Hi folks. I have a problem with the stock manifolds on my 1994 Firebird V6 3.4L (auto). First of all, the car engine runs kind of rough, and it sounds like there is a manifold leak/crack on the passenger side. This was confirmed by a muffler shop mechanic examining my manifold. He was not able to determine precisly the cource of the problem, as I would have had to pay them some money to attempt dismantling components in order to get to the manifold and do a thorough close-up examination. On the DRIVER side manifold, there appears to be a missing BOLT from the front of the exhaust manifold. Either the bolt is completely missing, or more than likely it broke off.

Because of these manifold issues, I want to get a brand new set of manifolds to replace the stock ones. A friend of mine is a GM mechanic and he can order me the manifolds at dealer cost, but I just checked GMpartsdirect.com and they have an even better price at $127 (US) a piece.

Should I replace my manifolds or just get a set of headers? Will the headers replace the exhaust manifolds, thus eliminating them from the scenario and fixxing my problems? There is a listing on eBay for Camaro V6 headers manufactured by Pacesetter starting at $217. The mechanic at the muffler shop told me he does not recommend headers for a V6... why, I don't know. Are headers overkill for a 3.4L V6, or should I consider getting them instead of ehaust manifolds?

Guidance and advice will be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

 

Well there's 2 things I would do to my car but can't because of the TT's.
1 is a mechanical cam
2 is a good pair of headers

 

You can get pacesetter headers from Summit or JCWhitney for about $200 even if I recall. That's less than the $254 you want to spend on manifolds. They will provide better performance for you, and seems to be cheaper. This looks like a win-win situation, considering the fact that you have to spend the money one way or the other. Your mechanic is probably just a "no replacement for displacement" guy and feels that a V6 could never provide any real performance. Headers are a common upgrade, go for it!

 

Dont go cheap and get the black steel headers from PaceSetter - get them coated for a longer life. I've seen plenty of PaceSetter headers on other cars in the black finish just turn to crap real fast and get holes in them like swiss cheese. When I get mine done I'll be forking out the $300 for the ceramic coated ones - or I might even fork out the $400 for the RKSport headers.

 

Get headers! For a little extra money you'll really wake your car up. I'd have to say, until i turbocharged my car, the headers were the best mod i ever did. They made my car sound better, and it really top-end performance. If i were in your shoes, the thought of replacing the manifolds with new, but still stock, manifolds wouldn't have even crossed my mind.

 

are you going to be installing them yourself? If not be prepared to spend at least 300 for the install.

I got the uncoated headers from pacesetters and they have been nothing but trouble. And the performance gain is minimal at best.
Be prepared to face at least 1 of these problems.

header leak
steering linkage rubbage
y-pipe not lining up right
y-pipe to short

If I could go back I would have never have gotten these.

 

Hi all. Thanks for your replies and input, I appreciate.

I have been reading alot of negative reviews of Pacesetter headers, particularly regarding bad fit and having to do custom work to get them to fit. Some people have even had to "muscle fit" them due to a pipe shortages, etc. After reading this, there is NO WAY in hell I will give this piece of garbage company my money.

The only other option is to buy a decent brand header -- but this seems to be difficult because of so many mixed reviews and high prices. Does anyone know of a RELIABLE and HASSLE FREE brand of header for a 3.4L V6 engine? Presently, I am leaning towards the idea that headers are overkill for my car and that it will cost me way more money than stock manifolds. At GMpartsdirect.com, I can order manifolds for $127 each. I was thinking to change to NGK copper plugs, Taylor 8mm Pro wires and a new fuel filter at the same time. One thing I don't want is to have an annoyingly loud V6, and risk sounding like a dumb *** ricer who don't know when to quit with the mods. I don't want people laughing at my Firebird when I drive by with my V6 wannabe V8 engine.

If I had the money, I would be more open to researching the headers, but I have a feeling that if I buy the headers I am looking at big $$ and then it will drag me into wanting to get dual exhaust, etc. I have to know when to draw the line here.

 

Just get some new manifolds. Headers are not worth the trouble, espiacally on a v6.