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A few bits of information arose when I installed my headers, high flow cat, and Magnaflow exhaust (still in the process, actually) and I wanted to pass them along.
1. O2 sensors - Some people have had issues with the original (or OEM replacement) O2 sensors reaching the connectors when they install Pacesetter headers. I used NTK replacements from SummitRacing and the fit was perfect. It's usually a good time to do this as part of regular maintenance anyway. Make sure you use anti-sieze on them! The originals were fused into the manifolds. The front two are different from the rear. All 3 are 4-wire in my 2000 V6, though. (That makes a difference when you order replacements.)
2. Once you remove the muffler and piping in the rear of the car, this is a good time to drain and fill the differential. You'll be able to get direct access to it and since you'll have to shave off the gasket it's better to do it now. I used Royal Purple to refill mine.
3. With the muffler out of the way and the gas tank exposed this would also be a great time to install that Walbro fuel pump. When I did mine (mostly because I had to pull the tank to replace the fuel sending unit) the biggest pain was working around the muffler and piping. You don't have to detach the axle to do this upgrade.
4. Check your rear sway bar! The brackets that attached mine to the car were broken on both sides and I didn't even realize it.
5. If you go with a Magnaflow exhaust, the instructions say to remove the original exhaust hangers. You will want to leave these on. It's used to attach new hangers on that side to stablize the new muffler. It's darn heavy! There are two new hangers but the two originals will still be used. Don't waste the time removing them.
6. Most of the header write-ups say to use a second person under the car to hold them in place while you are installing them. That does make it MUCH easier but my snooty friends and family weren't willing to get dirty. I used a heavy, thin screwdriver passed through the header bolt hole and gasket hole to pry the whole setup into place while I got a bolt in place. Then I could use another to pry up the other side and attach a second bolt. Once you have bolts in place on both ends the rest will line up. Just tighten from the middle outward when you go to finish the installation.
7. The Abbott racing gaskets are a MUST when doing headers. The stage 8 racing bolts are highly desired. They were worth the extra money. I needed to trim the gaskets down before installation to get the maximum flow through them, though. A Dremel tool with a sharp blade did the job. Every bit of extra air flow has to help. I figure the gaskets were cut originally to fit almost any application so a little trim made them fit the new Pacesetter headers perfectly.
8. I also was not very happy with the 3 1/2" lag bolts that were included with the Pacesetter headers kit when attaching the y-pipe to the headers. It comes with a bolt, ONE washer, and ONE nut. I went to the hardware store and got a 2nd nut and 3 additional washers for each bolt. I used 2 washers on top, 2 washers on bottom, and then tightened one nut on the end but then put the 2nd nut on behind the 1st one. Why? It's an old trick (that's used a lot on shocks) that the bottom nut will keep the top nut from ever coming loose. You could also use some Loctite on the bottom nut if you wanted. I didn't and it held just fine. You just want a nice, even lock-down on these piece where they attach. It's as close to a clamp as I could get on these parts without bending anything. And believe me...it was rock solid when I was done!
Just a few tidbits I picked up on this installation. Hope some of this helps! I hope to have pics online soon. I just need to get Meineke to weld up the cat for me and I'll be done!
1. O2 sensors - Some people have had issues with the original (or OEM replacement) O2 sensors reaching the connectors when they install Pacesetter headers. I used NTK replacements from SummitRacing and the fit was perfect. It's usually a good time to do this as part of regular maintenance anyway. Make sure you use anti-sieze on them! The originals were fused into the manifolds. The front two are different from the rear. All 3 are 4-wire in my 2000 V6, though. (That makes a difference when you order replacements.)
2. Once you remove the muffler and piping in the rear of the car, this is a good time to drain and fill the differential. You'll be able to get direct access to it and since you'll have to shave off the gasket it's better to do it now. I used Royal Purple to refill mine.
3. With the muffler out of the way and the gas tank exposed this would also be a great time to install that Walbro fuel pump. When I did mine (mostly because I had to pull the tank to replace the fuel sending unit) the biggest pain was working around the muffler and piping. You don't have to detach the axle to do this upgrade.
4. Check your rear sway bar! The brackets that attached mine to the car were broken on both sides and I didn't even realize it.
5. If you go with a Magnaflow exhaust, the instructions say to remove the original exhaust hangers. You will want to leave these on. It's used to attach new hangers on that side to stablize the new muffler. It's darn heavy! There are two new hangers but the two originals will still be used. Don't waste the time removing them.
6. Most of the header write-ups say to use a second person under the car to hold them in place while you are installing them. That does make it MUCH easier but my snooty friends and family weren't willing to get dirty. I used a heavy, thin screwdriver passed through the header bolt hole and gasket hole to pry the whole setup into place while I got a bolt in place. Then I could use another to pry up the other side and attach a second bolt. Once you have bolts in place on both ends the rest will line up. Just tighten from the middle outward when you go to finish the installation.
7. The Abbott racing gaskets are a MUST when doing headers. The stage 8 racing bolts are highly desired. They were worth the extra money. I needed to trim the gaskets down before installation to get the maximum flow through them, though. A Dremel tool with a sharp blade did the job. Every bit of extra air flow has to help. I figure the gaskets were cut originally to fit almost any application so a little trim made them fit the new Pacesetter headers perfectly.
8. I also was not very happy with the 3 1/2" lag bolts that were included with the Pacesetter headers kit when attaching the y-pipe to the headers. It comes with a bolt, ONE washer, and ONE nut. I went to the hardware store and got a 2nd nut and 3 additional washers for each bolt. I used 2 washers on top, 2 washers on bottom, and then tightened one nut on the end but then put the 2nd nut on behind the 1st one. Why? It's an old trick (that's used a lot on shocks) that the bottom nut will keep the top nut from ever coming loose. You could also use some Loctite on the bottom nut if you wanted. I didn't and it held just fine. You just want a nice, even lock-down on these piece where they attach. It's as close to a clamp as I could get on these parts without bending anything. And believe me...it was rock solid when I was done!
Just a few tidbits I picked up on this installation. Hope some of this helps! I hope to have pics online soon. I just need to get Meineke to weld up the cat for me and I'll be done!
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