them from each side in the wheel well.

Of course, we all know looks aren't everything!

 

I didn't really notice a difference in low-end when I installed mine. I did notice a difference on the highway. I was able to accelerate from 50-75 with less effort. However, I had mine installed after the supercharger.

The only thing I don't like about the Edelbrock headers is the pipe that hangs under the transmission. It looks like it's less restrictive than an over-the-transmission crossover, but it also looks like it's susceptable to rock rash.

 

Glad you got it done!

Sucks that it didn't give you the gain you wanted. Does it sound any different?

 

I thought it was going to astonish everyone the fact that he was able to remove the cross over pipe without any cutting.

I guess not.

 

Mission Impossible.

 

It was worth a shot.

 

Hey Christian!

For me, when I put headers on, the improvement I noticed was that it brought back a lot (I'd say "all", but that's subjective) of the low end torque I lost when I went to a free-flow muffler.

Front to back, it cost me $600 for the headers and the install. The overall improvement in power from the combo of the free-flow and the headers is what puts a smile on my face.

 

Would headers need a "break-in" period?
I guess not, huh?

 

That an interesting question... Looking at it as a physics problem, no. The engine will immediately exhale better (though if you're running a stock exhaust system then it may not help a lot).

But from the viewpoint of the ECU, then there may be an adjustment period 'cause with the engine now exhaling better, it may be able to inhale better as well - again, that's if you've taken steps to remove the "stock" restrictions in the airbox/air fitler.

 

Yeah, I was thinking about that but the ISR mod is just a bit like that isn't it?
That takes like what... 2 tanks before it starts showing itself off?

 

Well, I had my - off my battery, so my ECU re-learned the new flow characteristics by now. It honestly seems like partial throttle acceleration is better, which means I dont have to put my foot in it as much, which means better gas mileage. Of course, greater exhaust scavenging also creates a lower head temperature, which means more fuel consumption.

Heck, I dont know. I will track the MPG and let you guys know. I have to wait a couple tanks for accurate numbers as I have been pushing my foot down a bit more to "see" if the ECU has suddenly figured out how to run a 14 second quarter mile. No luck yet.

My truck sounds more "valvee" - if that makes sense. Not really a tapping, but more of a muffled sputter.

 

Hmmmm... I've always been told that's what an exhaust leak would sound like at the headers.

Is it really audible with the hood open?

 

I knew someone would ask that...

No, I know all too well what that sounds like (we had a 92 Maxima SE w/178K miles, need I say more?)

Its just a different engine sound than before...

 

Ahhh! Okay then... I kinda' sorta' had a feeling that you'd know if it was leaking or not, but I figured I'd ask.