I am new to the LT-1 world, I have a 97 z-28 & I need to replace my 0'2s so I said why not replace the the manifolds with headers & y pipe and eventualy add a cat-back to the system so what I need to know what brand and what size should I go with for a pretty much stock car & I don't plan on doing any cam or heads in the future.

My goal is 13.5's, I have previously gone 14.0's this was on an A4 on street tires at about 97 mph

I would like to add a cold air kit, reprogrammed computer, 3000 stall convertor & some suspension upgrades

But as I said I need to start with some headers 1st so all please help!
If you have you have a set for sale I would be very interested

 

Pacesetter's will be your best bang for the $$$. You can spend more money on HooKer's and Jet Hots. But most people will probably lean towards the pacesetters. Also it'd help to put some info about the car in your sig. I don't know whether or not you have a stock muffler but I'd change that with the headers if you haven't already.

 

Well you probably have a dual cat back system, i.e, 2 catalytic convertors. Headers will reduce your back pressure and provide more power. Federal law prohibits the removal or relocation of the convertors, so if you want to stay within the law you will have to go with a short (rather than a long) header.
With a 350 CI engine, a 1 3/4 " primary is probably preferable to the smaller 1 5/8 that is more available.

Coated headers (inside and out with ceramic coating) will keep the hot gases hot (hot gases move faster) and will keep the outside a bit cooler which also helps cool the underthehood temps and improves the performance of an open air filter system.

SLP provides "shortie headers" made of Stainless steel, which helps against rusting (indiana salt). Many do not like the contorted design of the SLPs, but bigger primaries require some pretty odd designs.

Not sure if the stock Y pipe is that much of a restriction, but some claim that it is. In your case, I would look for some SLPs or ASMs (more expensive and not certain that they have them for dual cats) The SLPs will plug and play with your your current cat setup and your Y pipe and they are 50-state legal, ie, they don't move the cat position.

If you find some used ones, just make sure the flanges are dead straight before installing them. Use felpro gaskets and ARP 1 inch, 12PT bolts for a bit more room between the bolt heads and the primaries.

If the ones you find are uncoated, they will be less expensive, but I would still advise having them ceramic coated by a reasonable, reputable coater (and be sure that the egr tube on the rear of the passenger side header is oriented such that the flexable tube that attaches will fit easily.) You might even have cut and reweld the tube at a different angle to get a good match with the flex pipe. BTW, if your going get the headers coated, make sure you do it AFTER you do any cutting or welding of the header because you won't get a good weld with a header that is ceramic coated.

Many here will advise that you go with long tube headers, however doing so might cost you some bucks if you get caught and the perforamance gains alleged may not be worth the hassle and money of trying to get around the Feds.

Since the exhaust side of the LT1 is more restricted than the intake, a good set of headers will be a nice improvement over stock manifolds.

 

^nice write up

 

if you don't mind waiting a month or so you can have my rk sports with the high flow cat for a pretty good deal. no more messing around, its time for this car to get serious

 

Here is a little Header info from LS1 tech.

Long Tubes

Since Long Tubes are by far the most popular headers they receive the most questions; to a certain extent the old adage of "You get what you pay for" rings true. Info on a few of the more popular choices, not all the long tubes available by no means.

Pacesetters: Extremely popular due to there price, coated they can be had for under 400 dollars. Quality is very good for what your spending your money on, welds and collector are good. If you’re on a budget and want LT's then Pacesetters should be at the top of your list. Mid production cycle Pacesetter improved on some of the fitment issues people were having with the k-member and banging.

Jet Hot/Hookers: The Hooker and Jet Hot Long Tubes are of the same design, jet hot took the hooker design and improved upon it a bit by moving the o2 bungs on the inside of the headers and they use a thicker tubing and have thicker flanges. Both are great long tubes and will run you 500-600 bucks.

QTP/kooks: Both Kooks and QTP are stainless steel headers, and are generally regarded as the cream of the crop. Quality is top notch and they can be polished for that bling look if you'd like. There only draw back is the price, at 700+ they are not for everyone. If you have the money or are the kind of person who wants the best then kooks or qtp is what you want. As far as kooks vs qtp get whichever one is cheaper.

SLP: SLP's are the long tube that usually sparks some debate. Alot of newbies are drawn into them because of the hp claims slp makes. But as already stated all LT's dyno within the same range so SLP's claims are moot. From a quality stand point they are a great header; stainless steel and are ceramic coated. There major drawback is installation and there ground clearance, or lack there of. If you plan to lower your car then pass on the SLP's or learn to change your driving style or else you'll endure alot of scrapping. Another drawback is the price as they are 700+. (My personal opinion, if you’re going to spend 700+ on headers then go for the kooks/qtp)


FLP: At first glance alot of people are turned off on the FLP setup because of the price. What you have to understand is the FLP setup comes as a kit with the ceramic-coated headers, Y pipe, cats, and off road pipes. When you look at it from that perspective it’s a great deal and setup. The biggest advance the FLP system has is the ability to swap from cats to off road pipes and vise versa at will. Great for guys who want to run off-road pipes and then need to swap to cats for emissions requirements.

Flowtech: When engeneering the Flowtech headers the premise was to build a Hooker set using half the budget; it shows. The welds, and flanges are very thin and the primaries have a dent in them to “clear” the k-member. Even with the “clearance dent” people are still having issues. Because of the low quality TPS has stopped carrying the Flowtech line of LT”s. If you need a budget header look into the new Pacesetter design or spend the dough on hooker/jet hots.

Here is the write up. http://www.ls1tech.com/forums/showthread.php?t=139142

 

thanks for all the help, I am trying to buy a set of hooker LT's right now
and I see that Texas speed has a y pipe for about $125 that will work with them

Do you believe that the ET's are reasonable that I am looking for 13.5's with full exhaust and CAI with good tires