SA/JJ Headers and Exhaust

[SamW]

Well, I have had the JJ/SA (Jungle Justice/South Afrincan) headers for almost a year and I finally got around to getting them installed today, along with the headers I am having a completely custom exhaust system done also. And I am in a good position to compare them to the CSC on my GTV6 because I just put a new starter motor on the GTV6 over the last two days.

I was lucky to find a shop that let me come in and replace the headers at the shop since the you can't really put on the SA headers on in the driveway and drive to the shop. Anyway, to be fair, I put the CSC headers on the first time with the engine out of the car, so that always makes thing easier, but I had to pull the drivers side off for the starter motor. The SA headers were a tight fit and I found you had to leave the original studs in place then slide the headers over the three studs then screw the other three stud in through the header, so it might be easier on some of those to use bolts, but still they are a tight fit, and there is one stud I am going to need a jam nut to get it to fit because there is not enough clearance between the pipe and the flange to get a normal thick nut on. The only other two issues is that there is not a cut out for the dip stick, so you need to grind some metal off the header and or block to get the dispstick in. This really should not be a problem if you attack it first, also on the passenger side you might want to remove some metal from the bottom side of the header were it gets close to the starter motor, it was very close to the battery connect at the starter. If you have the newer smaller starter, this may not be an issue because it is smaller (as I found out on the GTV6, plus you can use a starter blanket as a heat shield instead of adapting the original heat shield by relocating the mounting tabs which would be necessary on either). IMHO both are very good products, I will talk about performance when I get the car back, but both require a little bit of work to get the fit just right, I think the CSC goes on the head easier, but I thing the SA headers will attach to the the front section much easier, so it all depends on what you want, I like them both.

Here is the new front section, added flex joints and a two in one out cat, currently the out is 3" but wil be reduced down to 2.5" to get around the rear suspension.

There is a O2 mount at the top of the cat, so there will be a hole in the heat shield for the sensor to go through, plus I will add another on the side for the Dyno shop (I have GoTech also which I really like, but have avoided spending too much time programming until this exhaust is done).

Also, the CSC with the new starter and blanket heat shield.

[Hit an Apex]

Hows it sound?

[75evo]

Performance improvement? Was this on the 3.0?

[SamW]

The exhaust shop has only finished the front section, so no sound yet, it was quite loud with open headers...

Yes, this is a 3.0 with S cams and GoTech, once she is back together I can see how much she has been leaned out by the headers and exhaust, the old system was pretty ratty, so I am expecting big gains.

[junglejustice]

Good job Sam!

So, I see that you (as I and a few others), also forgot to first pass the header flange around the BACK side of the dip-stick tube before installing it... - NO GRINDING THERE!?

Header comes off, slightly bend the tube forward, slide the header over it and on to the head and push the tube back a bit - OR - remove the dipstick tube with the nut at the bottom - install the header and reinstall the tube...

Yeah, any time you move towards that performance gain-point with an application of XXX size where the engineers only provided enough room for say X size safely (and most aftermarket suppliers have only gone as far as say, XX size - you will run in to a problem trying to now fit XXX...)

You are physically installing a much larger primary but you are not moving the spacing of the header studs in the head - something has to give... That is why the CSCs (while they look nice and fit relatively easy) are TOO small for the 3.0 litres and larger engines! I have seen it with my own eyes - the CSCs are fine for a 2.5 but rob power from the 3.0!

On most all of the Chevy/Ford/Mopar after-market crap I have seen, the guys usually have to slide the new aftermarket header on part of the way, get the more difficult nuts started, slide the header on some more, wiggle-wiggle, slide some more, spin more thread and so on...

I have personally installed 2-3 of the SA sets similar to yours and maybe 3 more of the other various types in to TA cars and was (maybe just) lucky that I did not have to grind or relieve anything! Then again - I am running sans the starter heat-shield!

I do see that on my new mean angry set for the 3.7 - I will have to grind a bit on the block on the one side... Its all a compromise when in search of power!

[75evo]

JJ,

What is the size of the primaries?

[Greg Gordon]

These look like ideal supercharging headers. Are they stainless, and if so does that mean the welds are stainless as well? I am just wondering if it's worth coating them. I think there might be a set on the way to my place.

[SamW]

Hey JJ on the 12v the dipstick tube does not reach the headers, sits below, I have a 2.5 block on a stand and looked at it, pretty thick tubing, so I put a grinder to it, you know me, it's nothing for me to put a grinder to the a nice set of headers (ha!), the only other issue I had was on the driver's side I had to grind down part of the mount, the front primary was hitting it and keeping that side from seating properly, but I took care of that, so no problem. I got around the taking studs out by jacking up the motor a little, and the little jam nut worked on that one stud, so after a little bit, not too bad to take on and off.

Everything is mounted and fitted and it sounds great! I took her for a short driver yesterday and my seat of the pants meter (which is not always good) feels a lot more torque, she really gets up the hills around here well. I stuck an extra O2 bung on the out side of the passenger down pipe for the Dyno shop, so after a little rear suspension and transaxle work, I will go get her dyno tuned and see what she does, I am looking forward to that!

Here are a few pictures, heat shield, motor mount mod, everything together.

[SamW]

And a few more of the final product.

[SamW]

Greg, I think they are but I am not sure about the welds, they were coated when I got them, I think they would make good super charged headers, but JJ will have to answer about the welds.

[Greg Gordon]

Thanks Sam.

[75evo]

SamW,

What is the outer diameter of the header primariy pipe?

Thanks.

[Greg Gordon]

Well, in any case they are on the way here. I can't wait.

[SamW]

75evo, I just stuck a caliper on it and got an out side diameter of 43mm or 1&43/64ths inches, but they have been coated, I sure JJ can give you a more accurate number.

Good Greg! I think you will find my tips helpful, let me know if you have to do the same things to get them fitted. You may want to use some high temp silly-cone to fit the down pipe flange, the exhaust shop intalled some gaskets that are just barely smaller then the opening, bolt holes line up, so I am using them, but if they burn out, I am going to the silly-cone like what I use on my CSC headers

[DaveH]

Quote:

Originally Posted by SamW ....the exhaust shop intalled some gaskets that are just barely smaller then the opening, bolt holes line up, so I am using them....