DIY: Stillen header installation

wh1te370z · 07-26-2010, 10:52 AM

^^ i also have the saem question nothing aftermarket seems to ever fit right. there is stuff out there that works but more times then not it doesnt work

this doesnt look that bad to do. i did headers on my 95 firebird. you want to talk about a pita? it took me about 3-4 hours to get ONE side in. and that was the easy side. and i also went to school and worked at two dealers and still had problems. if you decide to tackle something like this def have someone that knows what they are doing right next to you and make sure you have all the right tools to do so.

LafitteZ · 02-16-2011, 10:20 PM

Id rather play in on comming traffic then attempt that nonsense lol

Mozen · 08-11-2013, 02:52 AM

To revive this a bit i appreciate the thread and ill throw you some rep! I tackled these this weekend and had an issue like some with the header studs stripping out. Luckily i was able to chase the threads with a tap and die set however it was nearly a bust. I found that my secret weapon here was my other half who is a mechanic as well. Her arms can get down behind the headers and she did a lot of the confined space work.

Here you can see the thread tool as i chase the threads on the block.

...and here you can see the smoke rising from the headers thanks to the DEI wrap. I actually had people trying to get me out of the car at a stop light on the way home because they thought the engine was on fire.

Sorry for the pics being sideways....im too lazy to go back and rotate them then re-upload.

aszyd · 07-01-2014, 11:36 AM

Thanks for the DIY!

I got some long tubes in the other day. A ratcheting 14mm wrench is a god send. The Kobalt that I bought from Lowes was able to withstand the abuse. I was surprised when it was able to stand up to some of these bolts. I thought for sure it would break once I put some torque into it.

Also, I had no issues removing the front o2 sensors. A little twist from a 22mm wrench is all it took to break them loose. After that, they just spun right off. I'd say it was about the same as the rear o2s.

Those heat shields though... The front bolt on those was a PITA. I swear, whomever put those on did it wrong. The drivers side snapped off and I had to cut the passenger off once I stripped the bolt.

MJB · 08-09-2014, 03:19 AM

If you guys ever remove your radiator, whether you're installing an aftermarket one or for whatever reason... It makes header removal/install a piece of cake. I had mine out, along with the support bracket/fans and I was able to pull the drivers side header out from the front. And I was able to get to each stud relatively easy. Alittle extra work involved obviously and now I have to recharge my A/C... But believe me it wasn't as hard as what people make it out to be. Just thought I would share.

wstar · 08-09-2014, 04:07 AM

^ Totally agree. I'd even argue that if you're going to do headers yourself, you should pull the radiator regardless. It's worth the time investment just to make the header job easier, and then you might as well upgrade the radiator while you have it out.

diyautoftw · 04-20-2015, 09:35 AM

Nice writeup!

ANMVQ · 01-21-2016, 09:38 AM

Did you guys ever have any issue with the drivers side collector hitting the steering shaft when bank the car RT( On/off ramps hyw) I have an issue with mine. The clearance looks good .

hustleman222 · 01-05-2017, 07:01 PM

Did wrapping the headers rot them yet...I've bought the wrap and just about to do it...but now I'm worried they may rot. I work in an industry that wraps steam lines and when they pull the wrap off...the pipe is pitted really bad...and that's much thicker piping.

hustleman222 · 01-10-2017, 04:29 PM

I wrapped mine, took about 4 hours...yours turned out really nice

08-11-2013, 02:52 AM	#3 (permalink)
Mozen Track Member Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Newport News, VA Posts: 820 Drives: Nissan 370z PW M6 Rep Power: 19	To revive this a bit i appreciate the thread and ill throw you some rep! I tackled these this weekend and had an issue like some with the header studs stripping out. Luckily i was able to chase the threads with a tap and die set however it was nearly a bust. I found that my secret weapon here was my other half who is a mechanic as well. Her arms can get down behind the headers and she did a lot of the confined space work. Here you can see the thread tool as i chase the threads on the block. ...and here you can see the smoke rising from the headers thanks to the DEI wrap. I actually had people trying to get me out of the car at a stop light on the way home because they thought the engine was on fire. Sorry for the pics being sideways....im too lazy to go back and rotate them then re-upload. __________________ PW 370z \| AEM \| MISHIMOTO \| ARK PERFORMANCE \| WHITELINE \| NISMO \| STILLEN \| FORGESTAR \| BC RACING \| AMS \| NON STOP TUNING \| CARBONETICS LSD \| 4 Point DOM 1.75" SCCA Spec Roll Bar + Harness Bar CHECK OUT MY BUILD THREAD HERE

07-01-2014, 11:36 AM	#4 (permalink)
aszyd Track Member Join Date: May 2014 Location: Florida Posts: 877 Drives: Magma Red 370z T+S Rep Power: 22	Thanks for the DIY! I got some long tubes in the other day. A ratcheting 14mm wrench is a god send. The Kobalt that I bought from Lowes was able to withstand the abuse. I was surprised when it was able to stand up to some of these bolts. I thought for sure it would break once I put some torque into it. Also, I had no issues removing the front o2 sensors. A little twist from a 22mm wrench is all it took to break them loose. After that, they just spun right off. I'd say it was about the same as the rear o2s. Those heat shields though... The front bolt on those was a PITA. I swear, whomever put those on did it wrong. The drivers side snapped off and I had to cut the passenger off once I stripped the bolt. __________________ Competition Clutch\|Fast Intentions\|Maxbore\|NST\|Setrab\|Stillen\|Tomei\|Uprev\| Z1 Avant Garde\|SPC\|Stance\|Whiteline Aerojacket\|Seibon\|Tanabe\|TRS\|TWM Last edited by aszyd; 07-01-2014 at 11:39 AM.

08-09-2014, 03:19 AM	#5 (permalink)
MJB A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: Tacoma, WA Age: 42 Posts: 1,498 Drives: a POS truck Rep Power: 496	If you guys ever remove your radiator, whether you're installing an aftermarket one or for whatever reason... It makes header removal/install a piece of cake. I had mine out, along with the support bracket/fans and I was able to pull the drivers side header out from the front. And I was able to get to each stud relatively easy. Alittle extra work involved obviously and now I have to recharge my A/C... But believe me it wasn't as hard as what people make it out to be. Just thought I would share. __________________ 09 Nismo #0483 sold. Viper or C7 next time around. Last edited by MJB; 08-09-2014 at 03:25 AM.

08-09-2014, 04:07 AM	#6 (permalink)
wstar A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Houston, TX Posts: 4,024 Drives: too slow Rep Power: 3595	^ Totally agree. I'd even argue that if you're going to do headers yourself, you should pull the radiator regardless. It's worth the time investment just to make the header job easier, and then you might as well upgrade the radiator while you have it out. semtex likes this. __________________ 7AT Track Car! Journal thread / Car setup details

01-05-2017, 07:01 PM	#9 (permalink)
hustleman222 Enthusiast Member Join Date: Sep 2014 Location: Louisiana Age: 41 Posts: 251 Drives: 15 Nissan 370Z Nismo Rep Power: 3366	Did wrapping the headers rot them yet...I've bought the wrap and just about to do it...but now I'm worried they may rot. I work in an industry that wraps steam lines and when they pull the wrap off...the pipe is pitted really bad...and that's much thicker piping. __________________ 316whp/262tq 12.38 @ 110mph on 3.91 gears 336whp/273tq Didn't push it hard enough. Turbo Time

07-26-2010, 10:52 AM	#1 (permalink)
wh1te370z Track Member Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: New York, Long Island Posts: 559 Drives: PW Base Sport 6 Spd Rep Power: 17	^^ i also have the saem question nothing aftermarket seems to ever fit right. there is stuff out there that works but more times then not it doesnt work this doesnt look that bad to do. i did headers on my 95 firebird. you want to talk about a pita? it took me about 3-4 hours to get ONE side in. and that was the easy side. and i also went to school and worked at two dealers and still had problems. if you decide to tackle something like this def have someone that knows what they are doing right next to you and make sure you have all the right tools to do so.

02-16-2011, 10:20 PM	#2 (permalink)
LafitteZ Track Member Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: lafitte, la Posts: 698 Drives: 40th anniversary Rep Power: 16	Id rather play in on comming traffic then attempt that nonsense lol

04-20-2015, 09:35 AM	#7 (permalink)
diyautoftw Base Member Join Date: Mar 2015 Location: milwaukee Posts: 5 Drives: ford Rep Power: 11	Nice writeup!

01-10-2017, 04:29 PM	#10 (permalink)
hustleman222 Enthusiast Member Join Date: Sep 2014 Location: Louisiana Age: 41 Posts: 251 Drives: 15 Nissan 370Z Nismo Rep Power: 3366	I wrapped mine, took about 4 hours...yours turned out really nice __________________ 316whp/262tq 12.38 @ 110mph on 3.91 gears 336whp/273tq Didn't push it hard enough. Turbo Time

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