I tried installing a used set of Comptech Headers on Friday. No dice. The bolts on the cat would not budge after pb blaster and a lot of muscle. I didn't want to strip it so I quit. I tried using the extension on my socket wrench to disconnect the stock manifold from the downpipe but that was giving me a lot of trouble as well. I am getting price quotes from some shops this week. I don't want to pay more than $250. Is that fair? Anyway, I don't advise installing headers if you don't have a car lift. I used ramps and it was very cramped and uncomfortable. Has anyone heard of stainless steel headers causing so much heat to the point it was affecting the radiator components?

Anyone have I/H with the WS2?

I painted my calipers red this weekend with the DupliColor kit and it came out beautiful. It really makes my new rotors stand out as well. It's funny that my cheapest mod gets the most attention.

I'm gonna try and post pics this week, I want to know what you guys think.

Oh yea, it should be ok to use the rest of my caliper paint on my engine cover, right??

 

disregard the comment on caliper paint on the engine cover.. lol.. spray does it better

 

Get a bigger wrench. If you break the bolts to the cat put new ones in. Those are the hardest bolts to remove. Be persistent.

 

soak it... freeze off it... liquid wrench..

anything or everything thats available.. soak that shit on there.. leave it there over night or something...

somebody did that to their header before coming to me.. made the job way easier for me and quicker.

 

yeah.. that cat bolt is a bitch.. like kris and jjashaa are saying. use your muscles!

if it doesn't work, just ship your comptech header over to me..

 

spent 14hrs on 3 bolts. good luck.

just cut them off

 

Have a shop remove just the cat bolts...and do the rest yourself.

 

soak em... not worth paying somebody to do the installs...

where's the fun in having somebody install the parts for you...

 

I know, I love doing things myself but I really need a lift for this. I'm pretty sure a blow torch would do the job to expand and loosen the bolts. Headers is like the easiest most difficult job.

After getting sunburn this weekend painting my calipers, I think I'll just have a shop do it for me. A Lotus mechanic told me $250 for the header install and a tune. He says he can squeeze out some extra horses and will show me with a dyno.

 

you got sunburn painting calipers? were you using a Q-tip or what j/k I say soak the hell out of those bolts with the blaster and let them soak..maybe do two overnights worth just to be sure then give it another shot

 

a euro car isn't an import car... two different things.. $250 for headers is waay overpriced... i'd say $100 sounds better
exactly....

 

This is good advice. I paid the local Monroe guy $10 to get those bolts out.

 

You definitely don't need a lift.

I had to use a big breaker bar the get them off...like fsttyms1 said, be persistent...they will come off.

 

wow these threads grow fast!... some shops charge the book value for repairs/installations, like say the book says replacing the air filter is an 1.5hr job, they charge you for that even though it would take them 30 mins.. thats how they really make money..

I'll try again, no one I know has a lift, I have these stupid ramps that give me just enough room to worm underneath there..

i bought these headers used from a guy on here, he says he only put 20k on them but they look pretty used.. no way to tell huh?.. should i clean the insides of the headers with a wire brush??

 

^ why clean them? they'll just get dirtied up again anyways...

 

makes me feel a little better

anyone have the link to the diy where that kid installed blue led's in the dash?? cant find it

 

Mine needed to be torched off.
Acetelyne Torch and 10 mins and they all came off.

Then i bought new bolts with lots of anti seize to hopefully prevent them from seizing up if I ever reinstalled the OEM Headers

 

I had 130k on my car before headers were installed, I just brought my cousin over and he got them right off.

 

thats what i did. no amount of soaking is going to get fused metal apart.

 

WTH are all of aziner cars rusted together??? every one says there soo hard to get off??

 

ok, round 2 this weekend.. im gonna torch the cat bolts or cut them and replace them...

last time i noticed part of the alternator was in the way of the far left nut on the front manifold.. anyone have trouble with this?

 

no..

 

I'll suggest it again, if you want to save yourself a lot of headache and time just get them removed at an exhaust shop...very inexpensive and it will leave you more time for installing the new headers.

 

do the headers generate too much heat right in front of the radiator?... im not worried about a hotter engine bay, just worried about parts melting or something stupid

 

^wonderin same thing. would an impact gun do the job on the 3 bolts? my friends and i tried for an hour to get those bolts off with no luck and had to reinstall all the stock parts

 

...bump, anybody?

 

The impact gun should probably work, but they aren't all that easy to reach with out the right extensions

 

I wouldn't trust any mechanic that says they can tune a J32 engine without a piggyback controller.

 

damn, never thought of that...

 

Impact guns are not always the answer. The bolts at the cat (the fabled 3 bolts) are under tremendous heat, in addition to crap from the road, water, etc... It is very very common for those nuts/bolts to weld themselves together from the heat and lock up...at which point you should take a recip. saw/hacksaw to them and cut them off. It really just depends how much time you wanna spend trying to get them to loosen up. Saw them off and replace them will save you a lot of time and muscle soreness.