i'm a first time camaro owner with a 1978 Z28. i bought it to learn how to fix it, basically, so forgive me if i'm a bit slow.

pokin' around, i found a crack in the stock header and figured it would be one place to start upgrading. i'm not rich, i don't race, but i like acceleration (surprise surprise). can anyone suggest a good replacement for the stock headers that would fit in my engine and be relatively easy to install? i have tools/jack/stands, i just need a shove in the right direction.

and another quick question, the build report for my car says my engine is an LM1...but a lot of tables i find on performance list LM1's seperate from Z28's...why is that?

others: M21 manual 4-speed, edelbrock intake manifold, air filter and carb, stock everything else as far as i know. i'd also like to convert to true dual exhaust at some point (y-pipe to cat to dual resonators for now)

thanks for any help to the rookie : )

 

The LM1 is the Z28 engine.

One of the first things I did to my car was to install a set of Hooker 1 5/8 Headers. The performance improved and the sound was heaven!

Headers are a bit of a job, and require a little bit of welding. You could install the headers and saw part of your old exhaust off, then drive it to the nearest exhaust shop (with open headers! woo hoo!) and have them weld it. Being that I have no welder, or welding experience, this is how I did mine. Twice. (new engine required bigger headers). Installing headers = true dual exhaust. There's no way around it.

Where I live there are no requirements for cats on a car as old as a second generation Camaro, so I didn't need any. My car didn't have any cats when I got it, so I don't know if this could cause any problems.

Use copper header gaskets or the blue ones with metal mesh (can't remember the brand off hand... FelPro?) The paper ones that will come with the headers suck. It may take a few days with penetrating oil to remove the bolts from the exhaust manifold.

 

pretty much all the headers out there for that car will install the same, and the cheaper ones will all flow pretty much the same also, so its pretty much just a matter of how much you want to spend. the only variation i have seen (untill you get into the Hooker Super Comp headers @ 400 or so dollars that is) is the flowtech afterburner header, its quite a deviation from the norm. I have no idea how well they work though.

I would stick to a 1 5/8 header if I were you, and get duals on it. If you are really tight on money summit has headers for like 80 bucks, and then you can run a set of hedman pipes with an s curve (needed to clear the crossmember) into some glasspacks or turbo mufflers and then a straight pipe out to dump just before the axle. this is basicaly what I did with my '79 Firebird, except I didnt extend past the glasspacks. it works well, is cheap (I paid 160 for the headers, 40 for the mufflers, and 20 for the pipes) and sounds good. ita a bit loud which is why I reccomend going back and dumping in front of the axle. I would do it on mine but Im trying to sell the car

If you can afford it getting a muffler shop to put a set on is a good choice also. I know flowmaster makes duals for 67-69's you might want to look into seeing of they make them for yours. The 67-69 setup is 270 or so with mufflers and H pipe.

hope that helps a little

 

I had a 77 Z28 with Hedman 1 5/8" headers with 3" collectors. $125 from Summit can't be beat, just do yourself a favor, remove the paint that comes on them and then repaint them with 5 or 6 coats of high temp paint. The paint that comes on them is to keep them from rusting only. Anyways, those headers with a 3" exhaust and two flowmasters was nice and loud, I'd recommend running them out the back of the car instead of dumping them infront of the axle.

 

Anyone who tells you installing headers is as easy as unbolting the stock exhaust and bolting on the headers hasn't done it yet.

Couple of suggestions.....

Shortie headers are almost always easier to install than full-length ones. Unbolting starters, an engine mount or two, jacking up the engine and STILL barely getting them in while you lay on your back from underneath is par for the course with full length headers. AND your 2nd gen was never designed for true dual exhaust like full length headers require- the crossmember and floorpan won't take it without some work and loss of ground clearance. That's another reason why shorty headers with a "Y-pipe" might be a better way to go for what you're trying to accomplish.

Getting the old exhaust off can sometimes be more difficult than getting the new stuff on! Frozen bolts that snap off when you try to loosen them are common- that's a pain since you then have to remove the head from the engine to repair it. Soak EVERYTHING down with penetrating oil several times over a period of days before you even think about trying to loosen the exhaust manifold bolts (DON'T drive the car during this period- let the stuff soak in real good).

 

OKay dude, your talking to the header installing pro here!!! If anyone has done it wrong the 1st , 2nd, and 3rd time its me!! Its not too crazy to install headers with the motor in place and without removing motor mounts. You'll need a high lift jack, not the mini-crap-jacks from Wal-Mart, but a jack that will give your car about 1-1/2 ' of lift or more. All you need to do is take off your starter, unbolt your old headers and take them off from under the car... this IS the best way if your motor is not coming out too. You'll need to point the collector side of them ulmost directly to the ground and out from under the car. Its always a PITA the 1st time so if you scream out horrible words while doing this its perfectly understandable. Also, if you are saving money, depending on where the crack is on the header, you could have a muffler shop just weld the seem or crack back together for you. Might only cost $10 bucks.