zkiller

Kooks longtubes and X-pipe
In my driveway with hand tools and on jack stands
Took 6.5 hours to complete it all.
Nothing complicated about it. Just a lot of tasks to complete.

TekMan05

My friend helped install mine at his personal rented out storage garage converted to personal shop. He had all the hand and power tools needed. We also had the front of the car on jack stand with the rear on ramp stands. It took about 8 hours and was smooth the entire way. That includes the KOOKS LT's , the H pipe and high flo cats!

808muscle

That sounds like a good plan to get the car up in the air. What about jacking the engine up? What did you guys use? Sounds potentially dangerous jacking the engine up when its balancing on jack stands.

patrick

Mikes_BLK_GT

When my father-in-law and I did my shorties we used his floor jack and I think 2 2x6's to lift the motor, we were also on stands front and back. Gotta save some pennies to get LT's but we'll do the same thing again I'm sure as it worked out pretty well that way. Then again with the size of his floor jack he may as well have a lift.

157dB

Either way you choose, be sure and to not rotate the steering
wheel while the steering shaft is disconnected if it has to be
disconnected for the install.
http://iihs.net/fsm/?dir=137&viewfil...n Coupling.pdf
The 'clock spring' wiring wont like it and the buttons on the
steering wheel will stop functioning...


http://iihs.net/fsm/?dir=40

dysan

Finally finished up the install. First off let me say that it's a ridiculously tight fit with the 1 3/4" headers. The passenger side was on the frame until I pushed the engine over a little bit. I've got about 1/8" clearance on the passenger side. Now on to the 3" catted h mid-pipe...from what I was told by maryland speed, it was Kooks' first run of that pipe. The rear o2 sensor bungs are right by the support for the trans and I'm sure that the rear o2 sensors will be hitting the front bolts of the trans support on bumps. I don't know how I'm going to take care of that but fortunately it's not my daily driver.

I have the FRPP version of the Borla stingers and all I can say is that I absolutely love the sound. It's nice and calm at idle, doesn't sound any louder than it was with the stock manifolds and stock mid-pipe. Under throttle its got a nice deep sound, not raspy at all, no trumpeting. I think it even lessened the drone that I had before, but I haven't driven it enough yet to tell.

It definately was a pain to install and kooks failed to mention that their mid-pipe slips over the cat-back stock pipe as apposed to the stock set-up which they just butted together and had the double width clamp over them. I had to run around today to find something to clamp it together until I get a better clamp. I found a muffler clamp that has a stainless sheet metal band that's about the same width as the stock mid-pipe clamp, I put some copper RTV where the 2 pipes join and when I fastened the clamp it formed extremely well around both the larger kooks pipe and the stock cat-back pipe.

I'm sure people who get the normal 1 5/8" headers and 2 1/2" mid-pipe won't have the issues that I had, but I went by the recommendation of size by C.R. at Tillman speed since I'll eventually be pushing around 600hp so it'll need to breath.

808muscle

Dyson, glad to hear you got it finished. I appreciate everybodies input here. Want to be prepared before I start. Is the hardware(bolts, gaskets) that comes with the headers (pypes brand) good enough for install or should I order something else? I have read where you should resuse the factory manifold bolts when possible. True? Or should I order the stage 8 ?? stuff? Sorry I am so clueless.

patrick