Heres a really good question. I have been wanting headers forever and around here in good old NC we have emissions. That really disappoints me because the hookers are not street legal. But I bought them anyway thinking that I can take these headers to a welding shop uncoated and get them to weld those egr valve and air fittings...has anyone done this or thought about doing this? All you need is the fittings off of your old manifolds, drill holes in the headers, get someone to weld the fittings to the header primaries, then take the to a shop to get them coated (AirBorne Coatings does an excellent job if anyone near Charlotte wants to get something coated)...then take them home and they bolt right up! Is this realistic or just a little dream of tring to make the headers legal? Thanks for your input!

 

I was thinking about the same thing. The big thing is though, even with the stuff hooked up, these headers aren't emssions legal, they don't have a carb number to my knowledge. Also you'll have to relocate the cats, which some places would fail it also. Jet hot has similar headers on the group buy section now with emission hookup, pretty good price. No good for me, since mines a 93. But I don't think they have a carb number either.

I'd check with a shop in your area and see what they say, or find somewhere that will pass it for emissions, even if some stuff is moved. This before you go and spend any more money, and find out its illegal.

 

I think Thunder Racing or Tbryne sells them coated the O2 bungs already. I`m almost positive it`d pass as long as there is a cat on there. Why wouldn`t it ? Headers wouldn`t make a car burn "dirtier"

 

it can be just as clean as stock but if the shop does a visual inspection you will fail. If you really want to run LT's you might need to find a shop around that doesn't care too much...or you can do what I did and move to SC

Are you a member of the Carolina F-body club? If so ask on the list someone shold know a shop that can help...otherwise check this out:

http://carolinafbodyclub.com/

 

yeah they will... less restriction... thats why you get more HP dude... the car is able to burn more quicker = HP that makes it dirtier =[

 

I would love to live in SC...just because of the no emissions there. Also what I was thinking that the shop I took my car to last year for inspection...the guy never put it up on a lift to check anything out. All he did was plug in that OBDII unit into the Bunny and then saw if there were any codes thrown. He was also looking around the engine at stuff. I'm not exactly sure what he was looking for...but I think that if I took out the AIR, EGR and removed those stickers on the fan shroud and get the computer programed for the delete of air and egr....then those guys will never know what the heck they are looking for. They never stuck a probe down my exhaust pipe either...I guess the O2s at the cats give the OBDII the reading? Thanks for the input...also about the moving cats around...I was thinking of just running the cats with the ypipe, right after the header collector. Makes sense to me and looks like it will work!

 

I'm not sure that you guys need headers with a CARB E. O. number because that is for California. CARB stands for California Air Resources Board.
What makes longtubes illegal regardless of smog fittings is that they require relocation of the catalytic convertor(s). Even though the car may pass with longtubes and a cat, technically it is illegal to change the position of the cat.

 

yes you can weld provisions for the EGR and AIR on your hooker headers. however you should just get new fittings and use those instead of using the nasty *** rusted ones that are cast onto your manifolds. also I dont know how well you can weld cast iron to mild steel tubing - I think steel fittings would be better. anyway you have the right Idea and yes they still will be illegal just like everyone else said. I think that law is reDICKulASS

 

Thanks for the input but what makes the still ilegal? The fact that they are long tubed or that they dont have a CARB rating? ill anyone find out if it doesn't have aCARB rating at a local inspection station...where they dont use lifts or anything like that? All they do at the place I go is plug in the compuetr to my car and make sure the saftey stuff works

 

what makes them illlegal is the fact that they relocate the cats, and you are not allowed to remove/alter a functioning catalytic converter.

Headers by themselves are not going to make your car pollute more...in fact headers tend to make your engine more efficient, which is why people actually see an increase in gas mileage when freeing up the exhaust. It doesn't necessarily allow you to bring in more mixture to burn, what it does is allow your engine to expell the already burnt mixture more easily, so it doesn't have to work so hard trying to push a bunch of exhaust out of a tiny hole. It still pushes the same amount out though (the cylinder displacement hasn't changed and your not altering the intake tract any, so no more is getting in)

 

gary, i emailed you earlier but i put in 321 by accident...i cant type anyway...but that makes a whole lot of sense now though! I don't understand how everyone in NC can have headers especially the guys that are running street legal cars and all that stuff is on there! Do they pay someone to get it done where they can still drive their cars on the highway? Do you know anyone that does inspection for NC?? I dont loive too far from you...I'm here in good old Indian Trial, Union County! Thanks!

 

I always looked for a carb rating, if its legal in ca, then its legal anywhere else. Most of the headers will say emissions legal or for offroad use only. Like mentioned, relocating the cats is the problem. To stay legal and not have to worry, shorties are the way to go, but you won't get the lt hp/tq gain, not as much, but would be an improvement. I know there are mid length for ls1s, not sure about lt1s, but they'd be even better than shorties.

Do some checking around, ask a place that does emissions in your area. They'll know more than anyone of us here. My family does my testing, so they won't let me slide at all! Mostly because you never know when they might check up on us.

 

I also heard that if you keep fixing whats wrong with the emissions and it still comes up as none passing...as long as you've paid 300 dollars in fines...you'll get it waived? Some guy told me that about my theory on the fittings for the hooker long tube headers

 

Heres is if you spend 150 and doesn't pass you get a waiver. Or stay under 5k for one full year. Even if its parked with no plates for the winter. I could get mine done this time, put the lts on and whatever, keep it under 5k, then they basically just write up a new sticker, never check under the hood.

I'm sure you can find a way around it! Theres always a way!

 

that only applies to you fixing the stock equipment though

My understanding is that typically shops around here don't even look for cat locations and whatnot...they just throw your car on the sniffer and if you pass your good. I have also heard (and I can't confirm this) that you can get your car inspected in any county you want...some counties are a lot less stringent on that stuff than others. I'm not sure which (don't come to Mecklenburg) but I'll ask that question on the CFB list tomorrow and see what they say