First let me say Thank You to both Donnie and Tony. Their Help and
Advice made this as Easy and as Painless as Possible and without it
I am sure it would have taken longer and cost a lot more money.
Thanks Guys, Both of you are Tops...
BTW: Unless otherwise noted, Tony supplied all the parts, so if
you are planning on this project, give him a call...
Mopar Headers and Mid Pipes
List of Build Equipment and Lessons Learned
The Headers and Mids are made of 304 Stainless Steel so stay with
Stainless Steel Parts and Components. You really don't want
to mix Stainless and "Regular" Steel.
Set of Spark Plug Wire Heat Boots (Gets Really Hot right at the Headers)
New Wires cost $$$$ Protect Them.
Heat Sock/Blanket for Steering Colum (Forgot to get one had to order
in Overnight $$$) Steering Colum sits right in the Middle of the Headers
and will get HOT. Heat will transfer UP the Colum to the Wires,
You will want to protect it/them.
Set of 2 each Copper Collector Gaskets
(You will only need two Gaskets but I got an Extra Set Just In Case)
Set of Mopar OEM Metal Exhaust Manifold Gaskets (1 for each side)
Donnie supplied these when I purchased the Headers from Him.
Set of 2 each Mopar O2 Extenders (Get the Long Ones if Possible)
****Warning**** Check the length of the O2 Extenders before welding
the O2 Bungs in place. You don't want to weld them 1/2" too far down
the Mid Pipe and come up "Short".
1 each box of "Stage 8" Stainless Manifold Bolts with Lock Clips
(Stage 8 P/N = 8909, $79.39 (20 per box) 5/16-18x7/8" bolts 6pt DDH,
Double Hex Head). Donnie also supplied these with the Headers.
***Warning**** Make sure you use "Anti-Seize" on All Nuts
and Bolts to prevent problems if you ever need to remove them.
6 each Stainless 7/16" X 1 1/2" Bolts for the Collector/Mid-Pipe Flange
(I got 10) Stainless Nuts, Flat Washers, and Lock Washers for the above Bolts.
I had the Stage 8 Collector Bolts and Nuts but they looked a little small
so I got these from Lowes. They Worked Perfect.
***Warning*** The Passenger Side Collector Flange is Very Close to the
Transmission Pan, be careful that it does not Touch, Rub, or Vibrate against
the Pan as this could eventually cause a Hole to develop.
4 New Mopar O2 Sensors two front and two rear Left and Right Sides
(Could have used the old ones but I went with New). I also used the
Old Sensors to "Dry Fit" Placement and Spacing before welding
New Bungs in place, See Below.
Stainless Bungs for Mid Pipes
(JEGS P/N = 555-30743, $7.99 each)
You need to decide if you are going to only use the front two O2 Sensors
and O2 Simulators (Sims) for the rear or all 4 O2 Sensors. (I selected to run all 4)
I got my Headers from Donnie (AlexsPop). They were already Jet Hot Coated
Inside and Out (Thanks Again Donnie
)
The Mopar Headers and Mids come with 4 O2 Sensor Bungs already installed.
All 4 of the Bungs are located right at the Collector. 1 each on the Headers and
1 each on the Mid Pipes.
Donnie had already thought ahead about a Wide Band Sensor and had and Extra
O2 Sensor Bung welded into the Driver's Side Mid Pipe located approx 3" from the
existing Bung. You may also wish to have an extra Bung put in for a future Wide Band.
You could also go really wild and have a Wide Band on each side.
****Warning**** Make sure you have all of the Bungs Welded in prior to having
the Headers and Mids Coated. Cutting, Grinding, and Welding after the coating
just makes for an Ugly Install.
****Warning**** When welding in the New Bungs, use a Bung Plug in the Bung
to prevent Welding "Slag" from getting inside the Bung and sticking to the Threads.
This can cause a real headache if you get your O2 Sensor stuck on "Slag" and
it breaks off inside the New Bung when trying to extract it.
***Warning***** When welding in the New Bungs, Make sure you have them put
in at a 45 degree angle, NOT Straight Up (Visually check this before approving the Weld.
They will hit on the Underside Heat Shield of the Truck (Especially on the
Passenger Side) and they will break off if the Exhaust Vibrates or
Truck Body Torques any.
Stainless Bung Plug for the extra Bung/Future Wide Band.
(JEGS P/N = 555-30748, $7.99 each)
Also if you go with High Flow Cats you will need to Plug Up the existing Bungs
on the Mid Pipes so the New Bungs can be placed Rear of the Catalytic Converters.
I wound up using 3 Bung Plugs.
*****Does your State Require Catalytic Converters? If High Flows are required
you will need to Weld or Clamp them in (I had mine Welded).
Virginia does, so I went with the Magnaflow High Flow PART# 59556.
Perfect Fit for the 2 1/2" Mopar Headers.***
**** If you go with Cats it will "Require" that you cut the Mid Pipes to "Splice them In".
You will also want to do this AFTER they have been Coated. To weld the Cats in
Before Coating would destroy the Cats during the coating process.****
Zip Ties to make sure the O2 sensor wires don't get anywhere near the heat
If the Headers are NOT Coated then you will need Heat Wrap. You basically
wrap them up like a Mummy from the Exhaust ports all the way to the Collector.
It is cheap so I got some to take care of things that are close to the Headers
(Wires, Cables, Hoses, etc....)
***** Warning***** If your Headers are Coated DO NOT HEAT WRAP THEM.
If you do it will Bake the Coating Off the Headers and you will have wasted all
the Time, Effort and Money it cost to get them Coated.
You may also want to wrap the Catalytic Converters to reduce any heat transfer
through the Floor of the Truck.
You will also want to "Trim" the Plastic Inside Fender Well just a little.
The Headers will either actually touch it or be so close that it will melt the Plastic.
Do a Dry Fit and Trim it ahead of time to prevent a "Stinky" Mess.
The above are the steps that I took in the Installation of my Mopar Headers and
Mid Pipes. After 250 miles they are working great, provide a Great Sound,
generate More Power, and the Best Part is there are NO Error Codes....
If you have questions about anything noted above please ask, I will
attempt to answer any and all questions or concerns you may have..
Sandy
