MY $.02 if your gonna buy this header because its CHEAP , but you don't have the means , skill or tools to install it , or if you plan on buying a pre made down pipe (only one i know of is 230-215 bucks) it may be more expensive than other options.
header with shipping was $180 paint was $9 pipe was $6 so this only cost me 195 bucks. if you have to buy a down pipe $230(w/o shipping) your looking at lest $400, if you pay someone to modify the stock down pipe or make one for you,your looking at some cash, unless you have a buddy that can do it for you or you know someones that works cheap, your looking at 80-200+ bucks at an exhaust shop , in that case the ZZP mid length/DP combo (pacesetter clone with a different flange) for 299 is a great deal , or the CIA mid length with down pipe comes out to 360ish. how ever , if you cant weld , you may beable to save some money by getting everything mocked up and marked , then taking just the down pipe to get some bead laid down on it, but then you run the risk of things not lining up exactly right. but you save money buy doing the fabrcation your self.

OK its not really a how to . This is more so a what to expect . this isn't a step by step, because if you need a step by step then you shouldn't be trying to install this header, plus if you buy the header it comes with detilled instructions . I'm simply putting this up because when i was thinking about buying this header i couldn't find a info on how it was installed or what was involved. so here it is. simply use this to help you decide if your up to saveing some cash and D.I.Y.ing it. one agin this isnt a how to install a header, whats involved with installing the PACESETTER. so getting the car in the air, and getting the stock exhasut off is up to you to figuer out.

tools you may need other than common hand tools.
Welder.(it can be arc,MIG,tig,or oxyacetylene, it doesn't matter , you just have to be able to weld, its not to hard , your welds may not be pretty , but all they have to do is work lol. get a book on welding then pick your self up a old arc stick welder form a pawn shop and teach your self the basics , its a great skill to have.)

Something to cut pipe can be anything from a hack saw to a miter saw with a carpide blade, doesn't matter , as long as it will cut pipe. i used an angle grinder with a cut-off wheel.


torch (Small hand held torch )don't need it but it helps, will help loosen stubborn bolts or heat pipe so you can hammer closed any gaps before welding. mine came in handy for removing the striped studs on the concocter on the stock exhaust. they were pressed in. but all it takes is a little heat on the flange (not the bolt) and they pop right out with a few taps with a hammer. i aslow used it to hammer some gaps closed , before welding

and not just for the pacesetter but for working on exhaust in general.
Nut buster not that kind. I'm talking about a impact gun if you have a air supply or a BFBB big f^@%ing breaker bar to loosen those nasty stubborn bolts on the header/DP connection. helps to spray then down with PB BLASTER or some other penetrating fluid. even still you may break a bolt.


heres everything that comes with the header.
Coupler , extension pipe,gasket and hardware. The extension pipe is used to adjust the length of the stock down pipe , so that the angle of the coupler is set right.



when you get get the header (without the ceramic coating) its painted black... this is not high temp paint. its simply a coating to keep the header from rusting before getting sold.the paint will start to burn off in the first few Min's of running the car.
pick up a can of aircraft striper and high temp paint.
paint i used was VHT flame proof.


your gonna want to strip the paint off the header, i used aircraft stripper.if you have access to a media blaster that can work to. you just need to get the paint off the header.

header with paint stripper soaking and paint bubbling off. you can wash the paint right off at this point. make sure the header is good and clean and free or the stripper befor you paint it.


just some picks of the stripped header , so you can see the "quality" of the piece.




and a shot of the painted header next to the stock equipment.
the paint drys and is ready to handle in 3 hrs. but the paint needs to be cured , thats done by either putting it in a oven for a few hours , or heating it on the car. To cure it on the car , let the car idle for 10 rest for 20, then idle for 20 rest for 20 , then normal driving for 30 Min's (or something like that , instructions are on the can.)


now for the nitty gritty, how to make the stock down pipe work with this header.
the down pipe must be cut in 2 locations, on the weld bead on the top of the cat, and 4" away from the flange that connects the DP to the rest of the exhaust.

the DP should look like this after the cut , you may have to cut more off the bead and file out the inside to get the coupler to fit inside the hole. (notice i didn't cut the back half off the down pipe. more on that later. ) once its all cut you take you everything to the car for a test fit , line everything up and tack it in place , then weld it all up.


i didn't go this route ...so this is what i did i went to auto-zone and got me a piece of 3" ID 3"OD pipe.

and i went ahead and deleted the cat . like i said this isn't a step by step so heres my finished suto stock down pipe (paint is still wet in the pic)

i didn't cut the middle of the pipe and weld in the ext. because everything seemed to line up fine with cat delete. but the coupler is it too extreme of a Angle and i have a small exhaust leak, its only noticeable under the car , so I'm not worried about it as of yet. alos notce the flange isnt welded in, i just used a clamp to old it in for now. becasue...

...at this point your probably thinking the same thing i thought when i was done wich was"..wow with all the cutting and welding , why not just make a DP form scratch? " ... good question .

if you have skill to do this , you probably have the skill to just buy a 45 degree mandrel bend some straight pipe a flange and a o2 bong and make your own DP if you plan to get rid of the cat...might want to pick up a glass pack as well, unless you like more rasp than actul exhaust note...lol

 

I might try doing this

 

pacesetters owns..i have the armor coated one

 

so far i love it, but i have a flowmaster muffler on my car, the muffler it self has a high pitch tin to it even with the cat, now its just pure rasp at wot. but i kinda knew that was gonna happen before i started. I'm gonna weld in a glass pack when i get around to making DP v2.0

 

i didnt notice there was a how to section is there anyway the mods can move this ?

 

Anyone interested in pacesetter header kits/exhaust, we have them in stock at www.TurboTechRacing.com

 

you spent way too much money.

My set up

pacesetter header-40 bucks
custom 2.5" catless downpipe-free

I'm cheap.

 

lol well then i guess you have me beat , but for the rest of us that dont have 4 leaf clovers growing out of our butt ...you mind telling how did you pulld that off? lol

 

picked up the pacesetter locally from a supercharged ecotec cavy. He was trying out a tubular header. He sold me his pacesetter cheap, 40 bucks. He later wanted it back cause the tubular he bought didn't work out as well as he wanted. But I was deployed so he couldn't get ahold of me. He bought anohter pacesetter since it worked better than any other header he's owned.

as for the downpipe, well the cavy guy had that cheap knock off tubular header lying around, and I kind of wanted it. He just straight up gave it too me. But I didn't want it to try and put it on, I wanted it to sell. So I gave it to another buddy of mine, and in return, his dad's exhuast shop hooked me up with a free downpipe.

it's called wheeling and dealing. lol.

 

How is that DP working for you without a flex? I was thinking of getting the coated header and building a stainless DP with a magnaflow cat. It looks pretty strait forward. I could buy the cat and flanges from Zzp then weld it up. I was just wndering if the flex was needed too.

 

so far its fine, the flex joint is the ball and socket joint. there are spings between the bolts and flange that allow the joint to move when needed, i do notice bit of a leak, but like i said thats due to the angle of the downpipe, when i add the glass pack i'll correct the angle and see if that takes care of the leak, if not then i might just add a flex joint. you may just want to add one right off the bat, cause it gives you some flexibility when bolting things up.