Tools you’ll need:
~ Jack and 2 Jack stands
~ Torque Wrench
~ 3/8 or ½ drive ratchet
~ 10mm, 12mm, 14mm sockets (and some various others)
~ Open end wrenches (12mm, 14mm)
~ Socket extension(s)
~ Beefy flat head screw driver
~ WD-40
~ A friend

Disconnect your battery. You don’t want the fans to turn on (or any other electrical mayhem going on). You may have your hands near the fan blades – if it kick’s on while your there, plan on a trip to the ER for some stitches. Be safe - DISCONECT YOUR BATTERY!!!

Jack the car up on both sides and secure it by using jack stands. Make certain they are secure because you will be tugging on some bolts and rocking the car a bit. You don’t want 3000 lbs falling on you.

Now remove the electric fan on the passenger side. There are 3 10mm bolts holding it to the radiator, and 3 electrical connections to remove. This will make accessing the manifold nuts much easier.

Remove the heat shields front and back by simply taking out the 3 bolts on each heat shield. Since your right there, go ahead and spray your 5 manifold nuts with WD-40 and let them soak for a bit. You’ll come back to them later.

Climb under your car (bring your open-end wrench, WD-40, and ratchet/sockets) and remove the 02 sensor. Start by tracing the wire back about 6” and disconnect it from the harness FIRST, then remove the sensor at the bung from the a-pipe with the open-ended wrench. DO NOT spray wd-40 near the o2 sensor! While your there, spray down the three bolts at the cat. Let that sit for a while you drink a beer.

Done? Okay, it’s time to get to the REAL work.

Start off with the cat by removing the 3 bolts. They are a real PITA. It’s easiest to do this by first spitting at them and calling them foul names like, $~!@%, &$^*(&, and !!!()%. After you get through verbally punishing them, you will need to use an open-end box-end wrench to help keep the nut on the other side from spinning. (Tip: bang the ratchet with your palm a few times to help break tension). As I’ve said already they are a real PITA, but you can do it. WARNING: do not strip out the bolt heads, you’ll be sorry.

Next up, you’ll need to remove the a-pipe from the manifolds. To do this, you will need an extension, your ratchet, and a 14mm socket. From the underside of the vehicle, remove the three bolts that connect the a-pipe to the manifolds. Do this front and back. It will be difficult to get around the engine mount, but it can be done. If you MUST, use a universal joint to get some flexibility. I don’t suggest you do it because you’ll loose some power to muscle the bolt off. When you get those off, the a-pipe drops right out. SWEET. All that’s left is the 2 manifolds now.

You’ll be removing the nuts for the manifolds from the top side of the engine bay. This part is easy. My nuts came off the manifold without even having to swear at them. It’s sad how ugly and inefficient the old setup was! Relax a second to admire the work you’ve done so far. Drink another beer, and get ready for the grand finish.

On a side note: As much as you’d like to – DO NOT start the car with your manifolds off or with just the new headers on. This will cause problems now with the new setup, and could possibly even bend your valves!

Okay, finish your beer – smash the aluminum can against your forehead, grunt like Tim Allen, and let’s get back to work.

Have a look at your new headers. Determine which header is the front and which is the back. On Comptech the logo is the front one, on OBX and Megan, the logo is the back header. Off brand EBay Headers have no logo – but you can figure it out, one will clear the engine mount, one won’t.

Now that you have determine which is which, put the gasket over the studs on the head, and slip the header over each side. LOOSELY add the 5 nuts back on by hand - make sure you don’t cross thread them.

Once your upper headers are on, the hard part is to try to put the a-pipe on. It helps by using the emergency jack or your buddy to help keep it up in the air. Make sure the put the O-rings on between the headers and a-pipe. Try to line them up and throw the bolts in at the same time. I hope you’re good at multi-tasking. It’s tough to describe it any better than this, and it’s one of the hardest parts: Have your buddy hold new a-pipe up to the new headers. When they are close to being lined up, pop a bolt through and putting a nut on the other side. The washer will go on the NUT side, not at the bolt head, BTW.

Once you get all the bolts through the a-pipe to manifold, you’ll need to connect the a-pipe to the cat. That’s easy because there is a flex tube right before the cat that lets you move it easily. Bolt the a-pipe to the cat and reinstall the 02 sensor – don’t forget to plug it back into the harness, Einstein.

When everything is connected, you can go ahead and start tightening all the bolts. Cat first, then the a-pipe to manifold, then the manifold to the heads. Check everything over and make sure that the engine is clear of everything.

Lower the car and reconnect the battery. Check for stray parts again. If it’s all clear, go ahead and start the car. Let it run for 5 mins and listen for any exhaust leaks. The Header should be a bit louder than the stock manifolds, but not a whole lot. If you have a loud tapping sound it’s an exhaust leak somewhere. You’ll want to re-tighten that immediately before the engine really warms up. Once all stray leaks are taken care of, it’s time to take it for a test spin. Don’t worry – by the time you get to this stage, you’ll be at the 1.5 hour mark and both the beers you drank earlier are worn off by now. Enjoy the feel of a little more torque down low. You’ll notice more and more power for about a week as your ECU learns.

Hope this helped some guys. Sorry I don’t have any pics of it all. I may try to add some later if I get my digi-cam back. I welcome feedback or additions/modifications to my DIY if you have any.

~ Timmy