eBay Long Tube header install... pics inside

[BossHogg69]

Okay, after toying around with putting a set of headers on my '05 GMC ccsb, I finally decided to jump on it. I originally was gonna get some Pacesetter longtubes, but at $300 for the black painted set and another $150 for the 'off road' Y-pipe, I was out on that. I found a set of stainless long tubes from DNA Motoring on ebay with the Y-pipe for $275 to my door: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...m=180622827162 so I bid on them and got 'em for the $220+$55 shipping.

Here's what I got:

[BossHogg69]

Now they came with all the hardware to install (header gaskets, collector bolts, donut gaskets for the collectors and u-bolt style exh clamps) I ditched the u-bolt style clamps and got some heavy duty Dynomax band clamps from Summit for 2.5" pipe http://www.summitracing.com/parts/WLK-33226/, which is the size of the Y-pipe that came with the headers. The i.d. of the header pipes is 1 5/8", with a 3" collector.

Now, I already had true duals on my truck, and the factory Y from the cats was gone, but I still had my cats. So I cut the Y collector off of the new stainless Y pipe and welded them onto my existing pipes. I reused the stock manifold gaskets, and the manifolds came off pretty easily with a 13mm socket and my Matco mini impact gun. The factory 15mm collector bolts were a b!tch on the drivers side (even my big 1/2" Ingersoll Rand impact wouldn't get it), and one eventually stripped out, so I just broke out the sawzall and solved that problem. Passenger side came out fine. Here is that pile of stock parts:

[60ratrod]

so how's the fitment and how well does it sound/run? also do you have all of the emissions crap or just enough to get it off the assembly line? my 01 tahoe has all the cali smog crap on it and i wanna do something like this. but if it doesn't have all the emissions ports on it then i'll have to wait. also, where's the installed photos?? we need to see the bling man!

[BossHogg69]

okay, I'm back - my dang computer decided to freeze up on me and now its working. Anyway, where was I? 60ratrod, as for emissions, all my truck has is the 4 O2 sensors and two catalytic converters (one O2 sensor on each side before the cats and one on each side after). No air injection or anything like that. I already had a Blackbear Performance tune on my ECM and had him turn off my rear (after the cats) O2 sensors because I knew at some point I'd be getting headers. The new headers came with the A.I.R. hookup (or whatever that thing goes to!), and I just welded it shut, since I didn't have a pipe plug handy to put in it - had to throw a pic of the welding machine in there (Hobart Ironman 210)...

[BossHogg69]

the new stuff slid in pretty easily from the bottom after removing the plug wires (obviously) and the bolt-in frame to front crossmember braces underneath, again with the 13mm socket and air gun.

I knew the funky little kick up on the driver's side header was gonna be an issue with the plug wire on the 3rd cylinder back on the drivers side, so I got a pair of DEI spark plug boot insulators on put both of them on that plug wire, but after about an hour or two of driving it STILL burned the dang plug wire in half and it started missing... SO off to O'Reilly's for a plug wire, but I couldn't buy just ONE, so i ended up buying a $65 set of Borg Warner wires that are a tad longer than the OE Delco ones and it worked out better. So I re-installed the DEI insulator on the new wire and it's all good so far... I don't have pics of the new wires yet. As you can see, the passenger side cleared with no problems.

[BossHogg69]

Here are some pics with everything buttoned up... As for the sound, I kept the Flowtech Terminator mufflers and 2.25" tailpipes I already had, and they sounded great with the factory cats and all. Now, with the new headers and 'dummy' cats (I guess they're supposed to look like cats, but they're basically just resonators - perforated inner tube with packing around them) the truck sounds just as deep at idle, but a little more raspy. At WOT and anything in between it used to be pretty throaty, but now it is flat out INSANE. Borderline obnoxious, seriously. And coming from someone who loves loud pipes, its almost too much. Flowtech claims that the Terminators are the 'Bad Boys' of mufflers and now I see why. With converters in front they sound ballsy, but with long tube headers and no cats, they are flat out nasty. In addition to the Blackbear tune and exhaust, my only other mod is a K&N FIPK.

[BossHogg69]

Everything tucks up nice and neat, and for $275 for the headers (eBay), $20 for the two clamps (Summit Racing) it turned out good. Even when you factor in the $20 for the DEI insulators (O'Reilly) and the stupid $65 plug wire set (O'Reilly) $380 for a full set of stainless steel headers with the Y-pipe is a good deal. If you have an existing factory exhaust, the included stainless Y-pipe should bolt right up to your existing factory setup. I cut the new Y-pipe just in front of the 'Y' and it gave me just enough room to weld everything up with a couple of 2.5" to 2.25" extensions to meet up with my existing 2.25" pipes. I tired to get some video of the truck running with my phone, but it was very distorted and didn't give a good indication of what the truck really sounds like. I will snag the wife's video camera and get some clips soon.

As for a SOTP feel, I can feel a pretty good bump in power, but it feels like my tune my need to be adjusted a bit to make full use of the headers. I will probably hold off on that, since now I'd kinda like to throw a mild cam in there and a Yank 2600 stall converter, but we all know how that goes.

btw, sorry if this little write up sucks, I haven't done anything like this before -- but if you have any questions or want more pics, I will help out if I can!

[swb85]

I have the same headers on my '01 tahoe, best bang for the buck out there. I know what ya mean on the sound, I had to add a 12" long bullet in front of the magnaflow muffler I already had on there to tame it down and it's still pretty angry sounding.

You got lucky none of the factory exhaust manifold bolts were rusted through, it's pretty common on these things. I had two of them snap the heads right off as soon as I put a wrench on them, had to weld nuts to them to get em out.

[BossHogg69]

Yeah, I was worried about the factory manifold bolts after reading a few horror stories on different header installs, but they literally came right out, with no issues. The only ones that gave me trouble were the driver's side head pipe bolts and they were no match for the 'ol DeWalt reciprocating saw!

You're also the 2nd person I've read about putting a bullet in front of your existing mufflers. I'm probably just gonna leave mine 'as is' and get myself in trouble, because everytime I drive my truck its like a 16 year old kid let loose in his parents' car... In my case, between 2300-2800 the exhause gives a nasty rap if you lean into it, then its tame until 4k. At 4,000-6000k at WOT it is just flat out ridiculous. At idle, and highway cruising at 2,000rpm (70mph or so) it's not loud at all, just has a little more bass to it.

I tried to get sound clips with my phone (Samsung Galaxy S) but it just comes out sounding like a distorted mess no matter how far away I get. Any tips on getting a decent sound clip?

[swb85]

You really need a digital vid camera to capture decent sound quality.

The extra bullet in the exhaust really cuts down on the raspy sound. My wife says it's still to loud (it's her daily driver), but it was way cheaper doing this than replacing the clogged factory cats. Plus it picked up a pretty decent increase in fuel economy.....I mean it still sucks but it's better.

[BossHogg69]

Good to know you picked up some mpg's - that is definitely a plus. I wouldn't know myself as of yet, since my gas pedal hasn't spent much time away from the floormat.

[BossHogg69]

I grabbed the wife's video camera at lunch. The engine was already warm, and I only rev'd it to about 4k in N, since I try to stay cool with the neighbors.

YouTube - '05 GMC 5.3L with Flowtech...

[60ratrod]

are you sure that satan himself can't hear that in hell? man i wonder how my sound will change with my stock exhaust. i remember when my mom had dual straight pipes put on her 97 2 door tahoe. upfront the sound was fine but the back seat gave me a headache from the drone and reverberation in the cab

[biggsteve97]

that sounds awesome!! I am installing that same set on my 03 Z71 Tahoe in the next day or so as long as the rain holds off. I was wondering what it would sound like. I just hope I do not have any issues with the rear O2 sensors since I will not be able to get a custom tune to have them turned off anytime soon. DNA motoring said those "cats" should not affect the sensors at all. We will see

[BossHogg69]

That's the weird thing about this deal, inside if you're just cruising, there's no drone. Before this truck, I had a '92 xcab with a single in/dual out FM Super 40 with no converter and some shorty headers, and it resonated quite a bit inside.

60ratrod - that's awesome that your mom had straights on a tahoe - that sounds like something my mom would do

I've just about got my wife talked into filming drive by video so I can get a clip of this going by at WOT, that will be fun

[Sillyoldman]

That sure sounds good. Nice work too.

[JohnC]

Look like a good set of headers for a reasonable price.

Good write up with pics!

[biggsteve97]

Just finished the install of the same header kit on my 03 Z71 Tahoe but I am out of money so I had to reuse the factory muffler and tailpipe. Turns out the passenger side factory catalytic converter was starting to melt so this solved the miss I had and saved me about $600. I love the way this kit fits, a lot of quality for very little money. I used a set of summit racing boxed MSD 8.5mm race wires that have adjustable boots, this gave me the necessary clearance. Yes it is close, there is about 1/8" of clearance to the header.

[BossHogg69]

Very cool - so how did the sound change with the stock muffler??

Oh and btw, give those headers a few days, they'll turn a nice blue color near the heads and have a gold tint the rest of the way down. Looks kinda cool to me.

[biggsteve97]

it has a deeper tone at idle now and a little louder but not much till around 3000 rpm then the stock muffler really struggles to control the sound. at wide open throttle from 3000rpm and higher it is a lot louder but a lot deeper and throatier. I will try to get a sound clip but that may be easier said than done. I do not have access to a digital camera with good sound. I have not noticed any bluing yet but they have turned a nice gold color

[BossHogg69]

mine turned gold first, then started bluing later on. Plus, I mash on my poor little 5.3 like it stole something from me, so that may have something to do with the blue color

[biggsteve97]

Ok, so I have driven my Tahoe for over a week now with no issues since installing the header kit but about 2 hours ago the service engine light came on. When I put the scanner on I found 2 codes, I had both cat efficiency codes (PO420 and PO430). Has anyone else had this happen with this kit? I am hoping I just need new O2 sensors, but if not I guess I will need to look into a custom tune a whole hell of alot sooner than I had hoped.

[swb85]

That's because you removed the cat converters. The codes will not hinder performance in any way, it's just a diagnostic to tell the computer if the cats are working or not. You can leave it like that as long as you don't mind the light staring you in the face.......but you'll never know if a more serious code was tripped.
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[Pondscum]

I cut the cats out of my 00 sierra and used a set of spark plug non-foulers to space the sensor out of the pipe a bit, since doing this I havent had the SES light come back on. I did have to cut the metal shroud off the tip of the sensor to get it to work though

[biggsteve97]

I did not remove the converters. I used the converters that came with the headers, well if you can call them converters. The manufacturer of the kit said they were "race" converters and swore that they would not cause any problems and would work similar to the factory cats. I doubted it from the start since when I looked inside the replacement "converters" they looked more like a resonator.