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Paul Workman · 07-01-2009

Like someone said, no matter which side you do first, that will be the harder one. (Ya wind up learning a lot about it on the first one!) It took me a day to get the driver's side off, but that includes 3, 20-mile round trips to town (I live in the country) for various tools I didn't have or had lost at some point.

In the end, I didn't need to remove the drivers side wheel panels, but definitely DID need to on the passenger's side. No big deal at all tho.

I spent a lot of time trying to get the shields out on the first one, but realized on the second one that the two clam-shell pieces don't have to come out - just loosened so they can be moved out of the way to access the bolts.

My tool list is pretty short.

10mm short socket, 3/8" drive
10mm short socket, 1/4" drive
8mm short socket, 1/4" drive
6" 1/4 drive ratchet handle w/ socket locking feature
various 1/4" drive extensions 2", 4", 6"
3" and a 12" 3/8" drive extensions
6" standard screw driver
a telescoping magnet tool retriever (I drop stuff and it always finds nooks and crannies to hide in!)
10, 13, and a 15mm open-end wrench with a ratchet box end on the opposite end of the wrench(!)
swivels (knuckles) for both the 1/4 and 3/8 drives (and tape them so they stay relatively straight and don't flop around)
Some penetrating oil (WD40) for rusted shield bolts, etc.
Never Seize (for the head bolts)
Brake cleaner (to wash the dirt and grit out of the head bolt holes)
A couple drop lights and I found a little LED "flashlight" came in handy to illuminate a few elusive header bolts (e.g. the front-top bolt on the passenger side).

A lift might have been nice, but frankly, I found myself alternating from topside to under quite a bit. Being able to eliminate the trips would have helped a lot (and part of the solution on the second one too, I might add.).

I didn't have to remove the center section of the A.I.R. piping on the driver's side, but did have to on the passenger's side. In retrospect, I would say the passenger side was harder to do - had to remove the fender panels and that center section of the A.I.R. piping, and had to work around the loosened heat shields (they wouldn't come out).

One thing is for certain...Installing the new (SW) headers was a dream...So much room! I had no clearance issues with my SW headers - including the infamous steering shaft. Easiest headers I ever installed, I think. (Tho I did not install all the bolts as the curve of the pipes prevented it in a few cases. Besides, there were several omitted from the factory as well. I just installed as many as I could - which in the end was more than the factory did.)

I WILL need to round up an O2 extension for the passenger side for the SW headers. I intended to install bungs on the top of the SWs, but had some issues and ended up using the port and starbord bungs that came w/ the headers...Oh, well.

Not a bad job - installing the headers - just a "bit" more tedious than some, and would definitely be easier the second time around!

P.

07-01-2009	#30
Paul Workman Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Squires (near Ava MO in the Mark Twain N'tl Forest) - Missouri Posts: 6,466	Re: Header install tips and tricks?? Like someone said, no matter which side you do first, that will be the harder one. (Ya wind up learning a lot about it on the first one!) It took me a day to get the driver's side off, but that includes 3, 20-mile round trips to town (I live in the country) for various tools I didn't have or had lost at some point. In the end, I didn't need to remove the drivers side wheel panels, but definitely DID need to on the passenger's side. No big deal at all tho. I spent a lot of time trying to get the shields out on the first one, but realized on the second one that the two clam-shell pieces don't have to come out - just loosened so they can be moved out of the way to access the bolts. My tool list is pretty short. 10mm short socket, 3/8" drive 10mm short socket, 1/4" drive 8mm short socket, 1/4" drive 6" 1/4 drive ratchet handle w/ socket locking feature various 1/4" drive extensions 2", 4", 6" 3" and a 12" 3/8" drive extensions 6" standard screw driver a telescoping magnet tool retriever (I drop stuff and it always finds nooks and crannies to hide in!) 10, 13, and a 15mm open-end wrench with a ratchet box end on the opposite end of the wrench(!) swivels (knuckles) for both the 1/4 and 3/8 drives (and tape them so they stay relatively straight and don't flop around) Some penetrating oil (WD40) for rusted shield bolts, etc. Never Seize (for the head bolts) Brake cleaner (to wash the dirt and grit out of the head bolt holes) A couple drop lights and I found a little LED "flashlight" came in handy to illuminate a few elusive header bolts (e.g. the front-top bolt on the passenger side). A lift might have been nice, but frankly, I found myself alternating from topside to under quite a bit. Being able to eliminate the trips would have helped a lot (and part of the solution on the second one too, I might add.). I didn't have to remove the center section of the A.I.R. piping on the driver's side, but did have to on the passenger's side. In retrospect, I would say the passenger side was harder to do - had to remove the fender panels and that center section of the A.I.R. piping, and had to work around the loosened heat shields (they wouldn't come out). One thing is for certain...Installing the new (SW) headers was a dream...So much room! I had no clearance issues with my SW headers - including the infamous steering shaft. Easiest headers I ever installed, I think. (Tho I did not install all the bolts as the curve of the pipes prevented it in a few cases. Besides, there were several omitted from the factory as well. I just installed as many as I could - which in the end was more than the factory did.) I WILL need to round up an O2 extension for the passenger side for the SW headers. I intended to install bungs on the top of the SWs, but had some issues and ended up using the port and starbord bungs that came w/ the headers...Oh, well. Not a bad job - installing the headers - just a "bit" more tedious than some, and would definitely be easier the second time around! P.