SLP Header Installation
By Brad Oblak
(This is meant to be used along with the manufactures instructions)
1. you will need the following tools: Grinder or file, Assorted deep
well and regular sockets, a variety of different sized extensions (needed to reach some
bolts or clear obstructions),full set of metric and standard box wrenches(The body of the
10 mm box wrench would not clear the header tube. The 3/8 fit fine and cleared.), I had to
buy a 1" box wrench for the air pump fittings, I have no idea how a torque wrench
would fit in the limited space so not needed
2. Disconnect the battery
3. Jack up the car and crawl underneath
4. Unbolt the cat assys from the exhaust.
5. Use ropes or twine to support the cat. assys. so that they are not being held up by the
wires on the sensors.
6. disconnect the cat. assys. from the manifolds. I wouldn't bother trying to unplug the
O2 sensors unless doing the export pipes.
7. Do not remove all the spark plugs unless you want to. Only the #8 plug needs to be
removed.
8. Remove the EGR tube from the pass. side manifold.
9. Lower the car.
10. Remove air tubes from the manifolds and EGR tube located at the back of the intake.
11. Remove Belt and unbolt alternator and slide forward.
12. Remove the 3 bolts and plugs on the wiper motor so you can push it out of the way.
13. Remove the exhaust manifolds.(I think you can get at all the bolts from on top. The
back 2 on each side may need to be accessed from underneath.)
14. Take one strand of thread per bolt hole and tie the gaskets to the header flanges.
This will save you a lot of time trying to line up the gaskets. The thread will burn away.
15. Remove heater hoses and trim off 1-1.5" of hose. You need to do this]]] It will
keep the hose from melting on the header.
16. Work Pass side header into place. Install the 2nd bolt from the front finger tight,
then the 4th bolt. Reinstall the alternator and serpentine belt. Install the rest of the
bolts and the long alternator bracket minus the back 2 which will need to be accessed from
below. Do not tighten the bolts until ALL are installed. (I did not use the small bracket.
I could not get it to fit. If you can use it. You will need to grind a flat spot on the
factory spacer to allow clearance of the header tube. Reinstall the Wiper motor bolts.
17. Install the Driver side header. This is the easy side. FIRST install the 2nd bolt back
finger tight. Now install the rest minus the back 2 which will be accessed from below. Do
not tighten the bolts until ALL are installed.
18. Jack up the car and crawl underneath.
19. Remove the #8 spark plug.
20. Install the remaining bolts on the pass side header and tighten them. Reinstall the
spark plug.
21. Install the remain bolts on the driver side header and tighten.
22. Bend the EGR tube to the approximate shape needed to route it from the pass header to
the back of the intake. Then attach the tube to the header and second, the back of the
intake. Make sure the tube is not touching the valve cover or anything else. I used the
orange heat shield on the wiper motor wires because they were close to the tube.
23. Reconnect the air tubes to the headers.
24. Jack up the car and reconnect the cats or export pipes to the headers and the exhaust
system. I used a LONG extension to reach up to the bolts.
25. Lower the car.
26. Check the level of your coolant. You will probably need to add some and will
definitely need to bleed the system.
27. Look to make sure nothing is touching the headers and that no tools are left in the
engine compartment. Wipe the blood off the header tubes (It bakes on and is hard to clean,
believe me, I know)
28. Now the best part. Cross your fingers and Fire it up. Check for leaks. If you have a
header leak, turn it off quickly and fix it. Don t let it run too long so that you do not
damage the gasket.
29. Bleed the coolant. (See manual)
30. Drive the car for a while (20 minutes or so) and then let it cool and re tighten the
bolts. If you do not do this you will probably loose a bolt or two. I drove mine too long
before re tightening and lost one of them.
Problems you may encounter:
The biggest problem will be rusty nuts and bolts. Soak them for a week or so with rust
eater and you may not have a big problem. I have 6 or so bolts to drill out and tap since
I did not do this well enough. If you are disconnecting the O2 sensor plugs, Have fun. The
back two are located above the trans. I broke the clips holding the plug to the car
because I could not get at the connector with my hands. I simply pried it loose with a
screwdriver and then was able to reach the plug and disconnect the sensor. In my case, my
export pipes did not line up. I had a rough time forcing them to since I did not have
someone helping me. I was told that the factory spacer should have fit, Mine did not. I
had a Gasket drop down on me and got the dreaded the tit tit tit noise from the
connection. Easy to fix, but time consuming. The thread should eliminate this problem. Do
these steps in the order stated. I did not. As a result it took me MANY more hours than
necessary. Over all, I would not hesitate to do this again. Hardly any fabricating or
relocating is required.
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