Help needed with AR 1 7/8" header install

[OneBadZ/28]

Originally Posted by olblue75

What are you going to do with your factory cats?

I'm a pack rat-usually keep the original stuff until car goes. I am lucky to have a large attic for storage over a 28x50 garage. Sorry I can't be of any assistance.

[OneBadZ/28]

Originally Posted by Russell James

some time savers:

Make sure exhaust is very hot before trying to crack the O2 sensors loose. Run engine, drive, get on hoist get wrench ready, run engine again, shut off. While the pipes are scorching hot, crack the O2's loose. Then let everything cool off before removing and preceding. Cold pipes will have a death grip on O2 sensors and it will rip the threads right off, hot they will crack loose nicely.

Take the plugs and plug wires off. You will crack the plugs if left in.

Both sides you can lower the manifold and cats down still bolted together, so don't bother unbolting them. I tie them up to something topside, get all the bolts out, then go under grab them, cut the rope.

All the ARH's I've done, needed to unbolt the steering shaft. It's no biggie, but make sure the steering wheel is locked and does not get turned while the shaft is disconnected. Just cut the boot off the joint, pitch it. Take the pinch bolt out, and push the steering rod up into the column a bit and off the the side out of the way.

On the passenger side there are some studs with nuts holding the heat shielding on. Take a sawzall and trim those studs down to the nuts. Gives more room and those studs can scratch the headers all up. I put blue tape all over the outside of my headers while putting them up to keep the coating from getting scratched up.

Either bolts are fine, just put a drop of blue loctite on. New OE gaskets.

Thanks a bunch Russell. You may have saved me a large headache. Anyone know anything about the GM 12594171 COPO header gasket? They have it in stock locally not the original GM 12652617 one. Also any input on the O2 sensor cat simulator to keep the check engine light off until getting the car tuned. I'm not sure which one works the best. Thanks again for all the help.

[2013blackgt]

I would also like to know which o2 Sim to get.

[Stephen12ZL1]

All of the SS and 1LE guys chiming in don't have the same header on the driver's side. The reason a Z/28 header is specific to a Z/28 is because of this PITA oil cooler. It certainly isn't impossible but more difficult.