JBA Headers: Painted and Ready
02-26-2009, 06:55 PM
#13
1st Gear Member
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: Michigan
Posts: 51
Great Idea. I have some JBA's setting in the garage waiting for the warmer weather. I live in a small town in Michigan that just happens to have a big aotu supply store Lane Automotive. I walked in the door and there it was. $6.89 a can. So I'm doing the same to mine before the install 
03-02-2009, 01:49 PM
#19
5th Gear Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: Southern California
Posts: 3,678
Finally got my headers installed yesterday with the help of my bro. Whole project took about 5 hrs... it wasn't nonstop since other things came up during the install that i had to take care of. if i had worked on the headers only, it might have taken us between 3-4 hrs tops. if any of you plan to install and work on your driveway like i did, i recommend you start in the morning so that it doesn't run into the night like it did for me.
as far as the install went, it is a very straight forward install. this shouldn't be confused with "easy" install. there are so many tight spaces that getting to many of the nuts and bolts was challenging so a full set of quality tools with extensions, universals, long/short sockets and extra wrenches is a must. i had my car up on ramps which gave me plenty of room to unbolt the exhaust pipe from the factory manifold. some of the lower driver side manifold nuts were also easier to loosen/tighten from underneath. i have a torq wrench but there is simply not enough room to torq most of the header nuts down so we had to tighten to a tight/snug feel with the ratchet only. this should be plenty sufficient since the factory tightness wasn't over-tight to begin with. the tightest bolts we encountered was actually the larger 15mm bolt from the coil pack bracket. that sucker was super frozen on... i suggest soaking wd-40 on all nuts prior to loosening for a less frustrating experience, especially this large bracket bolt. we didn't have any issues with the EGR or lining things up. i went ahead and left the factory gaskets, studs and reused the factory flange nuts for the headers. i also reused the factory flange nuts (used JBA bolts supplied) for the exhaust pipe connections. coil pack bracket was also slightly repositioned using the JBA supplied small extender brackets. another tip would be to wear a long sleeve t-shirt that you don't mind getting greased up. i just had a regular t-shirt on and my arms look like i got mauled by a bobcat! there are SO many small sharp edged objects and clamps in the engine compartment that you will feel once you get you arms deep inside.
as for the results, headers were smoking quite a bit after the first 5 min. this was mostly due to remaining wd-40 that wasn't wiped, tid-bits inside the new headers that were being burned off and might have also been a bit of the header paint curing which i scuffed up some during the install. i will go back later and touch up the bigger scuff marks. the headers look great installed and the aluminum paint really stands out nicely. as for sound/performance, it definitely has a slightly deeper and more aggressive tone. one who is more attentive to detail will notice the difference more than those who are not. either way, some positive difference should be noticed by all at some level.
for those who say that their car seems to rev faster and quicker after shorty headers, i can now justify this myself. i definately noticed how much quicker it revved when i was testing in the driveway. i was also very pleased on how the car felt during my test drive. it wasn't a huge boost but for those with moderate mods, it is something you can notice when you punch it from a dig. it picks up in the rpm band quicker and because of this, the engine feels like it is under less work stress. the headers are more noticeably felt in the lower to mid range. i didn't notice as much in the high end.
overall, shorties are worth getting if you can get a quality set for a good deal. dont expect them to change your life but they are a worthy additional mod as long as you dont get ripped off on a pair. if you want a shop to install them, don't feel ashamed especially if you can't find the time to do it yourself. you definately need to commit some good time and patience. start preferrably in the AM before noon time so you dont run into the night like we did. thats what happens when they got a clint eastwood marathon going on AMC and lose track of time... lol. feel free to ask any questions you may have to this thread or through PM. i'll post pictures and video within the next few days.
as far as the install went, it is a very straight forward install. this shouldn't be confused with "easy" install. there are so many tight spaces that getting to many of the nuts and bolts was challenging so a full set of quality tools with extensions, universals, long/short sockets and extra wrenches is a must. i had my car up on ramps which gave me plenty of room to unbolt the exhaust pipe from the factory manifold. some of the lower driver side manifold nuts were also easier to loosen/tighten from underneath. i have a torq wrench but there is simply not enough room to torq most of the header nuts down so we had to tighten to a tight/snug feel with the ratchet only. this should be plenty sufficient since the factory tightness wasn't over-tight to begin with. the tightest bolts we encountered was actually the larger 15mm bolt from the coil pack bracket. that sucker was super frozen on... i suggest soaking wd-40 on all nuts prior to loosening for a less frustrating experience, especially this large bracket bolt. we didn't have any issues with the EGR or lining things up. i went ahead and left the factory gaskets, studs and reused the factory flange nuts for the headers. i also reused the factory flange nuts (used JBA bolts supplied) for the exhaust pipe connections. coil pack bracket was also slightly repositioned using the JBA supplied small extender brackets. another tip would be to wear a long sleeve t-shirt that you don't mind getting greased up. i just had a regular t-shirt on and my arms look like i got mauled by a bobcat! there are SO many small sharp edged objects and clamps in the engine compartment that you will feel once you get you arms deep inside.
as for the results, headers were smoking quite a bit after the first 5 min. this was mostly due to remaining wd-40 that wasn't wiped, tid-bits inside the new headers that were being burned off and might have also been a bit of the header paint curing which i scuffed up some during the install. i will go back later and touch up the bigger scuff marks. the headers look great installed and the aluminum paint really stands out nicely. as for sound/performance, it definitely has a slightly deeper and more aggressive tone. one who is more attentive to detail will notice the difference more than those who are not. either way, some positive difference should be noticed by all at some level.
for those who say that their car seems to rev faster and quicker after shorty headers, i can now justify this myself. i definately noticed how much quicker it revved when i was testing in the driveway. i was also very pleased on how the car felt during my test drive. it wasn't a huge boost but for those with moderate mods, it is something you can notice when you punch it from a dig. it picks up in the rpm band quicker and because of this, the engine feels like it is under less work stress. the headers are more noticeably felt in the lower to mid range. i didn't notice as much in the high end.
overall, shorties are worth getting if you can get a quality set for a good deal. dont expect them to change your life but they are a worthy additional mod as long as you dont get ripped off on a pair. if you want a shop to install them, don't feel ashamed especially if you can't find the time to do it yourself. you definately need to commit some good time and patience. start preferrably in the AM before noon time so you dont run into the night like we did. thats what happens when they got a clint eastwood marathon going on AMC and lose track of time... lol. feel free to ask any questions you may have to this thread or through PM. i'll post pictures and video within the next few days.