Poly Motor Mounts + Pacesetter Headers + TSP Y Install For Dummies *LOTSA PICS* by cyberkill

By diyauto
( 3 )

47 minute read

Poly Motor Mounts + Pacesetter Headers + TSP Y Install For Dummies *LOTSA PICS*


Compliments of cyberkill @ http://ls1tech.com


5-24-2010

**SECTION 0: Introduction**

After reading the External Engine forum for a long time, I finally decided to get a set of Longtube Headers. Being that it's my first install and most people had the least amount of stress with the Pacesetter/TSP Y combo, I went with that. Due to people talking about Rasp and people talking about adding cats to their ORY, I decided to go with the catted Y. Further searching and reading found that about 100% of people that did their Polyurethane Motor Mounts some time after installing LT Headers deeply regretted it. The advice most people gave is that they should do Poly MMs while installing Headers. Well, with that, I ordered my Poly MM.

I got my MM education from Luna's http://www.ls1tech.com/forums/genera...r-written.htmlpost. It was my Bible and I read it over and over till I could almost recite it. My only problem with Luna's awesome writeup was that there were no pictures. Having never done more than an oil change and diff fluid change, reading the words "drill" and "remove belts" were horrifying. What's worse, reading some of the horror stories in the thread was freaking me out. So, seeing that there weren't any pictured MM install guides, I decided that when I did mine, I was going to take as many pictures as I could to try give a little back to the Tech community that has helped me so much.

I started on a Saturday morning, and ended late on a Friday night. I work 8a-5p during the week, but everyday after work, a few friends and I would come to my house and work on the Camaro till really late, then take 5 Hour Energy's in the morning to get through the day. All in all, it took a grand total of 52 hours, and about $498,698 in the swear jar. I had some very basic tools & socket wrenches, but I think I ended up spending about $300 in extra tools as we went on. Hopefully, you won't need to.

As a forewarning, if you're going to use this for your reference, PLEASE READ EVERYTHING FIRST BEFORE YOU START (just like they taught you in Grammar School Reading Class)! I know I did a few things out of order, but I'm writing this in the way that I actually did it. I'll mention what things I should've done first if I came to something like that. Also, since I used Luna's guide as my guide, I'm going to borrow a lot of his steps. Hopefully you won't sue me for plagiarism Luna! And with that, let's begin!

Oh, and FYI...I still haven't figured out what to do about my O2 sensors because my existing ones busted...so there's no info on that yet.

PARTS:
- Pacesetter 1.75" Long Tube Headers + TSP Catted Y Pipe from Texas Speed
- Prothane Polyurethane Motor Mounts (Red)
- NGK TR-55IX Spark Plugs
- MSD SuperConductor Spark Plug Wires
- 2x New GM Exhaust Manifold Gaskets (Multi Layered Steel)

TOOLS I USED:
- 1-3 Friends
- Set of Short & Deep Sockets (11mm, 13mm, 15mm, 18mm for sure)
- Various extensions (1.75", 3", 6", 11")
- Swivel Socket
- 10mm ratcheting box wrench
- 13mm ratcheting box wrench
- Metric & SAE Box & Open Ended Wrenches
- Breaker Bar 1/2" Drive
- Extra Pipe to go over Breaker Bar
- Oxygen Sensor Socket
- Flathead Screwdriver
- Drill with a 3/8" bit to drill through metal rivets
- Block of Wood
- Safety Goggles
- A Jack
- Your Car's Scissor Jack
- 4 Jackstands
- Wheel Chocks
- 2 Cans of PB Blaster
- Dremel
- Heavy Duty Metal Cutting Dremel Wheel
- Grinding Dremel Bit.
- Anti Seize
- Spark Plug Dielectric Grease
- Oilpan
- Sharpie Marker
- Plastic Sandwich Bags for Bolt Keeping
- Lotsa Shop Towels
- Lights! LIGHTS!
- Laptop w./ Wireless Internet to ask LS1Tech questions
- Camera -- Take pics of your problems. Then edit them and draw arrows/circles, etc. You get better responses when people know what you're talking about.
- Lotsa Bandaids
- Beer

Some Things A Beginner Should Know (AKA Things I Learned)
- Just because it's the weekend and you don't have work tomorrow doesn't mean it's ok to work past 1AM (or when you start becoming delirious). It's hazardous to your health and your car, and you probably won't gain any progress anyway. (That's the explanation for the 1 glove on my left hand).
- Cars are not computers. There are no standards like a USB slot or a Molex connector. Cars do not like to be modified. Just because you bought a specific part totally made for your exact car, doesn't mean it just fits. You'll have to use a lotta strength, wit, and patience to install car stuff. Sometimes, this includes breaking or permanently modifying things (such as force bending a pipe, or grinding some part of your car).
- What works for 1 guy doesn't mean it'll work for you...for some reason. We all have the same cars, yet installs are so different. Go figure!
- Prepare to not have your car for at least a week. Don't start this project until you've arranged rides for work/school for the next week or 2.
- Safety First! (unless you're the Most Interesting Man In The World, in which case, Safety Third)
- I hope you have strong lats and shoulders!

Legend
A red arrow with an open head in the picture is always pointing to the Front of the car.


**SECTION 1: Preparing The Engine Bay**


1) Disconnect your battery!

2) Make sure your wheels are pointing straight ahead, and lock your steering wheel.


3) Pull the AIR hose out of your Lid (marked in Green) (if you have it).

4) Unclip the 2 clips holding down the Lid (marked in Yellow). 

5) Use a flathead screwdriver and unscrew the clamp holding down the bellow to the throttle body (marked in red).

6) Use a socket wrench (**SIZE**) to unbolt the 4 bolts holding the airbox to the frame (marked in Blue)

7) Detach the entire assembly.

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With everything removed, it should look like this. Look at all that space we've cleared!

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8) Using a socket wrench and a (**SIZE**) socket, turn the Accessory Belt pulleyclockwiseand the whole pulley should move. Just pull it enough to unhook the belt.

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9) Take the belt off the pulley and off of the other pulleys its wrapped around. Don't worry about remembering where everything went. There's a diagram in your engine bay.

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10) Now we're going to remove the A/C Compressor Belt. Go under the car and on the passenger side of the Underdrive Pulley (the big one), there should be a small pulley with a thinner belt than the one you just took off. Likewise, using a socket wrench and a (**SIZE**) socket, turn the A/C Compressor Belt clockwise and the whole pulley should move. Pull it enough to unhook the belt.

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11) Take the belt off the pulley and the other pulley it's wrapped around. Again, don't worry about remembering how it was set up. The diagram shows that too.

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12) Remove the metal AIR line from the Driver Exhaust Manifold. There are two (**SIZE**) bolts holding it down. Because of clearance, I used a long 11" extension to get them out. (Sorry, no pic)


13) (Optional) I wanted to get these things out of the way because I didn't want to damage the metal gasket on the flange, plus I didn't want it to get in the way of anything I did, so use a set of thin pliers (I used 90 degree pliers) and twisted the bottom part of the plastic clamp to get it to come off. Then I twisted and jimmied the metal AIR line out of the hose and set it aside. Mark or label which side this belongs to. (Sorry, no pic)


14) (Optional) Remove the metal AIR line on the Passenger side as well. (Sorry, no pic)


15) (Optional) Back up top, let's remove Driver side Coilpacks. I did this because my hands are big so I needed all the room I could get. First, disconnect the weatherpack (marked in Blue) on the top center of the coilpack. You have to pull the little plastic light blue pin out (it's OK to just use force). Lift up a little on that tab that the pin was in and pull the top 1/3 of the white pack out from the bottom 2/3 of the pack that's attached to the coilpack rail. Then unbolt the 5 bolts on the coilpack (marked in Red). Read the Note below.

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NOTE: If you've never removed the coilpack rail before on the Driver side, then it's a real bitch to remove because the furthest rear bolt has a nut that attaches it to the AIR Pump. See, this is the 5th bolt on the Drivers side. Mine's removed, but you can see how the AIR Pump is supposed to be connected to it. After the bolt is actually unbolted from the coilpack/valve cover, it's going to be pushed down and held in place by a metal arm that the AIR Pump is on. You have to remove the nut fastening the arm to the coilpack rail. Now's the fun part. You need to pry that AIR Pump metal arm away as much as possible and try to grab that bolt out of there. It took a lot of tries and patience but eventually, I got it out. And FYI, I never put it back. I don't hear any bumps or rattles either. (Sorry, no pic)


16) (Optional) Now remove the coilpack rail from the Passenger side. Same deal.

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NOTE: If you've never removed the coilpack rail before on the Passenger side, then it's a real bitch to remove because the furthest rear bolt is REALLY far in there. It's extremely difficult to get to and you'll have to stick your arm way in, maybe lay on the engine bay or passenger fender a little, find it and blindly loosen it. This is where your (**SIZE**) Ratcheting Wrench comes in handy. This will take some time, just be patient and go steady. I never put this one back in either. (Sorry, no pic)


17) We'll need to move the A/C Compressor & Bracket toward the front of the car because of the Passenger MM bolt (you'll see). From the top passenger side, just at the front of the engine, you'll see the A/C Compressor. Unbolt the 4 (yes 4) (**SIZE**) bolts you see up top. The 4th bolt is hiding under the coolant hose. (See next pic)

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NOTE: Here's a picture of where the 4th bolt is hiding. I have my socket wrench on it.

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18) Now, go down below and unbolt the 2 circled bolts first. The A/C Compressor will come loose. Move it forward, because we're not done yet, we still need to get the bracket.

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19) With the A/C Compressor out of the way, here are the 2 Bracket Bolts you need to remove as well (same size).

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20) Now on the Driver side, we have to do the same with the Alternator for the Driver Side MM Bolt (again, you'll see). If you look straight down, left of the most front spark plug, you'll see the alternator bracket and the mini bracket that holds the bracket to the engine. Unbolt the bolt going into the engine block. It might be hard to find, but here's a pic of where it's at. If I remember correctly, I had to remove a second bolt where the Green arrow is to detach the mini bracket from the Alternator bracket, then I had good access to the weatherpack.

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21) Below the car, you can see the 3 (**SIZE**) bolts you need to remove to move the Alternator. The one that the socket is on will be a shorter bolt than the other 2. I removed it, some people say you don't. Label the top bolt and the bottom bolt that you removed here. After it's loose, move it forward BUT NOT TOO FAR! You don't want to snap the alternatorwire. Unfortunately, I don't have a pic, but you need to detatch the weatherpack with the Red arrow in the last step before you move it, or you might snap it.

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Ok congrats, done with Part 1!


**SECTION 2: Removing Old Exhaust**

1) First, disconnect all of the O2 Sensor wires. This pic was obviously after I was done, but you can see where the wires are. It's kind of a bitch because they have the 2 grey tabs on each side of the connector that you have to unlatch before you can pull these out. Remove the 2 front ones (above the catalytic converters) and the 2 rear ones (after the catalytic converters).


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2) Unbolt the Y Pipe support bar. There are 4 (**SIZE**) bolts (2 on driver side and 2 on passenger side). PB Blaster might help if they're rusted.


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3) On both Driver & Passenger sides, the Y pipe and the "Cat Pipes" are flanged and held together by a squeeze clamp and bolted by 2 (**SIZE**) bolts. Use PB Blaster and a Breaker Bar to try to take them out. I ended up breaking 3 of the 4, but it's ok, you don't need them anymore!


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4) On the Driver side, unbolt the 13mm Manifold bolts. There are 6 in all. Circled in the pic. (You may want to do the next step before this one though, if possible)


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5) I had access to the Cat bolts when the manifold/cat were hanging down like this. Use some PB Blaster and a breaker bar to get the 3 bolts out to separate the cat and the Y Pipe. It took a lot of force, but surprisingly, I didn't break any of them!


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Here's a look at what the cat to Y pipe flange looks like.


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6) Scoot over to the passenger side and you'll find that the Y pipe is welded (mine was) a bit to a thin metal housing held by 2 bolts. Unbolt these (**SIZE**) bolts.


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7) If you didn't yet, try to unbolt the Y Pipe from the "Cat Pipe." Again, PB Blaster, but if it breaks, it doesn't matter.


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8) I took out the Y Pipe at this step. Where the Y Pipe goes into the I Pipe, there is a clamp around it. I don't know if this is normal, but my bolt was welded through like in the pic. I used a Dremel with a heavy duty metal blade to cut the clamp off (Line is drawn in Blue). I had to be careful not to cut the actual pipe.


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9) After the clamp was off, I PB Blastered the 2 pipes like crazy, then started trying to separate them. You can see in this pic that it's just starting to come out. I ended up pulling a little bit but eventually used a metal hammer and pounded near the Y bends like crazy to get the Y pipe to finally come out. I circled approximately where the hammering was having the best effect.


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This pic just shows you how much of the Y pipe sticks in the I Pipe.


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10) Take a moment to show your old exhaust how much you love it.


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11) Now go to the passenger side and remove the 3 bolts in the triangular flange from the Cat from the Manifold just like you did on the drivers side. (Sorry no pic)

12) Up top on the Passenger side, before we can remove the exhaust manifold, we need to remove the dipstick. There is a (**SIZE**) bolt holding a little flag-like piece of this dipstick to the engine block. Unbolt that.


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13) Now, unbolt the 6 manifold bolts, just like on the drivers side. (Sorry, no pic)

And that is how we do that!


**SECTION 3: Removing Old Motor Mount**

1) Secure your car nice and high in the air (and level) on 4 jack stands. I suppose you could use 2, but I used 4. Use your jack, with a plank of wood on it, underneath the oilpan of the motor. Raise it until it just barely touches. THIS IS IMPORTANT! If you don't support your engine, your engine could fall once you pull the big bolts out! You don't want that! (Sorry, no pic)

2) Now, you should be able to see the motor mount clearly. From the top, if you look straight down between the front 2 spark plugs, you can see the 18mm bolt (check the 2nd picture for the up top view). Someone will need to use a wrench or socket wrench to hold onto this bolt while you remove the nut from the bottom (this picture). I used a regular wrench, but a Deep Well 18mm socket will work too. This pic is taken from beneath the car looking up.


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3) Once you remove the nut, you can lightly tap on the end of the bolt so the bolt starts coming out towards the front of the car. If the bolt is really hard to get out, try to, very slowly, have one person adjust the height of the jack while someone tugs on that bolt. Once you find that sweet spot, the bolt just just slide out.


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NOTE: Remember we had to move the alternator forward? This is a long 18mm bolt. If it hadn't been removed, the head of the bolt would hit the back of the Alternator and you'd have no room to slide the bolt out any further. Now you know why we did that.

4) All 4 (**SIZE**) bolts that attach the Driver Side clamshell to the block have threaded heads. The top 2 hold the Heat Shield in place, and there are nuts that tighten the heat shield down to them. Remove the nuts & the heat shield first.
(Sorry no pic)

5) Now remove the 4 13mm bolts that hold the Driver Side clamshell to the block. It's easiest with a deep well 13mm socket, but if you can't fit it, then use a ratcheting wrench. Once they're all out, you should be able to just pull it from the top of the car and it should slide right out. (Sorry, no pic)

6) Take this time to take a screwdriver or something and scratch a "T" in the top of the clamshell. This is just so you know how to put it back later. (Sorry, no pic)

7) Do the same on the passenger side. Sorry this is the only pic I got. Basically, one person was at the front or side of the car holding that bolt so that it wouldn't just spin, while I was underneath it loosening the nut toward the back of the car with a wrench.


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8) Remove the 4 13mm bolts that hold the passenger side clamshell to the block. I was able to use a socket wrench to get all 4 (2 front ones from up top and 2 rear ones from below the car). Similarly, slide the Passenger MM out from the top.

9) Scratch a T in the Passenger clamshell too.

10) Just for fun, inspect your old rubber motor mounts and see how much damage you've caused! Pretty insane huh?


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This pic here is just so you get how this Motor Mount stuff works. That pedestal is bolted to your frame. Meanwhile, the clamshell (not pictured) is bolted to your engine. The motor mount itself has a hole that goes all the way through, and that's where that bolt goes through. Basically, these 2 18mm bolts, 1 on each side of the car, are what keep your engine in place! This pic is on the Passenger side.


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Congrats! You now got the motor mounts off the engine, now you gotta get the motor mounts outta the clamshells.


5-25-2010

**SECTION 4: Replacing the Motor Mount in the Clamshell**

Remember what I said in the beginning that cars don't want to be modified and you have to permanently modify things? Well, that's what this section is all about!

1) SAFETY GOGGLES ON!

2) Get a 3/8" bit on a drill and place your clamshell (motor mount will be inside) on a wood block. The one I have in this picture is NOT ideal. The rivet is wider on 1 side versus the other. Drill from wider rivet side. The key to doing this right is to put a lot of pressure downwards into the rivet while going at somewhat slow speeds on the drill. It'll help it dig more of the rivet out. Also, once you get the rivet out, push the drill through and move it around to kinda widen the hole just a little bit (we're talking 1 mm or so--don't worry about being exact). There are 2 rivets on one side of the clamshell.


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2) On the other side of the clamshell, there are 3 rivets of a different kind. They look like holes but they're actually like a hollow bolt that goes through the 3 holes and then are flared out on each end. With the same 3/8" drill bit, just start digging into those holes. It's a bit of a different drilling technique this time, you can go fairly fast with the drill and just punch those rivets out. Again, once you get through, widen the hole just a little bit.


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3) Once your done with all the rivets, use a sanding tool on a Dremel to smooth out the edges of the holes that you drilled through.


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4) While not pictured, you're going to want to expand the 4 holes that held the bolts that went into the block by a little bit too. When the new MM goes in, it's pretty big so the holes don't line up EXACTLY, so you could end up having to take it back out and making the hole bigger anyway.

Here's just a nice glory shot of the rubber motor mount outside of the clamshell...just to get closer to the carnage!


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Here's a pic of the 2 motor mounts standing next to each other. Notice the mega difference in size.


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I'm sure you would have figured it out, but just because pics are fun, you can see what part of the MM goes into what part of the clamshell.


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Likewise, this is how the bottom would fit.


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5) If you have any burnt rubber for the old motor mount, shave it off. I used a flathead screwdriver to do this.


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All clean!


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6) Now put the motor mount in the clamshell. If you got Prothane, you'll get instructions on how to orient the mount in the clamshell. Once you do, I used a rubber mallet to at least try to close up the gap a little, and then proceeded to bolt like such. Notice the head of the bolt goes on the flat side of the mount (which faces the engine block) and the washer and the nut will go on the tall side of the mount.


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It's a bit hard to tell, but you're facing the tall part of the mount, and you can see the nuts and washers.


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Just another comparison shot.


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7) Now, just do this once for the other motor mount, and then you're sitting at the top of the hill, the halfway point. You're done taking stuff out, now it's time to put stuff back in...


**SECTION 5: Putting New Motor Mounts In Engine**

Of all the things I've read, this was the scariest part. But I'm going to show you something I haven't read anywhere and is going to revolutionize the ease of this install! The biggest PITA about this is that you can't get one of the big 18mm bolts to go in without an "800 pound gorilla and an 80 foot long pry bar," or shaving the bolt, etc. Read on..

1) The completed motor mount assembly should just slide in place and the tabs will rest on the pedestal like so (this is Drivers side)


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2) Jack the motor up a bit to get one of the 13mm bolts, that connects it to the block, started. This is the Drivers side.


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And Passenger Side.


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3) Raise and lower the jack as needed to get all 4 13mm bolts to connect the mounts to the engine block, on both the Driver side and Passenger side. Tighten them.

4) Slide the 18mm bolt back into the DRIVERS SIDE first. Raise/lower the jack and use a pry bar if needed to get the driver's side to fit. Since neither side is connected, prior to this, the motor should be fairly movable and cooperative. Get the bolt to go all the way through and start with the nut, but don't worry about tightening yet.


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Here, ladies and gentlemen, is why doing Poly Motor Mounts suck. This is a pic of the Passenger side after the driver's side went in (Camera is upside down on a weird angle so it looks like driver's side, but it's passenger's). That's like a 1/4 inch difference. Which may not sound like much, but remember, that pedestal is connected to your FRAME, and you have to get your frame and your engine to meet perfectly. Think of the amount of pressure you need to apply to get that to line up correctly. And once you feel like you have the holes lined up, you'll probably be prying at a weird angle so you might get part of the bolt through, but you'd have to pound like mad to get it to go all the way through. So you're forced to find an 18 foot pry bar and an 800 pound gorilla or shave the big bolt to a point and hammer it in..........or so you think!


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5) Before we go on, lower the jack holding the engine up just a tad. Lowering the jack is much harder and less precise than raising it, so try to get the motor mount to line up just under where it should be.

Let me introduce you to BG...a good friend of mine who's actually a big W-Body guy. He devised this little idea and I was shocked at how well it worked.


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6) There is a giant flat area on the passenger side of the engine bay. It perfectly fits your scissor jack that's in your trunk/hatch. Line the sucker up (make sure you're not kinking any wires), have the turning bolt of the jack face the rear of the car, and line it up so that it hits the middle of the motor mount.


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Here's a closeup of where the jack contacts the motor mount.


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And this is how it looks from behind the jack and under the car where you will be spinning it with the lug wrench.


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7) Turn the bolt to "raise" the scissor jack until the bolt just about lines up and then adjust your motor holding jack until the hole just about lines up. Have someone stick the 18mm bolt in and try pushing while the 2 jack operators very carefully adjust their jacks. And let me tell you, when I did this, no hammer was required, the bolt just slid right in. I was pushing it with my finger!

8) Now tighten the nut around the 18mm bolt to 70 lb ft. on both sides. (Driver's side is easy. Passenger side is a PITA)
9) Put the heat shield back on the drivers side motor mount bolts and tighten the nuts. (Use a ratcheting wrench. Tight is tight).
10) Slowly lower the jack holding the motor just to make sure everything's nice and snug.

Poly Motor Mounts...no longer a PITA! Thanks BG!


**SECTION 6: Putting In Pacesetter Longtube Headers**

1) Back to the Driver's side, unbolt the steering linkage. The socket wrench in the picture is on one of the (**SIZE**) bolts, and the other bolt was accessible from under the front of the car. It's just 1 more bolt.


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NOTE: While removing the steering linkage gave me the room I needed to feed the headers through, there are plenty of people who removed nothing and still successfully installed headers. So, I suppose you can call this optional.

2) Twist and jimmy the steering linkage assembly until you get it off.


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3) I did it just in case, but I put the oilpan below the oil filter and I removed the oil filter. I let the oil drip for a minute or so and then I shoved a paper towel up in it like a bloody nose. (Sorry, no pic)
NOTE: Again, some people have been able to install headers without doing this either.

4) Have someone feed the Drivers Side header up from below the car and have someone receive it from up top. The guy up top needs to get his NEW (do NOT reuse!) GM stock gaskets ready. This is a pic of the old gasket (you should really use new ones) but notice it says "DOWN" and you can read it (it's not reversed)? That's the way it needs to go in. (Sorry, no pic)

5) Keep feeding the header. I had mine wrapped in the plastic bag just for a tiny bit of damage protection. By the way, you've probably read about people grinding their engine to get the headers to fit? Well, the blue circle on the block shows the "tab" that they grind. Without removing the steering linkage, we were getting blocked by that.


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6) Keep feeding it up until someone can grab it, put the gasket between the Heads and the Header and start a couple bolts. Someone on another thread came up with the great idea of zip tying the gaskets on the header temporarily just to keep the damn thing in place.


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7) Make sure the gasket is in correctly and don't tighten the bolts either, just enough to get all of them started and stable.


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The view from below:


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8) Now mosey on over to the Passengers side and look at all that room!


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9) On the passenger side, because of the EGR port (even though I ordered mine WITHOUT EGR Grrr), spark plugs are very difficult after the header has gone in. So, take this time to replace your Passenger side spark plugs. Also, plug the wires into the spark plugs as well (JUST on the spark plugs, not on the coilpacks because A-you've removed the coilpack rail already and B-the wires end up looping through the headers later). It may be a slight hassle getting the header in and moving the wires out of the way, but it's probably not as big of a pain as to try to get the wire on the spark through that stupid EGR port. (Sorry, no pic)

10) ALSO, the plug wire on the spark plug underneath the stupid EGR port is going to end up resting against that part of the header. Get a spark plug heat shield and wrap it on that one wire. I just went out to Pep Boys and bought a pack of 2 heat shields. I only put them on the wires that were potentially touching the headers, but not on the rest. (Sorry, no pic)

11) (Optional) If you ordered your Pacesetter headers without EGR, guess what? You get an EGR port anyway! Hooray! However, you get a block off plate. I didn't, but I SHOULD have installed that before hand. Refer to the steps in Section 8 that put the AIR pipes on to the ports. Use that Bolt -> Washer -> Block Off Plate -> Header EGR Port -> Washer -> Nut configuration to put the Block Off plate on BEFORE putting the headers up.

12) Feed the headers from below and have a guy up top receive it. I didn't get it on the first try, but it is pretty easy once you get the right angle. Put the gasket in between the Heads and the Headers just like before.


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And here's a pic from below with both headers in. Sexy, sexy!


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Now...to the Y!


**SECTION 7: Installing TSP Catted Y**

This is what the Y Pipe looks like assembled off the car.


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1) Connect the Y part of the TSP Y Pipe into the I Pipe.

2) (Optional) That Y part just did NOT want to go in. After about a half hour of pushing, tugging, spinning, twisting, headbanging, I had to do something. I took my Dremel and then ground the inside of the pipe a bit to shave off the rust. Remember earlier where the picture showed that the old Y pipe was 1.5 inches deep in here? Well the TSP Y is like 2.5" to 3" so, I went in about 1.5" deep with the grinding and then I sprayed a TON of PB Blaster in there too.


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3) (Optional) I also ground the new Y too. I made straight lines left and right. You can see what I was doing in the pic.


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4) (Optional) I sprayed more PB Blaster inside the I Pipe and on the Y pipe too and then shoved it in, twisted, pushed, kicked, and then it was in! That took a lot of strength & energy! (This is the part where you have to remember that cars don't like to be modified so things don't always just fit. You gotta force this in)


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5) Put the good clamp around the Passenger Header to Cat part and stick the cat in as far as it will go. Don't tighten yet.


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6) Put the other good clamp around the Driver Pipe extension to Cat Pipe and push them together as far as it will go. Don't tighten yet.


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NOTE: This next picture shows you the completed product of the Y pipe. It seems like this was easy, but it was not. We had issues with getting the Driver's side pipes to line up. We tried forcing it together by pushing the Y pipe toward the back of the car really hard (I was using my legs, and I max over 1100 lbs!), lining it up, and then letting go, but it just wedged itself in a really bad angle. Getting it back out was a bitch! But then suddenly, the passenger side cat, just fell. Nobody touched it, it just fell! After inspection, it's barely connecting the Header to the Y part. We took apart everything again and started building it back up...and for some very strange unknown reason, it just fit. I have no explanation for this! So all I can say to you is...Good luck!


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7) Use the crappy pipe clamps around the I to Y pipe, and all the other joints that didn't use the good pipe clamps that came with the Pacesetter + TSP Y set. Tighten them, but not too much. The headers should still be loose.


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NOTE: I went to Speed Inc. to get my E-Cutout installed and bought 3 good pipe clamps to replace 3 of the mediocre ones. The only remaining mediocre clamp is the one connecting the Y pipe to I Pipe. It was a fitment issue.

And now, we're ready to start buttoning up!


**SECTION 8: Buttoning Up The Engine Bay**

Can you already hear your new exhaust tone?

1) Now's a good time to go and replace your spark plugs on the Drivers side. I don't know if you had to take them out yet, but if you didn't, go ahead and replace them now. Also, while you're at it, connect the wires to the plugs as well. You should have already done this on the Passenger side (because of the stupid EGR port--on headers that aren't supposed to have it!)

2) Tighten all your Header bolts. Remember, this is an aluminum engine. Do NOT force these in or you'll screw up your engine threads! We had a person underneath the collector pushing up and swinging the header in whatever direction made the bolts hand threadable to a certain degree before tightening them. Start from the middle two bolts and then the next bolt forward, then the next bolt backward, until you get to all of them. Do this once at 11 ft/lb and then again at 18 ft/lb (**VERIFY**)

3) Bolt back up your steering linkage. While this was off, your front wheels (if they're in the air) can turn freely! Make sure that your wheels are facing straight again and then connect the linkage back in. It's not like there are a hundred ways to put it back where your alignment will be off. It's either going to be correct, or backwards. For my reference, the Notice sticker was facing the driver side fender. The arrow is pointing to what I'm talking about.


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4) Guide the Dipstick between the middle 2 primaries. Push it down but not too far, because you have to find the hole to push it in to (that's what she said) and it's not really doable from up here. So either push it to a point and then go underneath, or get a buddy to go underneath the car and guide it in. It's really not that difficult to do by yourself, so don't worry too much.


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5) Look at the arrow that's showing you the hole in the engine where the dipstick sticks into. That's where you have to guide it in. This angle's kinda funky, but My head just ahead of the starter and I'm looking straight up to take this pic. In any case, guide the dipstick in, and then go back up top and apply a little bit of force to push it in. I think the pic is showing it fully in.


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6) Think you're done? HA! You wish! Got your oil dipstick bolt? Well, it ain't gonna fit anymore. See that notch in my headers? That's me trying to bolt it in as is. I may have possibly damaged the threads in the engine by doing that too! (more on that later)


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7) Got my dremel and my grinding bit. This is the bolt as we started with it.


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And this is the bolt after we ground the **** out of it


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8) Now bolt that dipstick back up. Maybe because I applied a little too much force initially when it wasn't fitting, my dipstick bolt doesn't thread all the way anymore. It's mostly in, but about 1/4" is still unthreaded. I just left it like that. I don't hear any knocking or clanging of the dipstick moving around so I'm ok. It's just a support bolt and it's not like my dipstick is heavy or anything.

9) My mistake is that I did AIR first. Don't do that! Bolt the coilpacks back up if you took them off in Section 1. Afterwards, use the silicon grease on the outside of the coilpack plugs so that the plug wires can fit easily and be taken off easily in the future when needed. (Ignore the fact that the AIR pipe is already bolted in).


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10) Now hook up the AIR pipes. The stock exhaust manifold was threaded for the old AIR bolts, but the Pacesetter headers are not. I used the thin bolt, 2 washers, and a nut on each of the AIR pipe flange holes to connect them. This was helped greatly by using a socket wrench up top while holding the bottom one with a flex head ratcheting box wrench. This pic shows you the way I'm putting these in.


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11) Now, hook up the AIR pipes back to the hoses. For some reason, my Drivers side AIR pipe would NOT reach the hose. It was about 3 inches off and at a bad angle! We ended up having to use brute force and bent it to fit (Remember, cars hate being modified!)


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(Sorry, at this point I was too anxious and lazy to take pictures...I wanted to hear this thing start! I might add pics in the future).

12) All right! Now hook up your Lid + MAF + Bellowes assembly back onto the Throttle Body, and use the flathead screwdriver to tighten the clamp.
13) Reconnect your AIR hose into the Lid. Replace your filter if you took it out an clip it.
14) Plug any electrical weatherpacks into the MAF.
15) Bolt your A/C Compressor Bracket back in and then the A/C Compressor. Connect any weatherpacks you may have disconnected.
16) Bolt your Alternator back into the bracket. Plug the weatherpack back in and then bolt the mini bracket to the engine block. Keep in mind which bolt was the top bolt and the bottom bolt. For some reason, this was a problem for us.
17) Reconnect the belts by following the diagram on the drivers side of your engine bay. Remember to use a socket wrench and pull counter clockwise to move the pulleys to get the belts back on.
18) Go back underneath and tighten all of the Y Pipe clamp bolts.

19) Do a final check of everything and make sure everything is secure.

20) Reconnect your battery

21) START HER UP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


**SECTION 9 Pics & Vids**

This is the only pic I have post install. My new clearance. Too bad I didn't take a pic before.


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This was my stock exhaust




This is my new Pacesetter 1.75" Longtube Headers & TSP Catted Y Pipe. I took a video when I first turned on the car, but there's too much talking 'n' stuff. This is a better vid. You can see the QTP Oval E-Cutout installed already, but I closed it for this video.




I got my QTP Oval E-Cutout installed the day after we finished the MM/LT install. Just for fun, here's that video.




4-10-2011

Sorry been MIA for a while...Winter does that to me...

I spent about a couple weeks to a month going over this forum like crazy reading up about headers. I never even knew what the hell Motor Mounts were until I started researching headers, and read all these "Take my advice, do motor mounts while you do headers," posts, so I got scared and took the advice. I even posted a few polls prior about how people felt about different brands of headers.

Ultimately, my choice was made because of these factors:
1) Of the posts I read, the vast majority were either Pacesetter owners or previous pacesetter owners. That meant that if I had a question about my Pacesetter headers, there was a very good chance that there would be other people on this board that would know exactly what I'm talking about. After the Lid, this was my very first modification, so I was definitely going to need as much help as I could get.

2) Price. @TSP, the LT + Y pipe combo was pretty cheap, like $700 or something. Other better brands were >$1000 and from what I read, there really isn't a great ROI on getting more expensive ones, unless you plan on getting other major upgrades, in which this becomes sort of a supporting mod. Since this was my first project, I wasn't sure if I was going to get so frustrated I'd never mod again, or if it would be a good experience, so I decided to go with the cheapest reputable choice, which were these.

It's been a year, and I live in Chicago, so I threw all weather at it, including snow, and so far it's holding up well! That was my biggest fear, that they'd rust through, but I got the coated ones, and no issues!



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