Ken's Rolling Mod Thread

[hoffmk2003]

So I have major cabin fever right now and I figured I'd kick of a mod thread for the camaro. I'll be posting pictures including how to instructions on following parts I'm installing:

-XS power long tube headers, 3" x-pipe and 3" cat back
-LSR tri-ax shifter for stock shift knob
-Vararam Tune Ram Air Intake with replacement mass air flow sensor (I have the single letter lazy sensor)
-Magnecor KV8.5 race wires
-Innovative LC-1 Wideband install
-HPtuners part throttle street tune and WOT tuning at New England Dragway or Dyno

I got some pictures of the exhaust already I'll post up tonight, install of the exhaust and shifter will begin this weekend!

Ken

[2010 SSRS]

Nice, mod on.

[600hp-lpe]

That's a good start...

be careful.. Mods can get ADDICTIVE..!!!

well... i'm addicted, anyway. LOL

[v6sonoma]

Originally Posted by 600hp-lpe

That's a good start...

be careful.. Mods can get ADDICTIVE..!!!

well... i'm addicted, anyway. LOL

Addicted? You? Naaaaaaaaah. LOL

[600hp-lpe]

Originally Posted by v6sonoma

Addicted? You? Naaaaaaaaah. LOL

my wife would argue that subject with you... LOL

[hoffmk2003]

Got the whole kit that I won on the XS Power / Overspeed exhaust give away

So first impressions.......wow what am amazing packing job. Lots of peanuts bubble wrap, double layered cardboard boxes, everything was individually wrapped with bubble wrap AND paper .

Plust when you take it out of all the packaging, its all like a mirror shine

Enough jibber jabber here are the pics, notice the x-pipe merge has no weld flash on the inside to interupt flow and the primaries are a true 1 7/8" round, I measured with my dial calipers!

Once again install should start this weekend! Can't wait to get these puppies on!












And I just noticed I didn't take a picture of the headers out of the packaging......ok tomorrow is another day stay tuned for more pictures and actual work!

Ken

[PAUL SS]

Um, you selling the slp loudmouth?

[hoffmk2003]

Originally Posted by PAUL SS

Um, you selling the slp loudmouth?

Already sold it.........sorry Paul!

[2010 SSRS]

Ken, that is an awesome looking exhaust.

[hoffmk2003]

Thanks! So a little update, pictures will come tomorrow when I have more time, I got jury duty at 830 am in lawrence, ma tomorrow am. long story but I should get out of it since I don't live there anymore.

I got the entire stock exhaust off this weekend and got the headers installed with my new high temp racing wires (they are supposed to deliver more power to the plugs than the stockers and are silicone so they won't degrade next to the headers)

I had no real trouble installing these, I did have to dimple the header by the steering shaft and I took pictures and measurements of everything I did, including some analysis of the stock exhaust compared to the long tubes....

I still have to install the x pipe and cat back......and my LSR shifter should go in before I do the exhaust to make my life easier. Oh and a new engine cooler gasket......mile is leaking like everyone elses......oh well....I hear another storm is on the way so I have plenty of time before spring lol.

More to come tomorrow....Still waiting on my vararam intake......urg I hope I get it before spring!

Ken

[hoffmk2003]

Here is my writeup on the header install. Overall pretty straight forward and they slip in very easy!

So the first thing you have to do is get your car up in the air, safely! Use jackstands with a safety jack. I jack up on the subrame and rear frame so I don't crush the body. Here is about how high you will need to get you car up off the ground.





There that is better. Ok so now you have to get some room to get at the headers. I took off the intake because I am upgrading that like I said to a vararam anyways. Take off the engine cover or shield as I call it. Remove the spark plug wires. Move the wiring on the passenger side front manifold out of the way by taking it out of the metal clip, just squeeze it together to get it to unhook. Unplug the oxygen sensors, the fronts plug in at the back of the head and the rears next to the transmission. Don't worry about the secondary retention clips that are perpendicular to the connector clasp, they all break when you remove them. You don't need them anyways, and if you like you can replace them with zip ties later on assembly.






From the top unbolt the two 15 mm bolts that connect the stock manifolds to the intermediate cat pipes



Go below under the car and loosen the 15 mm bolts on the band clamps which connect the mid pipes to the h-pipe. Slide the midpipes up and off the cat back. Now pull the mid pipes down, they will get a little stuck on the manifolds but keep wiggling them and they will come down.





Take the oxygen sensors out of the mid pipes, label them front and back or make note of the connectors at each location. The fronts are blue and black the backs are white with a blue weather packing. Be careful and use PB blaster on the fronts. One of them was tight coming out and galled the threads, I luckly have experience with this as my old cobra did this. I got lucky and fixed the threads with a triangle file like I had to before on my other cars








Get a saw and cut the stock cat back 1.5 inches in front of the weld on the mufflers. Use wd-40 or pb blaster and spray the metal hangers where they interface with the rubber dougnuts. Use a 15 mm to take off the black tunnel brace by the resonators. Remove the h-pipe in front of the mufflers by taking it off the two hangers, then slide the mufflers off their rubber hangers. Be careful they are heavy suckers....







GM was liberal with their crimps on the stock exhaust which you can't see until you take it down, I'm guessing this was for clearance reasons or to make your car slower you decide.

Now its time to take off the stock manifolds If you don't have an air ratchet well.....your going to give your wrists a workout. Use a 1/2" socket, right standard you say? Yes a 13 mm is loose and 12 doesn't fit. I don't know either but my craftsman 1/2 " fits perfect so I used that.
First take a 15 mm and take out the bolt to the right of the dip stick tube, then remove the dip stick and tube by pulling up, don't worry you won't break it it is held in with an o ring at this point. You will have to snake it out from around the starter. Now back to taking off the manifolds lol.
Work your way from the middle to the ends taking off the manifold bolts. Then when you get to the last two, loosen them both, then with one hand hold up the manifold and take them out the rest of the way with your other hand. Drop the chunk of iron down out the bottom of the engine compartment. Save the metal gasket you want to use this for the new headers.







The stock exhaust is pretty good but still mass produced for cost savings. The stock iron manifolds have flats on the top and bottom and were barely 1.560" across the flats, the stock mid-pipes are only 2.0625 " going into the cats. This exhaust is going to be a major improvement over stock.






So the drivers side header comes really close the steering shaft. So what you should do is take the drivers header, and put it up through the bottom of the engine compartment. Its going to rub the heat shielding but if you tip it up at an angle you can get it in. Watch the spark plugs, you don't want to break them, take your time you can get it in there without taking the plugs out. If you don't trust yourself pull the plugs and put some paper towel in the plug holes in the head to prevent FOD from falling in.

Be careful here, if your doing this alone like I was you can rest the bottom edge of the mounting flange on the spark plugs and put a block under the merge collector to keep the header up there while you get topside again.

Once top side get the stock metal gaskets and the two bolts, pay attention to the side the gasket if facing, there is a right way and wrong way and a manifold side and head side to the gasket. Thread a bolt in the front and rear of the header flange, snug them up. Take a sharpie or marker and mark where the steering shaft intersects the header. Take the header out, I measured my mark to be approx. 7" perpendicular when measured from the angled part of the header flange. See pictures. Now take a 13 mm impact socket or other round object off approx same diameter and an extension. Place the side of the socket in line with the mark you made on the header, take a hammer and wack it 5-8 times until you get about a 1/8" deep ding on the side of the header tube. These headers are 321 SS and are tough, you gotta really go at it to dent them. Put a block under the header flange when doing this to prevent dinging it on the ground.







Ok so now you can put the header back in same procedure as before and same procedure on the passenger side. Pay attention to the gasket orientation, snug up all the bolts. Then torque to 18 ft-lbs starting from the center working your way to the ends. Reinstall the dip stick tube on the passenger side, it runs behind the starter shield, just stick it in there and go below and line it up with the hold in the pan. Reinstall the 15 mm bolt for it.

Install the oxygen sensor extensions on the front connectors at the back of the headers, drop them down below. The oxygen extensions I used are in a picture below of my order form. Put your front o2s into the collectors, I used antiseize on the thread to prevent galling next time I take them out. Then connect all connectors, secondary retention clips or zip ties and tie up the wiring out of the way.

I didn't like how close the AC lines and power cable to the fuse block came to the headers so I zip tied them out of the way, then I wrapped them in some turbo heat shielding I had in the garage to protect them from the header heat.

Reinstall your stock wires, I used magnecor KV 8.5 wires with the header boot on them which keeps them away from the headers. They take some effort to get fully seated I had to mount the engine compartment to get enough leverage to get them on the plugs right.

Next update will be the LSR shifter install and the rest of the exhaust.