does anyone have experience with these folks? they seem like a good alternative to regular headers for folks like me who don't want all the pain of a typical header install.

http://www.centuryperformance.com/de...id=SDH-QP1100s

 

No experience, but they really don't look like they are giving you much of a performance gain. For that price you could get a nice set of shorty headers that really are not much of a pain to install or maintain.

 

well with horror stories i read all the time about headers, i'm QUITE leery about getting the usual type. of late, i've been encouraged by some of the MAC postings i've seen, especially since you can keep stock wires with MAC, but i saw these sanderson things and they don't even require Y-pipe removal, so i was curious.

 

I put on an edelbrock TES (tuned exhaust system) on my car about ten years ago. This is one of the first header systems for LT1s. I have not had any problems with them. I even reused the stock gaskets after my engine rebuild in 1999 and they still are not leaking. Installation was not that difficult. Removing stock manifolds was hardest part. I cut the stock y-pipe off at the cat with a hacksaw and left enough lip on the cat side that the edelbrock y-pipe could fit on to. I then put a muffler clamp on it and drove it to the muffler shop to get properly welded. I would suggest some over the valve cover wire though, i am using Taylors.

 

If i was you i'd go with the MAC's they are cheaper, give better gains and most importantly have great plug access. I don't believe those would give you a good enough hp/dollar or hp/labor ratio.

 

I agree. More power, great plug access, and they're not going to weigh 600lbs.

 

looks like a stock reproduction minus the heat shields. i cant see that giving you anything. i have hooker supercomps with a 3" ory, you should check them out.

 

They look almost like the stock minifolds. Even the stockers don't just dump into the monifolds like normal manifolds do. It;s kinda hard to tell what they look like behind all the heat shields, but take a close look. You can really see it on the passenger side manifold. Like I said, they look the same. I'm gettin a set of macs ASAP.

 

i was reading some more about these sanderson units and they are 1.5 inch primaries, so they i'm sure they're bigger than stock. i guess if no one has any experience with these i might disregard them. they seem to be similar to the extrude honed ones SLP used on firehawks.

i don't want to have to fuss with new wires, otvc looms etc, so i think aside from these my best bet w/b macs. plus i like the smaller primaries on macs for better low end torque.

does anyone know if there is an install guide anywhere for headers on our cars?

 

Do not get sanderson headers! They are the biggest pieces of crap out there. My father put a set on his 55 chevy. None of the ports cast into the header lined up with the exhaust ports on the heads. They leaked like crazy. We called customer support to get a new set since we thought that they might just be defective. The guy said that we were stupid and didn't know how to install the headers, he said if he lived closer he would do it himself. I had to plug my ears after that since my father ripped into him like none other. I have pictures someplace of how far off the ports were some ony left for 1/16th of an inch of sealing surface.

If I were you I would just go with the pacesetters. That's what I picked up for my car. I need to fix a oil leak first though before I install them. The coating seems to be really nice and so are the welds. Plus they are some of the easiest to install long tubes out there. Plus they have great ground clearance compared to other brands.

 

Here is a jethot guide by TheHeadFl, he did jet hots from the bottom.

http://www.theheadfl.com/jethotlt.htm

As for pacesetter lt's... well

jack up car, use jackstands! it'll be up for awhile
remove old exhaust system, remember the egr!
disconnect air fittings, and by that i mean take off the rubber hose that comes after the metal line (it gets in the way, believe me)
take out spark plugs unless you are brave
move spark plug wires out of the way
disconnect steering knuckle, bend it out of the way
remove alternator
remove dipstick
remove valve covers as needed
if the headers won't go in, jack up motor a little to relieve tension on motor mounts, pull the bolt out, and jack it up as high as it'll go.

if anything else is in the way, such as air pump, starter, etc, remove it.
i personally didnt have any problem on the driver's side, it went in without even removing the valve cover. the passenger's side was a tight fit, i left a little ceramic coating on the engine :P

then you can slide the headers in from top. if they still won't fit, or if you are real picky about scratching the header coating up, you gotta do it from the bottom, and can follow the same procedure in theheadfl's install guide.

i think the reason some people don't do it from the top with other brands is due to the collector. if the pacesetters had a collector, i would have had to remove more stuff, or at least shove it in there harder.

i dont know if i missed anything. do a search, i'm sure there are 1000 guides written up on here with pacesetter install guides/woes.

 

thanks guys. i don't think i can get the pacesetters as i need emissions hookups etc in boston. i won't be getting the sanderson pieces either given what oldschoolss has posted.

 

The sanderson warehouse is actually about 5 mins from my house, and I know the owners son. Sanderson makes very good quality headers, for old schools and custom rods. But the f-body headers suck. Dont waste your time or money. Get some shorties...

 

Did anyone besides me click on that link and start fall out laughing?

First I saw the headers... the I saw the price.

If you want some cool headers... summit has the coated PAcesetters for 399.99 not many guys know about that... also some of the venders on here have jet hots for pretty cheap. Either way your good. Macs mids are also an option... but I would never waste money on any similar stock design. Wire looming and plug acess is always suffered with headers... but just think about what your gaining and not what your loosing... besides.. I don't remember the stock acess being all that cool either... just a thought.

 

I've heard Macs are great for spark plug access. Actually, I think it was in this thread. And yes, I died laughing at both the pics and the price.