ya thats exactly the thing i mean they are really expensive for bolts i dont really want to spend 60$ on darn bolts you know ?

b/c my stock ones were not locking and WOW were those a PITA they were NEVER coming out on their own you know?

i wonder if the aluminum heads has anything to do with it.

 

The stock ones, I'm sure, had the advantage of being held in better by rust and corrosion. At least mine did.

 

I have used the locking spring wire type bolts from autozone before. They work good and are cheap.

I have also used the stage 8 bolts, and they are a pain to get on and off.

 

When I removed my stock manifolds, a few of the bolts were actually loose. And I'm sure they had never been removed after leaving the assembly line.

 

right ya, as did mine, but i'm assuming if i used non locks, they would also eventually lock in similarly correct ?

 

If they are stainless, I would have to assume they would not.

 

Everything has already been laid out for you. The question is whether YOU find value and have the extra $20-30 to spend.

Personally for me it was between the ARP stainless header bolts and the Stainless Steel Breslins.

The ARP bolts were ~$33 + $11 Summit S+H. Total would have been ~$44. I found a set of stainless steel Breslins on Ebay for $65. For me, I found value in spending an additional $20 to have bolts that I know will lock in place and I wouldn't have to mess with re-tightening them. To me, the $20-$30 extra is worth the peace of mind. Then again, its not worth it to everyone. If you don't want to spend the extra $$ and don't mind installing a nice set of ARP's and re-tightening them a few times, then just go that route.

 

right exactly. thanks man

and thanks to everyone for your help !!!

 

one other quick question: am i going to need o2 extensions for my lt's ?

 

I needed an O2 extension on the passenger side for my Kooks. I didn't need one for the driver's side. Depending upon what kind of headers you buy, that may not apply.

 

I ended up needing two, a couple of 12"ers.

 

I bought Stage 8's back in 2000 when they were still all the rage and didn't end up using the stupid locks anyways...

So I still use 'em, but not for their intended purpose, they just work as a bolt for me now.

 

I needed O2 extensions for both on the passenger side, the header O2 and after-cat O2. But OBD2 is different than OBD1. Depends on what you have.

 

obd 2 1996

 

oh and i won't be running cats. just the 2 o2's in the collectors on my pacesetters