Installing headers question

[Andrewmach1]

I have Mac long tubes I need to install. The local shop said it would be about 750-850 to do it. And I only paid 250 for the headers so that seems a little dumb to pay that much.

Ive already read up a bunch on how to do it. Seems like it will take a while but won't be too bad.

My main concern is te chance I may snap a bolt off when removing the stock exhaust manifold. My previous car (2004 vw r32) had a bad flex pipe and when they removed it to replace it they snapped a few of the bolts off in the manifold and had to tap and replace them. Which is the only thing I'm worried about when doing this install myself.

Anyone have any input? Any that's done this install. My mach1 has 41k miles on it. And I live in new England. I only mention that because there may be a chance the bolts are rusty or like stuck in lol. Thanks for any help

 

[MachJoe]

Another ex-VW owner lol. You owned my dream car, I love the mk4 r32. I still keep my eyes open for one. I don't have any useful tips cause I'm looking at Mac LTs myself. Let me know how you like them. Good luck!

 

[96project]

It's really not that hard. Just spray some lubricant on the bolts and let it sit for 10-15 min then crank the car up just to get it warm, not so hot that you can't touch it. Then just start taking them off.. Might take a while to get some of them, but that's the fun part. When you go to put the headers on you will have to unbolt the motor mount on the driver side (maybe passanger side to, I can't remember) but just jack up the engine from the bottom enough to get the header in. You will obvously have to take the steering shaft out and it might be easier to go ahead to take the starter out depending on the header design you have. It's pretty straight forward on how to do it.. It's really not very hard and definatly not worth $700-$800 in labor. Good luck!

 

[EVO-lution]

Soak the hell out of them with some PB blaster or WD40 or some type of lubricant to help loosen bolts. Do it over night and then hit them again about 15-20min before removing. But it is a pain in the dick to install them. Certain headers require you to remove other parts as well. Look for an easy header to install. Some of them are easier than pthers from what i've read. :thumbsup:

 

[clc44]

I did mine. Just remove the k member, use a jack or hoist to hold the engine up. This will give you tons of room under the car. Takes a good 6-8 hrs depending on how many people you have and how much you know. Good luck! I wouldn't pay more than $250 for an install.

 

[mr-proper]

my local tuning shop would charge me 400 bucks for it. i think thats a god deal if you cant do it yourself ,but 800bucks is bullshit

 

[Andrewmach1]

Thanks for the replies guys. I've decided to install myself. Only thing I have one last question on is, do I need a tune to shut off the cel it will throw by having an o/r x pipe or will the mil (or whatever theyre called) eliminators work? Someone mentioned those to me but not sure if it works.

 

[4vmoose]

When I installed my macs, I got the car up to operating temp the night before, parked it, and soaked it with a lubricant. The next day, I ran it again, parked it an let it cool. All the studs came out without an issue. As far as the CEL, I have a tuner.