* UPDATED 12-18-04 *
Well, because of the difficulty of this task, I decided to make a write-up on this subject.
The car was my brothers 2003 GT.
Tools: Besides your basic set of sockets, full set of combination wrenches, pry bars, etc... You need some specific tools for the job. I would recommend getting a stubby ratcheting 1/2" wrench. The shorter the better. Then you need a stubby 1/2" combination wrench; Both the closed end & open end need to be very thin. Some situations you absolutely need the open end. Some you can get the closed end on, but not the ratcheting because of it's thickness. And some you are lucky to get the ratcheting wrench.
Next is extremely long extensions for all three ratchets. You can always double up, so if you have 2 1ft extensions, that should be long enough. Next is swivels for all three ratchets. Next is varing sizes of extensions for all three ratchets. Sometimes you need a 1 inch extension, sometimes 2", etc etc. The smaller length extensions are more applicable to the 1/4" ratchet, due to the fact that is all you can get in there. Then, you need adapters for the ratchet sizes. So you need a 1/4 - 3/8, a 3/8 - 1/2, then vice versa a 1/2 - 3/8 and 3/8 - 1/4.
All of these tools are absolutely necessary. If you don't want to get them, forget about installing these headers. Air tools are not necessary, but when you can use them it's nice to have them.We did the install on jack stands. It took way longer than it should have because of this.
UPDATE Other tools....Now that I think about it, if I was to get some cheap stubby and long combination wrenches, then ground them down, it might have made things even easier. The header bolts/nuts are all 1/2 inch, or 13mm. I think if you took a open end wrench, and ground it down until it was maybe 2mm thick (both width and height), it would have allowed more access. Then grind down the closed end side as well. It may be more useful as well because of its newfound thinness. I would do this to 2 of them; both the long and short ones, just in case one breaks (total 4). I wouldn't torque the nuts down with these modified wrenches unless absolutely necessary. Being so thin, it may not take the torque & break. And don't buy craftsman wrenches, then will see through the lies and deny your claim (maybe not, but they are expensive anyway).
Alright, down to the nitty gritty.
Before you even start, I would recommend that you spray all of the nuts/bolts that will be removed with penetrating oil the night before. This will prevent stripped threads & lessen the pain of this job. I would also recommend that you spray rust remover on the header nuts and exhaust nuts. It will make removal even easier. Disconnect the battery. You will regret it when you are disconnecting the starter & you scare the crap out of yourself & bang your head on the bell housing. If you don't have air tools, you need to remove the front wheels before jacking the car up. Sliding under and out of the car gets really annoying with the tires in the way. Next, go under the steering column & remove the bolt that holds the steering shaft. Once the car is jacked up, spray the headers, midpipe, starter bolts/nuts with penetrating oil again. You need to remove the mid-pipe next. No need to talk about this. Next, remove the other bolt which holds the steering shaft. Now pull the shaft from underneath and it will slide out and you can set it aside. This makes life much easier. It's really easy to reconnect once you are done, so don't worry about it.
Now, remove the starter. That is all the instructions will tell you about removing the starter bolts. HAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHHAH......grrrrrr. Remove the wto electrical connects on the starter. One is for a self-ground, and doesn't need to be removed. Now, get about two feet of extensions on your 1/2 ratchet. Then get the adapters you need to get the correct size socket on the 1/2" drive extensions. For 1 or 2 (can't remember), you need a swivel. But I think you can get them out without one. There is a path that allows you to get the 2 ft extensions on ALL THREE BOLTS. You just need to look. Once I saw the path, I went
Like I said, it's almost a straight path. If you need a swivel, have someone at the starter, making sure the swivel and socket stay on the nut, while you turn the ratchet. The 2" extensions may need to be shortened or lengthened. I don't remember the exact length, but you will see what I mean when you get there.
After all three bolts are out, remove the starter.
....OKAY SO FAR!!!!!!!!
Next, choose a side to work on. Both are equally difficult. I will start with the drivers side, because that is what we chose to start with. The egr bung has a big nut on it. A crescent should get it off if you don't have a big enough wrench. Once you make about 1/2 turn, it should come loose enough to turn by hand. If it doesn't, spray some more penetrating oil on it. The EGR tube is pretty soft aluminium. It can be bent very easily, so be careful what you do with the tube once it's detatched from the header. You don't need to remove the oil dipstick for any reason. The articles say that, but I think that is for the 96-98 motors.
Getting the stock header out isn't too bad. Almost all of the nuts could be removed with the right length extensions & swivel sockets. The ratcheting wrench may also be necessary. I actually sat where the tire was, and ran the extensions through to the header.
Once it's out, leave the stock studs in place if you want. On this header, all of the studs can be re-used. The gasket may want to stay on the head, so that is good. If it wants to slip off, just use the studs to keep it in place. If you want to use the supplied bolts, at least leave 2 studs in the head. This will keep the header gasket in place. It's a pain to fight the gasket when trying to put the bolts in. Put the new header in place.
In our case, we reused the studs, so we had to tighten the nuts. The header was lined up, which made life much easier. The bottom nuts weren't too much trouble. They aren't easy, but no where near as difficult as the top nuts. Some can be use with a socket and swivels, some need the ratcheting wrench.
For the top, I had one person from below, hold the ratcheting wrench on the nut, while I ratcheted the wrench from up top. If you have big arms, you will need to remove the sensor plug that goes into the brake master cylinder. Also remove the PCV & hose as well (simple).
Once everything is tight, you are done!!!!!! YEAH!!!!
Next is the passenger side. It requires a little more work, but same difficulty. First, remove the nut on the bottom of the motor mount. A big wrench is necessary, but once you make 1/2 a turn, it should come off by hand. Again, spray penetrating oil on it if necessary. Then, get a jack & jack up the passenger side of the motor by putting it under the oil pan. If you have your car pretty high up, you will need many blocks of wood, or a jack that goes REALLY HIGH! Remove the nut inside the frame that attaches the motor mount stud to the frame. This will allow the motor to raise freely. Once you get the jack on the oil pan, start raising the motor. It will initally raise the car about 1", then finally it will start raising the motor up. Raise it as high as it will go until it starts raising the entire car up again.
Now, the order of this may need to be changed. I don't remember what exactly is accessable at what stages, but here goes.
The motor mount needs to be removed from the block before the new header can go into place. Since the motor is supported by the jack, you can remove the motor mount completely. It's three long bolts, which extensions and swivels can get all three out pretty easily. Once it's out, then remove the stock header. Again, it has nuts with studs in the block. For the passenger side, all 8 studs need to be removed for the new header to even be put into place. So, if it's easier, just use a tiny ratchet and remove the stud instead. This will take the nut with it. Again, do whatever is easier. If you can get a ratchet on the stud easily, go that route. If the nut is more accessible, remove it instead.
Again, if you can't get the motor mount out before you remove the stock header, save it until you get the stock header out. I can't think of any reason why you couldn't though.
Once the header is out, remove any studs that are left behind. The gasket will come loose from the head. It can only be put in one way, so don't worry if you have to set it down. Now, here comes the fun part. Getting the new header in place.
#1 - I think only 4 of the studs can be re-used. The primaries run right in front of some of the holes, so a stud will be too long. A bolt is absolutely necessary in some cases. We only re-used 2 (more info later on).
#2 - You need all 8 studs out of the head before you can even get the header in place next to the head.
#3 - Without a doubt, you need at least 2 studs in place to hold the gasket in place while you install the rest of the bolts. Fiddling with the gasket, header, and bolts is just too much. READ ON......
So, once all 8 studs are out, you need to put the new header in place. First, spray some penetrating oil on the holes of the head & on the studs as well. Don't worry about the gasket yet. Just get the header in place. It takes a lot of maneuvering & you don't want to fiddle with the gasket at well. Once it's in there, pull the header away from the head about a an inch or two. Then have someone, from in front of the wheel hub, slip the gasket in place. So with your left hand, hold the header, and with the other, hold the gasket up against the header. Then place the header against the head, lining the holes up. Then, have your helper run 2 studs through the header, through the gasket & into the head. This should keep the gasket somewhat in place. Get the helper to start to finger tighten the nuts on the studs. Use whatever you need to get the nuts somewhat tight (socket/ratchet or wrench). We put the studs in the two front holes on the head. They were the most accessable & were 2 out of the 4 studs that can be used. As for the rest, just use bolts.
NOW YOU CAN LET GO OF THE HEADER!!!!! PHEW!!!!!!!!! Take an hour break. Trust me, you will need it!!!!
Now, here comes the fun part. I remember specifically the bottom rear bolt was next to impossible to get in place. It's right next to the collector, and is a major PITA. I would loosen, but not remove, the 2 nuts holding the header in place. This will allow room to maneuver. Then get the bottom rear bolt almost all the way in. Don't torque it down yet, just get it most of the way in. That is the hard part. We actually cut one of the bolts to get it to work. I think we removed a total of 3 threads to get it in place. You may not need to do this, but it made it easier for us. We used a stubby open-end wrench on this bolt. It takes a while, but you will get there.
The rest of the 5 bolts are still hard. Not done yet. Nothing special I can remember, but I am sure you will have fun getting them all in. Once they are all most of the way in, torque the bolts/nuts down.
Reinstall the motor mount to the engine block (3 bolts). Once it's in, lower the engine until it meets up with the frame. The stud on the motor mount didn't line up with the hole in the frame when we lowered the motor. We raised the motor up so the stud was barely away from the frame, then we lowered it just little bit. Now the bolt has pressure going down, and with a pry bar, we got the motor to slide into place and the weight of the motor dropped it 1/4" in the hole. We then let the motor come down slowly until it was all the way down. Then put the nut on and torque it down.
Now, the hard part is done!!!! Put the starter back in, and anything else that was removed. Then install your h or x-pipe back in, and you are done!!!!!
If anyone wants to add anything at all to this, please let me know. PM me please, as I don't read 4.6L Tech threads because I have a 5.0.
Scott
Well, because of the difficulty of this task, I decided to make a write-up on this subject.
The car was my brothers 2003 GT.
Tools: Besides your basic set of sockets, full set of combination wrenches, pry bars, etc... You need some specific tools for the job. I would recommend getting a stubby ratcheting 1/2" wrench. The shorter the better. Then you need a stubby 1/2" combination wrench; Both the closed end & open end need to be very thin. Some situations you absolutely need the open end. Some you can get the closed end on, but not the ratcheting because of it's thickness. And some you are lucky to get the ratcheting wrench.
Next is extremely long extensions for all three ratchets. You can always double up, so if you have 2 1ft extensions, that should be long enough. Next is swivels for all three ratchets. Next is varing sizes of extensions for all three ratchets. Sometimes you need a 1 inch extension, sometimes 2", etc etc. The smaller length extensions are more applicable to the 1/4" ratchet, due to the fact that is all you can get in there. Then, you need adapters for the ratchet sizes. So you need a 1/4 - 3/8, a 3/8 - 1/2, then vice versa a 1/2 - 3/8 and 3/8 - 1/4.
All of these tools are absolutely necessary. If you don't want to get them, forget about installing these headers. Air tools are not necessary, but when you can use them it's nice to have them.We did the install on jack stands. It took way longer than it should have because of this.
UPDATE Other tools....Now that I think about it, if I was to get some cheap stubby and long combination wrenches, then ground them down, it might have made things even easier. The header bolts/nuts are all 1/2 inch, or 13mm. I think if you took a open end wrench, and ground it down until it was maybe 2mm thick (both width and height), it would have allowed more access. Then grind down the closed end side as well. It may be more useful as well because of its newfound thinness. I would do this to 2 of them; both the long and short ones, just in case one breaks (total 4). I wouldn't torque the nuts down with these modified wrenches unless absolutely necessary. Being so thin, it may not take the torque & break. And don't buy craftsman wrenches, then will see through the lies and deny your claim (maybe not, but they are expensive anyway).
Alright, down to the nitty gritty.
Before you even start, I would recommend that you spray all of the nuts/bolts that will be removed with penetrating oil the night before. This will prevent stripped threads & lessen the pain of this job. I would also recommend that you spray rust remover on the header nuts and exhaust nuts. It will make removal even easier. Disconnect the battery. You will regret it when you are disconnecting the starter & you scare the crap out of yourself & bang your head on the bell housing. If you don't have air tools, you need to remove the front wheels before jacking the car up. Sliding under and out of the car gets really annoying with the tires in the way. Next, go under the steering column & remove the bolt that holds the steering shaft. Once the car is jacked up, spray the headers, midpipe, starter bolts/nuts with penetrating oil again. You need to remove the mid-pipe next. No need to talk about this. Next, remove the other bolt which holds the steering shaft. Now pull the shaft from underneath and it will slide out and you can set it aside. This makes life much easier. It's really easy to reconnect once you are done, so don't worry about it.
Now, remove the starter. That is all the instructions will tell you about removing the starter bolts. HAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHHAH......grrrrrr. Remove the wto electrical connects on the starter. One is for a self-ground, and doesn't need to be removed. Now, get about two feet of extensions on your 1/2 ratchet. Then get the adapters you need to get the correct size socket on the 1/2" drive extensions. For 1 or 2 (can't remember), you need a swivel. But I think you can get them out without one. There is a path that allows you to get the 2 ft extensions on ALL THREE BOLTS. You just need to look. Once I saw the path, I went
Like I said, it's almost a straight path. If you need a swivel, have someone at the starter, making sure the swivel and socket stay on the nut, while you turn the ratchet. The 2" extensions may need to be shortened or lengthened. I don't remember the exact length, but you will see what I mean when you get there.After all three bolts are out, remove the starter.
....OKAY SO FAR!!!!!!!!Next, choose a side to work on. Both are equally difficult. I will start with the drivers side, because that is what we chose to start with. The egr bung has a big nut on it. A crescent should get it off if you don't have a big enough wrench. Once you make about 1/2 turn, it should come loose enough to turn by hand. If it doesn't, spray some more penetrating oil on it. The EGR tube is pretty soft aluminium. It can be bent very easily, so be careful what you do with the tube once it's detatched from the header. You don't need to remove the oil dipstick for any reason. The articles say that, but I think that is for the 96-98 motors.
Getting the stock header out isn't too bad. Almost all of the nuts could be removed with the right length extensions & swivel sockets. The ratcheting wrench may also be necessary. I actually sat where the tire was, and ran the extensions through to the header.
Once it's out, leave the stock studs in place if you want. On this header, all of the studs can be re-used. The gasket may want to stay on the head, so that is good. If it wants to slip off, just use the studs to keep it in place. If you want to use the supplied bolts, at least leave 2 studs in the head. This will keep the header gasket in place. It's a pain to fight the gasket when trying to put the bolts in. Put the new header in place.
In our case, we reused the studs, so we had to tighten the nuts. The header was lined up, which made life much easier. The bottom nuts weren't too much trouble. They aren't easy, but no where near as difficult as the top nuts. Some can be use with a socket and swivels, some need the ratcheting wrench.
For the top, I had one person from below, hold the ratcheting wrench on the nut, while I ratcheted the wrench from up top. If you have big arms, you will need to remove the sensor plug that goes into the brake master cylinder. Also remove the PCV & hose as well (simple).
Once everything is tight, you are done!!!!!! YEAH!!!!
Next is the passenger side. It requires a little more work, but same difficulty. First, remove the nut on the bottom of the motor mount. A big wrench is necessary, but once you make 1/2 a turn, it should come off by hand. Again, spray penetrating oil on it if necessary. Then, get a jack & jack up the passenger side of the motor by putting it under the oil pan. If you have your car pretty high up, you will need many blocks of wood, or a jack that goes REALLY HIGH! Remove the nut inside the frame that attaches the motor mount stud to the frame. This will allow the motor to raise freely. Once you get the jack on the oil pan, start raising the motor. It will initally raise the car about 1", then finally it will start raising the motor up. Raise it as high as it will go until it starts raising the entire car up again.
Now, the order of this may need to be changed. I don't remember what exactly is accessable at what stages, but here goes.
The motor mount needs to be removed from the block before the new header can go into place. Since the motor is supported by the jack, you can remove the motor mount completely. It's three long bolts, which extensions and swivels can get all three out pretty easily. Once it's out, then remove the stock header. Again, it has nuts with studs in the block. For the passenger side, all 8 studs need to be removed for the new header to even be put into place. So, if it's easier, just use a tiny ratchet and remove the stud instead. This will take the nut with it. Again, do whatever is easier. If you can get a ratchet on the stud easily, go that route. If the nut is more accessible, remove it instead.
Again, if you can't get the motor mount out before you remove the stock header, save it until you get the stock header out. I can't think of any reason why you couldn't though.
Once the header is out, remove any studs that are left behind. The gasket will come loose from the head. It can only be put in one way, so don't worry if you have to set it down. Now, here comes the fun part. Getting the new header in place.
#1 - I think only 4 of the studs can be re-used. The primaries run right in front of some of the holes, so a stud will be too long. A bolt is absolutely necessary in some cases. We only re-used 2 (more info later on).
#2 - You need all 8 studs out of the head before you can even get the header in place next to the head.
#3 - Without a doubt, you need at least 2 studs in place to hold the gasket in place while you install the rest of the bolts. Fiddling with the gasket, header, and bolts is just too much. READ ON......
So, once all 8 studs are out, you need to put the new header in place. First, spray some penetrating oil on the holes of the head & on the studs as well. Don't worry about the gasket yet. Just get the header in place. It takes a lot of maneuvering & you don't want to fiddle with the gasket at well. Once it's in there, pull the header away from the head about a an inch or two. Then have someone, from in front of the wheel hub, slip the gasket in place. So with your left hand, hold the header, and with the other, hold the gasket up against the header. Then place the header against the head, lining the holes up. Then, have your helper run 2 studs through the header, through the gasket & into the head. This should keep the gasket somewhat in place. Get the helper to start to finger tighten the nuts on the studs. Use whatever you need to get the nuts somewhat tight (socket/ratchet or wrench). We put the studs in the two front holes on the head. They were the most accessable & were 2 out of the 4 studs that can be used. As for the rest, just use bolts.
NOW YOU CAN LET GO OF THE HEADER!!!!! PHEW!!!!!!!!! Take an hour break. Trust me, you will need it!!!!
Now, here comes the fun part. I remember specifically the bottom rear bolt was next to impossible to get in place. It's right next to the collector, and is a major PITA. I would loosen, but not remove, the 2 nuts holding the header in place. This will allow room to maneuver. Then get the bottom rear bolt almost all the way in. Don't torque it down yet, just get it most of the way in. That is the hard part. We actually cut one of the bolts to get it to work. I think we removed a total of 3 threads to get it in place. You may not need to do this, but it made it easier for us. We used a stubby open-end wrench on this bolt. It takes a while, but you will get there.
The rest of the 5 bolts are still hard. Not done yet. Nothing special I can remember, but I am sure you will have fun getting them all in. Once they are all most of the way in, torque the bolts/nuts down.
Reinstall the motor mount to the engine block (3 bolts). Once it's in, lower the engine until it meets up with the frame. The stud on the motor mount didn't line up with the hole in the frame when we lowered the motor. We raised the motor up so the stud was barely away from the frame, then we lowered it just little bit. Now the bolt has pressure going down, and with a pry bar, we got the motor to slide into place and the weight of the motor dropped it 1/4" in the hole. We then let the motor come down slowly until it was all the way down. Then put the nut on and torque it down.
Now, the hard part is done!!!! Put the starter back in, and anything else that was removed. Then install your h or x-pipe back in, and you are done!!!!!
If anyone wants to add anything at all to this, please let me know. PM me please, as I don't read 4.6L Tech threads because I have a 5.0.
Scott
Lets hear the rest!
