Before you say it, yes I know LTs and moving the stock cats are illegal in cali, and that I need a CARB number. And please don't argue some of the points I bring up, I am just looking for answers to my questions .

I know a smog shop I can pass at with no inspection and just the sniffer and OBD2 plug in. I plan on buying the stainless Kooks (part #K6400S) with EGR/AIR connections, and obviously keeping my cats. I have also chosen to not coat them, as I've read it doesn't actually help much.

I was going to buy them from marylandspeed.com, with the O2 extensions. Someone suggest a better place if they know one please. And I know if I buy headers I will convert to OTVC plug wires.

Anyway, my questions: For the y-pipe, should I just stick with the Kooks catted y-pipe? Or have one fabbed at a shop? And does anyone know if that y-pipe comes with one or two cats? Should I be able to pass smog with those cats? I would definitely get it retuned by PCMForLess.

I would ask Kooks, but I called and their tech support is closed until Jan. 2 . Any help would be awesome. Oh, and any pics of ground clearance would be nice. TIA for any help!

 

I'm putting Kooks race headers on my car right now. I bought them from marylandspeed and had them coated with Jet Hot Extreme Sterling. The coating offers more benefits than just corrosion resistance, so I would say go for the coating if money isn't an issue. I checked out a car local to me that had Kooks and the GMMG exhaust before I made any decisions. He had the catted Y and I'm pretty sure it had two cats.

 

stainless kooks are very nice, i wish i could afford them. you wont be unhappy with them

edit: on this site i found them and it says "cats" as in plural, but i would hope you get two for almost 700
http://tbyrnemotorsports.com/lt1/lt1exhaust.html

 

For your viewing pleasure

I went with the offroad Y-Pipe. It came in two pieces. Where the two pieces connect isn't a very snug fit and would almost have to leak without some rigging. You also get three band clamps. I'm not sure if one of the clamps is supposed to be used on the Y, or what they suggest as far as getting a good seal. The directions provided by Kooks pertain only to installing the headers, and make no mention of their Y-Pipe. I'm going to give them a call next week. My '94 also needs plugs for the rear O2 sensor ports. I may just end up using some old O2 sensors and cut off the wiring.

 

Awesome, thanks for the pics BTC. That's some pretty nice clearance underneath. The more I look at these things the more I want them.

 

You're welcome. They're just some pics I found via Google. I've never really looked at any other headers, but the Kooks are a nice piece. I can say that with everything involved with installing headers, I can't imagine using anything other than stainless. I would only want to do this once. We put the passenger side in yesterday. A lot of people recommended loosening the motor mount and raising the motor, but it wasn't necessary. The driver's side is going in today. I hope it's as trouble free. The most difficult part thus far has been tightening the **** header bolts. I found some stainless steel Breslin header bolts, which have have a 3/8" 12 point head. I bought a wrench and we had to grind the head down in order to get it on some of the bolts. You might be able to get a socket on a couple of bolts, but otherwise I feel it would be pretty much useless.

 

Well, I went ahead and ordered the headers and catted y-pipe, both uncoated. Lot of money, but hopefully well worth it. If I regret it, someone remind me to never buy stuff drunk again .

 

I would have gone coated, but that catted Y-Pipe is kind of expensive. I don't think you'll be disappointed.

 

You may also want to get some offset wrenches for doing some of the plugs. There is no way to get a typical plug socket and ratchet on some of them. We ended up using a short 5/8" socket that was 1/2" drive, so the spark plug would fit through it, and vice grips to tighten some of the plugs.

I've also heard that SLP makes a special socket that's shorter for spark plugs. I've never used it, so I can't say whether it would work with the Kooks headers.

 

I know the SLP socket you're talking about. But I've done the spark plugs before, and even got a ratchet on all of them with the stock manifolds on. It was a serious PITA but I did it.

What head gasket should I go with? Search just brought up more questions, but I'm leaning towards copper. Just don't know the best one or where to buy. I'm going to get the 12pt 1" stainless ARP header bolts from summit, and I'm hoping I can get the gasket from them too. Or can I just get one at Autozone?

 

I was able to remove all of the plugs with a ratchet when the stock manifolds were on the car. Based on my experience, there is no way to get a typical plug socket and ratchet on some of the plugs. There just isn't enough room between the primaries and a few of the plugs. Maybe if you were using 1/4" drive, but even then I would say it ain't happening. I think a 5/8" box end, offset wrench would fit the bill nicely.

I used Percy's Seal For Good gaskets. I also got those from MarylandSpeed. He was a bit cheaper than Summit. I think the part number is 66031, but I can confirm if you would like. Did you order via phone, or over the internet? If you want the best pricing, I think you have to call.

 

I ordered over the internet. I was looking at those gaskets too, but wasn't sure. I guess I'll give them a call.

But I definitely got them all off with a 3/8 ratchet, swivel joint, and 3/8 drive spark plug socket. But I have small arms, and it was a tight squeeze for the #8 plug. For #2 I pulled the alternator, and #7 I got from underneath.

 

The plug access is different with the headers. It's not an issue of getting to the plugs. We just couldn't get the socket over some of the plugs because the primary was too close. If you got the stepped headers, it will probably be worse. I'm sure we didn't try every possible combination of swivel joints, sockets & ratchets. Perhaps we're just mechanically challenged, but if not you will want to be prepared. The SLP socket might work. I also think a 5/8" box end wrench with a good deal of offset might work. And maybe something else will work for you.

Depending upon what type of header bolts you use, you'll also want to prepare yourself for the possibility that the wrench won't fit between the head of the bolt and the primary.

If MarylandSpeed has any specials, I think you have to call for that pricing. You might want to check it out.

Those gaskets look nice. Each one is 3 layers of shiny aluminum. I did quite a bit of reading, and people seemed to think pretty highly of them. I haven't gotten to the point where we can start the car, so I'm not sure if we have any leaks.

 

Another thing you might want to know is that we didn't have to loosen motor mounts, raise the engine or remove any steering or air conditioning components to get the headers mounted. I went with the 1 3/4" race headers. The stepped headers, or emissions headers, might be different.

 

I think I will order the SLP socket, just in case. Save my knuckles and my sanity. I got the 1 3/4" headers, not stepped, so hopefully I'll have a not so terrible time getting them bolted on.

I'm gonna order those gaskets too, same price at Autozone for copper anyways. I wasn't planning on unbolting the A/C or motor mounts, just gonna take my time wiggling the things in there. Let me know when you get yours on there, anxious to see how your install went.