Identity_X

I just picked up a Pacesetter header and I got a few questions before I attempt to install it:

1.) Can I in any way make the header perform better? Enlarge the inlet openings or something along those lines?

2.) I have no idea what the coating of the header is. Judging by the pictures, can you determine what the coating is? On one side the header is starting to rust so I am thinking of painting it to prevent further corrosion. Should I look into special header paint or would any high temp paint do the job (caliper paint, valve cover paint ….etc)? I would ceramic coat it but I have no idea where to get that done and how much it would cost.

3.) How hard is it to install it? It seems like the heat shield would be a bitch to take off because there is very little room for work??? Will anything else need to be removed so the heat shield can come out?

Any other suggestions will be appreciated as well. Thanks guys!

ne3ek

I can help you with number 3... It's not toooo hard. The heatshields bolts aren't that bad, I believe one was in a tought area, it's located on the right towards the middle of the manifold. Be careful, those bolts can't wait to break. I would suggest getting a new manifold and downpipe gasket, they can't be in good shape

Umm think you -may- have to remove your radiator (not for the heatshield, but for the actual manifold).. I can't remember if I did (it was a long time ago) I'm sure someone else can elaborate. It comes with an o2 sensor too! sweet, mine broke when i was removing it, not fun at all.. good luck dude. Hope some of this jibberish helps lol

Identity_X

I'll have to pick up the gaskets. After 12 years, I am pretty sure they need changing anyways.

As for having to remove the radiator. If so, this would be a pain. I just replaced the lower radiator hose like month ago. Still can't get the smell of antifreeze out of my head......blah......
Thanks for the input, but I truly hope you are wrong on the radiator part.

mazdaspeedwest

Are you sure it's a Pacesetter?

All the ones i've seen are 1 peice.

Davard

Yeah, mine is one (long) piece. The Genie is two piece, but is a 4-2-1, and just as long as the Pacesetter. Don't know who's header than is. Maybe Gude?

Removing the radiator makes things easier, but might not be needed to install that header.

happydog2

Performance Coatings http://www.performancecoatings.com/ do a terrific job of header coating...they'll coat both the inside and outside of your header for $140. Coating the inside not only inhibits corrosion, but also helps reduce under-hood temperature by getting more of the heat out the exhaust before it can soak into the metal (make sense?).

I would remove the radiator for this job...it's surprisignly easy and quick, and it will give you a LOT more room to work and you'll reduce your chances of damaging your radiator. Remember, when you take it out, you can leave your cooling fan attached. Remember to plug your fan back in when reassembling.

Jim

Identity_X

The header was sold to me as a Pacesetter by a EGT owner. It seems like he was a little confused. The header is not a Pacesetter and it is not a Genie. I would assume that it’s a Gude, but I haven’t been able to find a picture of a Gude header so I am not certain. I am still waiting for a reply from the guy who sold it to me. Maybe he made an error while advertising his sale. Anyways, I really wish I can ceramic coat the header but as of now it is out of my budget range. I have not been able to find a place online that will do it for less than $100. Today I began the installation. Didn’t have much more time than just to take the heat shield off. I was surprised that the bolts hoding it actually moved as they were rusted badly. There’s 8 of them and although room for work was really limited I was able to unscrew them without any trouble. Taking the heatshield out was a bit tricky. I removed the fan for more room and was able to pull the heatshield out from the top. I did bend some of the fins on the radiator, but not that many of them. I am hoping that I would not need to take the radiator off when removing the actual header. Tomorrow I am off to the local auto stores for gaskets. Here’s a pic of the stock header with the heatshield off:

Identity_X

I went to Autozone, PepBoys, and CarQuest today and none of them had the exhaust manifold gasket in stock. Autozone was the only place that I had an option of ordering it from, the other places did not carry that part whatsoever. I don’t have time to wait for a gasket because I am stranded with no car as long as the header is off. I’ll probably end up using my current one. It’s all metal and seems to be in decent shape for its age. Taking off the exhaust manifold wasn’t fun. The bolts were in some hard to reach places and my hands got cut up along the way. Definitely not fun. The damn thing was heavy too. Out of curiosity I took a scale out and weighted both of the headers. According to the scale the oem one is approximately 14lb and the one I am putting on is around 4lb. A 10lb difference is a lot. The heat shield is another pound or two as well. I ran out of time for today, but I am hoping to complete the job tomorrow. It’s taking me much longer than I expected. Here are some pictures for comparison:

THAPRO1

man 10 lbs? thats pretty kool i'm looking for a header too out of the 3 mentioned who is the best in you guys opinon? which makes the most power? thanks

Identity_X

That's good to know. I am pretty sure that this is the Gude header then, because the guy that I bought it from said that it was a 're-weld' He probably welded on the O2 sensor as you suggested. Thanks for that info. Hopefully I'll still be able to pass emissions with this thing on.

Identity_X

Well, the header is officially on. I just came back from a test drive and I must say that I am really happy with it. I was very surprised at the difference it made especially between 2-4k rpm. The car ‘picks up’ a lot faster now. It also changed the sound a bit. I do hear some rattling and I have to locate it and fix it because it is annoying. Overall this was definitely worth the money. The need for speed is satisfied………for now.

Here’s a picture of what the header looks like installed:

mazdaspeedwest

Don't worry it gets easier with time , last time i swapped out my RMM header for stock (had to weld a crack) and then swapped it back in, i had it down to a 35min job, off and on.

Also, you'll notice a bit more gain if you add a better downpipe back to the cat.

Identity_X

What size downpipe would you suggest for NA? Will 2.5" be the 'ideal' size? I am asking because this is will be done in the near future due to a lot of rust on the existing piping.

As for the price, I got it for $62 from an Escort GT owner. Used, but in a damn good condition for the money I spent for it. Definately one of the better investments so far.

beachnut

Congrats on the tough job! I don't care what Darryl says, I'm never messing with my exhaust again ! But dude, you're getting rusty or something - took you like 11 minutes !

Identity_X

Well.....I am getting older and that's why. It was a tough job but you know that the more effort you spend doing something, the sweeter it feels once you have it all done.