It's alive once again!
 

The SS is back up and running!:mrgreen: The header install from hell is almost over! I need to go back and retighten the header bolts now that I've gone through a heating cycle. Then I have to put the locks and clips on the header bolts. That will probably take me 2-3 weeks! And the y-pipe is hitting the driver's side floor in one spot and the torque arm. Sounds like a good excuse to get a new torque arm made to fit longtube headers. I will say that without catalytic converters, it's pretty obvious from the exhaust fumes. And I think a tree just died in my front yard!:roll: But no SES light, no melted wires, runs smooth and deep. So get ready for the snow now that I'm almost able to drive the car again.

:w00t: :w00t: :w00t:

So how many heating pads you go through, hoiw many stripped bolts, and how much skin was taken off the knuckles?

Sounds more like an exercise in humility, rather than upgrading performance. :-)

:cool:

No heating pads, no stripped or broken bolts but lots of Advil the next day. Tomorrow's going to be a fun day! I'm already getting real sore right now. Good thing there's beer on tap!:cheers:

are you running O2 sims in the rear? or are they just disconnected and your just not throwing codes??

I went with the sims. I saw a pair on Ebay for $50 so I grabbed them.

Get a good tune in and you wont be able to smell that the cats gone at all ;)

oh alright .... i did my header install twice ....

I got slp shorties ... put them on .. .smelled **** burning ... took them off ... sent them to jet hot ... re installed them ....

i spent most of my time kneeling on the plenum, just so i could bend my arm easier to get to the bolts. It sucked!

My y-pipe is hitting the driver's side floor so I have to go back under it and loosen all the connections up and probably drop the cat-back down to realign it. I'm too sore, tired and old to do it tonight or tomorrow. But man, it sounds sweet when you get on it. Sounds pretty normal when you drive like a sane human being. I haven't really gotten on it all the way because I'm still doing a couple of heat cycles before putting the locks/clips on so I don't want to blow out a gasket.

UMI makes a great one, goes to that mid tunnel brace instead of the trans. bushed end for smooth/quite ride and it is a HUGE performance improvement. :) it is available in chromoly too :D

Ha. I was thinking of you yesteday whjile I was taking the headers out of the 77. What a PITA. I forgot how much I hate headers. And yours are way harder, I think. I really only got my ass kicked by the r/r one (AC box takes up mucho room)

Getting rid of your torque arm? How much? ;)

the truth comes out! :lol:

It's actually easier to get to the RR bolt on the 4th gen cars with AC than it is with the 1st or 2nd gen cars with AC. The 68 I had with the LT1 in it had the AC box and it was a huge PITA to get that last bolt started and then tightened down.

What's AC??? :lol: