Could you post a couple photos of how it looks with the wheel/liner off as far as getting to the header nuts?

I always thought it was solid metal on the inside...

You have to go below the wheel liner and above some of the suspension arms to get to the lower bolts on the driver side.


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Thats how I got to some of mine. A flat faced swivel will make your life a million times easier too. A lot of it was just flat out old school wrenching though lol.

Thanks! It was a real pain... Got a little bit easier when i realized i was suppose to wet the wrap down, it dried almost like a cast material.

I can grab a pick tomorrow, but you are right, it is solid metal... You have to attack it from under where the metal stops, with the wheel off. It was the only way i could see to get the 2 bolts under the header in the back off. Those are actually the easiest to get off! I used like a 24" or 36'' extension with a 3/8's u joint at the end and a deep socket 14mm. It helps to have a helping hand reach in to the headers and grab the socket and place it on the bolt because it is too floppy with the u joint on. IF you don't have someone to help you, take some wax or really thick grease and put it on the u joint to make it more rigid so you can align it. (picked that trick up in the AF from a F-16 crew chief) Luckily I got the last one off right as my U joint broke, so you might want to have 2 available just in case. Really the only other thing that has stopped me in my tracks for a while was the O2 sensor on the header. You cant get to it with a wrench while the header is on, so you have to unplug it from the harness... Which sounds easy, but its located in such a spot where it is damn near impossible... Luckily i have a pair of super long needle nose pliers. It helps to snap the plugs off of their mount, that frees up a few more inches of wire to work with

Lol it's like you're recounting my own experience back to me! Congrats on the progress :)


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yeah, i used a crows foot to take the 2 o2's off the header and unplugged em to completely pull them out of the way. didnt want to take the risk of damaging them at all. I disconnected my steering link column also. Youre going to need to get the new headers in. just make sure you reconnect it perfectly on. My steering wheel did a full 360 and when i put it all back together the slip light was on. the steering angle sensor thought i was turning right when i was going straight. The dealership can reset it or anyone with a good obd2 tool can. I had a local shop reset it with their Snap on Obd2 tool.

I made sure my steering wheel was locked before i took the column off, and its in the straight position, so hopfully it wont be off too bad. If the vdc light is on does that cut power constantly?

On the u-joint for the socket. You can wrap a piece of tape around it too, to hold it in position. ;)

It's easy to fix. Just be sure you line it up like you think it should be, then put the wheels back on, drive it down the street and back, adjust it as needed.

Adjust what? :confused:

The steering shaft?

if it's off a tooth or two, you just adjust it..

To answer your question, no, it won't cut the power. I told you how I messed money up so that when I was driving straight the steering wheel was cranked to the left. At first it was so bad that when I would start driving the car would hit the ABS for a second, but then the VDC light would come on and everything was fine. I got back under the car a few days later and undid the steering column and straightened it out. I didn't get it perfect but it was much better. The steering wheel was only slightly angled, and it would take a few miles for the VDC light to kick on, and the ABS problem was gone. Everything drove fine. I recently got back under there again and fixed it for good. I drove straight down my street and stopped next to my driveway. Jacked it up, undid the column, then turned my steering wheel straight and reconnected everything. Worked like a charm.


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Not on mine. The rack and pinion shaft and the u-joint only went on one way with mine. Both have an blank spline that had to be lined up for it to go together. My steering wheel was straight and the Z drove straight. The alginment was spot on too. Ended up with the dealer resetting the sensor. The only way to fix it on mine. ;)

Ah. Mine isn't keyed. It can be put on any which way if you aren't careful.