...do any of you have any advise or tips. I know the biggest challenge will be the header-to-cat bolts. Well wish me luck and I'll try to take pics as I go...

btw-I got an '02 RS with Injen CAI and Stromung SS Dual Muffler

 

Spray PB baster on it every night for a couple weeks while it is cold. They will let go like new. Have new bolt within reach and they will NOT break just to spite you. If you don't have a plan to fix them if they do break, they will.

I am a true believer of Murphy's law a Zen beliefs. If you have a parts car you will likely not need it. Until you don't have it anymore.

Tim (todays post ***** extordinair)

 

LOL...thanks

You wouldn't happen to know the size of the bolts would you. I'm gonna go to home depot today to look for some, just in case...as you pointed out. And what type/size wrench do you recomend?

 

I don't know the size of bolt or wrench. But they will both be metric. Maybe 15mm wrench. Something in that range. If I remember correctly I actually think the bolts are studs that are a part of one or the other peices. You would have to grind the broken bolt down flush, drill it out and use stainless hardware. I normally do this anyways to make it easier on myself later.

There is nothing like a 15* combo wrench and a hammer strike to loosen a stubborn fastener. Use your thumb to hold the wrench steady and "preloaded" so when you hit it with the hammer it doesn't just round off the nut/bolt. Always use the closed end of the wrench when putting a lot of torque of it.

Just so you know. All my experiance is NOT with subbys. That is my disclamer. But they are all the same, just different routings. Don't be afraid to peek under there before you want to tackle it. I always jack it up and roll around under it for a couple minutes before I try to do any work. It helps me to know what to expect. Plus it gives me a chance to soak the fasteners in question in PB Blaster before I actually am ready to loose knuckles. You won't have any problem if you think about it before hand.

For the love of God, don't forget your gaskets when putting it back together.

Tim

P.S. There is crickets chirping in this forum today!

 

well i put them on. they are on and running fine but im exhausted, i will elaborate tomorrow. But FYI, Yes IT WAS A PITA

 

Well the install totalled about 2 hours, which included a number of breaks. The header bolts = few minutes each, piece of cake. Header to Cat bolts = (1st) 40 min, (2nd) 15 min. I took the first cat off the hanger, which lowered the cat-header section enough to get to both bolts without having to disconnect the O2. The first bolt, the easiest one to get to, was ironically(sp?) the hardest to get off. It was rusted together and liquid wrench or WD40 would not help. So after enough applied force it just snapped! and not by choice... i was pissed. But I luckily bought replacements. So now the stock header was off. As mentioned, the holes on the Borla dont fit up perfectly with the engine bolts so I made then match up as good as possible, just enough that i could thread the nuts. Then taking turns i slowly screwed them up until they forced the header into place. Mind you i was very nervous doing this as i did not want to break or strip these bolts. The Header-cat section bolted right on.
Now for my first impressions...
SOUND - different. Seriously, i expected a different sound. But I am pleasantly surprised. They actually do sound like a toned down harley. You can hear the individual engine pulses, this is what threw me off. I didn't expect this. It also has a deep grumble to it, very nice, and compliments the stromung very nicley.
PERFORMANCE - little to no change in low-range. Mid to High range; no more hesitation around 4k rpm. Pulls harder, straighter.
Admittedly this is more of a sound mod.

 

After a week of driving with the headers I have a concern...

is it really supposed to sound like this? A real choppy, motorcycle like sound mixed with the deep rumble. I also have a constant pop or backfire when i change gears. My setup...
Injen CAI->Borla Headers->Stock Cat->Stock Midpipe->Stromung Dual Tip

What does it sound like if there's an exhaust leak, if that even changes sound at all?
Would running too rich cause the popping?