Having difficulty making choice re midlength 1 3/4" Headers.
Would like LT's but have lowered suspension so ground clearance
is a concern. Also with LT's you eliminate the Cat.Converter (1)
although I have it off, and have a offroad pipe on, with midlength I
can switch to my cat.converter in 20min. for "Aircare" (Canada).

Please advise on problems you have had, if any; with the RK Sport
Headers. Install/mods/ etc/etc/


1995 Z28 LT1 4L60-E: 3:83: full race susp: Racetronix system: Auto
Meter: smog....et.etc...too much to list.

 

rk sport y pipe doesn't play well with aftermarket oil pans. I see you have a stroker, only reason I mentioned it. My pacesetter longtubes actually have great clearance, prolly the same as the rk sports I used to have. My spohn chasiss mounted torque arm scrapes way before the headers even think of doing it.

 

as&m headers...LOVE them best of the best...the mid's yeal gains as good if not better then lt's

 

I have he Rk sport headers and thy are awesome, however you need to get creative to install them correctly.

First plan on an entire weekend plus some, they will never go install in just one day. If you are impatient, don't even start this job.

I will explain the issues you can expect.
1. The header flange bolt holes will not line up perfectly with the bolt holes in the heads. You will have to force the bolts to thread because of this. Be prepared to enlarge and tweak the flange holes cause you dint want the bolts binding in the least when installing them into the head. This involved installing them and removing them several times which is a PITA but worth it in the end. When I was done I could thread the bolts in completely by hand, this ensures a good seat and no leaks or potential of bolts seizing up. This entire process can be made much easier if you have a 2nd pair of heads off the car. I have also heard that this bolt alignment issue can be found in nearly every other brand of headers. Don't skip this procedure.

2. The driver side header 1st primary will hit the u-jointed steering shaft. This is what I did. I separated the steering shaft and shortened it 3/4". I then welded it up solid. By doing this the shaft is raised a good bit from the shaft and there was no more rubbing. I also removed the bolt securing the bottom of the steering column to the fire wall. I then enlarged the holes so I could shift the bottom of the column about 1/4" further to the passenger side. This gave me even more distance from the steering shaft. I have never come close to rubbing the shaft with these mods. Some people think you may be able to install a LS1 steering shaft but I cant confirm this, if you did this you will definitely require an alignment cause the shaft indexes differently.

3. You will need to lower the rear brake line where it come close to the driver side header. This involves bending the line which is easy to do.

4. You will need to put a bend in the pipe coming from the driver side header that goes into the Y because it will hit the oil pan. This will involve heating the pipe with an oxy-acetylene and bending it about an inch or so. I bolted this pipe to a block of wood , heated it and lifted it upward. This will again involve trial and error to get it right. You will also damage the ceramic coating right at the bend of the pipe. Its no big deal, I fixed it with POR20 high temp silver paint. You definitely want to bend it at the bend in the pipe. This will provide plenty clearance at the oil pan.

5. You will also need to grind an access hole in the K-member to allow tool access for the top most flange mounting nut. This hole does not hurt anything and will be about 1/2" in size. Without this hole you will not be able to get a socket on this nut unless you are a magician.

6. You will need to grind a small area of the right side k-member because the passenger side header flange will be hitting it. This is vary easy to do with a disk grinder and will not hurt anything by doing so.

7. You will need to weld the included 3 hole 3" flange on you existing catalytic converter, this would be a good time to just purchase a new 3" universal high flow cat.

I am confident that anyone who goes to install Rk sport headers will run into these issues which must be addressed. THEY WILL NOT BOLT ON PERFECTLY DIRECTLY OUT OF THE BOX WITH NO TWEAKS.

Once they are installed they perform nearly as well as long tubes with no ground clearance issues, plus they are a good deal at $550 shipped. If you look a header posts in this forumn you will see that nearly all brands of headers will need tweaks to get them installed perfectly.
I definitely reccomend them assuming you address the issues I have presented.

 

That sounds like way to much effort to install headers.I have a set of single cat SLPs on my Z and did not have to do any of the stuff listed above. Other than disconnecting the steering shaft and welding the cat to the y-pipe.They went on without much drama at all. They are time consuming to install but most of that is getting the old stuff off. The nice thing about the SLPs are that they are stainless steel and have thick tubing and flanges and no slip joint to mess with.There is only one spark plug that is a true bitch to get at , number 5. The others are fairly easy.

 

There was certainly enough drama putting the RK's on. I cant deny that. The only other comparable header is the SLP. I have heard that the the SLP does install easier like mentioed above. Both headers have terrible plug access all thing considered. If you got the extrat 2-3 hundred, get the SLP's. If you want to save some money but dont mind the challenge get the Rk's. Once installed they ae both great performers.

I actually did not have much of a problem getting the old stuff off, there was not a lot of rust and corrosion. I used PB blaster on all the fasteners and they cracked loose rather easy. I had the stock stuff off in less than 2 hours.

If I were to have gotten the SLP's I think I would have got the coated ones. Its amazing how well the coating reduces the temps under the hood plus the stainless steel is a big plus. The only thing I would knock on the Rk's would be the slip fittings on the y-pipe, I think the 3 bolt 3" flanges are the way to go. They allow for easy disassembly when required and a good set of aluminum gaskets ensure no leaks.
Maybe some more guys will chime in on this.

 

Rk sport=Overpriced. Spend you chese somewhere else.

 

Get yourself the longtubes... "JEtHots" I reccomend. I doubt your car sits lover than mine... "exactly 5inches on the sides", and I have never scrapped a header.

 

I'll answer your question with one word, NO !

From what I've heard just about any other brand installs easier, and several (such as the MAC ML + Y) out perform them.

 

RK Sport headers are pretty much the same as Arizona Speed and Marine, minus the name. So from that aspect, they are good for power gains, and price when compared to the Arizona Speed and Marines. HOWEVER, as mentioned above, they are a royal pain to put in, and plug access is the worst I have ever seen in an aftermarket header. I have had them on my Z in the past before I went with LT's, and when I bought my Formula, they were installed already, so I left them.