LT install status

[Redtruck-VA]

Ok, here's the status. I got a set of LT Pacesetter's used and finally cleaned-up the collectors as the pipes on the previous truck were just cut off. Something I noticed while I was removing the pieces of old pipe and the welds is the ceramic needs to ground off to make a good weld. Tapped the O2 bung holes. Got my OEM exhuast bolts all cut to proper lenght, OEM gaskets. Pacesetter 3" Y pipe. I'll take the cats (OEM 03 cats) to the machine shop tomorrow and cut the ends off of them to remove the choke points on either ends. I got a lift lined up this weekend and a helper. So this looks like I'm finally ready for the header install. OBTW, Red is running great and I am excited by what the headers might do. Springs and cam next week if all goes well. As a side note, if this all goes well and I don't get caught up trying to sort shit out, I'm going to drop her another inch all around. wish me luck...

Edit: I am following Ryans lead as he has a really good LT install and provided a ton of pictures. Thanks Ryan.

[Silverbullet08]

Goodluck its pretty straight forward. One advise. Disconnect the battery lol

[Redtruck-VA]

Goodluck its pretty straight forward. One advise. Disconnect the battery lol

Oh yes, i don't like surprises or the smell of burning wire....:naughty:

[ORT]

LT's aren't bad to install at all. And with a lift you should be golden.

[Redtruck-VA]

That's what I am hoping for, I really don't want to struggle with it on the ground.

[OklaHemi]

good luck greg.

[Redtruck-VA]

I appreciate the support, I feel it will be a easy install. I just got to get my fat ass under the truck to get it done.

Thanks,

[ORT]

That's what I am hoping for, I really don't want to struggle with it on the ground.

Been there with the ground install, outdoors in January. Not fun.

[Redtruck-VA]

Been there with the ground install, outdoors in January. Not fun.

Oh, in my younger years it didn't so much bother me. But I've become slow and lazy. But it'll be done this weekend and I stop complaining... lol

[Redtruck-VA]

Got the OEM cats all cut and cleaned, everything is a go as of now. I'll pull the fender liners at the house on Friday. Now I'm excited....

[Silverbullet08]

same here installing on the ground not fun even more when u almost burned down your truck lol

[Redtruck-VA]

You know there are a few basic rules in life, never tell the bride she is looking fat/old or worn out. Do not set the house/garage/truck on fire. Absolutely no shooting in the house (no matter what). And a note to my wife this includes both porches and the heater. No rebuilding any transmissions/engines or rearends in the spare bedroom. No running any gas engines in the house, this includes electric driven vehicles over 3hp. And no BBQ'n inside closed spaces, even if it was a fresh kill and cold outside.

http://img684.imageshack.us/img684/7387/dboldman1.jpg (http://img684.imageshack.us/i/dboldman1.jpg/)

[Redtruck-VA]

Got the inner fender liners pulled. Easy enough to to do and gives a lot of room to work. Removed the heat shields and broke a bolt on each side. So this will probably be an indication of things to come. Sprayed the bolts with WD-40, so who knows. I am ready to do this.

[Redtruck-VA]

The shop I had lined up to use this weekend isn't available and it's too late to set up another place to do the work, so it'll be done on ramps and jack stands at the house. I'll install the headers and Y pipe without the cats and then go to my backup shop Monday to put the cats in. I hate having to redo shit, but that's the way it goes sometimes.

[Redtruck-VA]

After a little more than 6 hours by myself I can say the headers are installed. The headers being used I assumed all the bolt holes would line up, wrong the front lower hole on the passenger side would not line up and I eneded up grinding a slot and finally it bolted up. It would have been a 2 minute job with the header off but took longer installed. I only have the headers on and the rest looks like it'll be a easy job. I am now thinking of mocking up the cats and the rest of the piping and carry it to the shop and then finish it at the house. Anyway great fun..

[ORT]

That one bolt hole on these headers doesn't seem to line up for some of us and lines up nice for others. I ran into the same problem you did and just slotted the flange. That was a few years ago and never had a leak there.

[txbass06]

Sucks about the install and alignment issue, but I'd be willing to bet it's all worth it. How about a vid with open headers lol

[Redtruck-VA]

I'll get some pictures up later. Today I'll put the inner fenders back in and do the mock-up for the cats. I don't have a camera to take vids, unless my Blackberry does and I don't know about it. The wiring on the drivers side under the truck near the collector has a lot of wires and tubing I am going to have to insulate.

Edit: Checked the previous work and tightened the header bolts, wraped the starter motor with some thermo shield, moved the wires under the truck as high as I could, bundled the mess together and cut up the OEM heat shields from the manifolds and wraped the bundle with the shields. holding them in place with some stainless steel ties and a couple of pieces of wire. Mocked the exhaust pipes together trimming here and pulling there to get everything lined up. Made a neat slip coupler to connect to the muffler. If I had a 02 bung installed I could have put it togather. Now for the problem, The OEM cats will fit bet just barely and they will be laying on the cross member. i don't know how Ryan got his in there but I'm going with something different, for now it'll be running without cats. All is good..

Edit: Found these on Summit, They are only 4" in diameter. What do you all think?

http://www.summitracing.com/parts/MPE-54959/

[Redtruck-VA]

I'm bumping to show my updates...

[txbass06]

Once I get around to going my exhaust, I was planning on running those exact cats. I'm just not sure how I'd do it since my stock cat is a dual in/single out...


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[Redtruck-VA]

Mark, it is hard to say for certain, but my guess dumping the OEM cat will make good gains for you. Do you have 2-1/2" inlet and a 3" outlet? If so, then you have several options. You could use the Magnaflow style "Y" pipe in place of the cat and install a 3" in/out single cat further down the line. Or headers and run dual cats, still using a high flowing "Y" pipe to take it back to a single pipe. Or maybe true duals if you have the room. I ran one of my chevies with only a cat and no muffler. It was piped all the way to the rear and sounded good. Just climb under the truck and start figuring what you want. More than likely your gas mileage will like whatever you do.

[txbass06]

Pretty sure it's 2 1/2" in. I know for certain it's 2 1/2" out back of the cat. I'll get under there and take a look tonight. The plan is LT's, Y-pipe into a single hi-flow cat, cutout, then probably a 3" dumped bullet


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[Redtruck-VA]

Pick your parts and go with it. With LT's you should be able to gp 3" all the way to the muffler. The 03 OEM cat flows very well and they are available used.

[Redtruck-VA]

Update,
ok I'm not happy with the size of the OEM cat (6" diameter) this is a real disappointment because I have been planning on using them for some time. But I really don't like how tight they fit. The location is good, just above the cross member, but tight. So I ordered a pair of 4" diameter cat for a #6000 vehicle. This ought to be good.

http://www.summitracing.com/parts/MPE-59959/

Did I mention I'm a real pain in the ass when it comes to fit and finished.

[ORT]

Hopefully that cat will perform better for you than the stocker would anyway. I tried going back to stock cats at one point after using high flows bc I had heard some talk that the stockers actually performed better. It wasn't the case at all, I lost a couple tenths in the 1/8 by going to stockers. Put high flows back on and got the couple of tenths right back.

[Redtruck-VA]

Jason,
I hope I didn't screw you up with the comments I have made about Hiflow cats. I thought I would experiement a little last year when I was installing the wideband and kill two birds with one stone and installed what I thought was a Hiflow cat and lost a couple tenths. The cat looked good as it came with two o2 bungs built in. But now I believe this cat is a standard universal and not a Hiflow. So any statement I have made about OEM cats out flowing the Hiflow was in error. When this cat (Hiflow?) was installed I lost about 2 tenths in 0-60mph runs. I am a big fan of OEM cats. But with the two new Magnaflow cats going in I'll have peace of mind as I will never have had the chance to compare them heads up with the OEM cats. But these two will surely out perform a single OEM, so all is good.

[Redtruck-VA]

Gentlemen, I got the tracking number for the new cats and they will arrive tomorrow. This is actually a day sooner than I expected. I am so ready to finish this up.

[Redtruck-VA]

Ok, it's 7pm and I just got the cats delivered, first thing in the morning I'm getting some welding done and I'll have Red back together. I'll post up some video's to share what it sounds like. These mods are fairly simple but damn it seems I have a bit of a time getting them finished. All is good.

[Silverbullet08]

sweet! im about to pull the trigger on my exhaust

[ORT]

Ok, it's 7pm and I just got the cats delivered, first thing in the morning I'm getting some welding done and I'll have Red back together. I'll post up some video's to share what it sounds like. These mods are fairly simple but damn it seems I have a bit of a time getting them finished. All is good.

Get those things on so we can hear that exhaust!

[Redtruck-VA]

Well I just came in the house. I really like firing up fresh headers, it can always go two ways, totally uneventful or to hell in a handbag. This was uneventful. I watched the A/F gauge and it wanted to run at 14.0 until the adaptives took over and pushed it back up to the normal 14.7. This tells me they are flowing good. I have a pretty good ear spotting rides with tube headers and I'm going to say I would be hard pressed to say it had headers on it by just listening to it.

http://img18.imageshack.us/img18/8800/img2011042800021.jpg (http://img18.imageshack.us/i/img2011042800021.jpg/)

This the pictures of the pieces I took to the weld shop this morning and installed. Everything is completely installed now. If I can get the old girl cleaned up a little I post a video. Life is good...

[Redtruck-VA]

Well I got her cleaned up a little just in time for the rain to start again. I tried a video, which is my frist attempt at such a thing and it was as expected not very good and the audio completely sucked. This is going to take some more effort. sorry. I do have a general impression that the off idle cripness is a bit off, but does come on strong higher up. I think I can tune it back in, but with the cam going in shortly I probably won't bother.