Headers for a 2004 Ext. Cab, get em or no?

[KrazyKevin]

I got the Jesse tune with a K&N and descreened MAF sensor. Now I want more. I've seen many people suggest headers. But from people that I talk to daily, they scare me by mentioning all the headaches that come with headers. Are they worth it? Everyone mentions exhaust leaks, heat under the hood, and that some of them are loud, kinda a pinging sound???? I just don't know if I need this since this is my everyday work/family truck. What do you guys think? I lot of these guys are old school, have headers gotten any better, as with leaks and such? thanks for any advice.


PS. If not headers, what would be the logical next step other than a Cold air intake?

[H&S_Miner]

why would you want headers, the truck came perfect from the factory :crazy:


with headers, you sometimes get what you pay for. if you do a search on here, you should find lots of helpful info. about headers, both long tube and short tube.

as long as you put some anti=sieze (i believe) on the olts before you put em in and you torque em right and check once in a while it shouldn't be a big deal. Also try and look for headers that have a nice, good, thick flange on them and have good welds.

[mikeoxlong]

I wouldn't bother with headers unless you get long-tubes. I have Thorley Tri-Ys, which on the NBS trucks is a full-length. I'm sure about NA performance gains, but there was definitely a difference with my blower. The cheapest longtubes I've seen are here (http://www.texas-speed.com/9904TRUCKS.asp).

[Atomic]

I have eldelbrock shorties and noticed a gain in the upper speed range (70+)

1 think I dont like about them is they make this kind of airy sound, doesnt sound right but everything is fine, so whatever. Passenger side fitted great, no trouble. The drive side had a small leak on the back cylinder which the addition of the stock plus included gasket fixed.

[ShunD's05RST]

MAN GET SOME HEADERS, I have a 05 extended cab with hooker long tubes and love them, before that i had JBA shorties, but i wanted a little more power so i went with the long tubes.. As for leaks, aint going to happen if they are installed right, heat under the hood, no more than stock specially if you get ceramic coated headers. As for installing, not that big of a deal IF YOU HAVE A LIFT, otherwise it can be a pain. But its all worth it when you blow by your buddies!!!.. By the way i'm running a 22'' hooker aero chamber muffler with duel turn downs and no cats and it sounds awesome

[KrazyKevin]

Shun, what kind of gains did you see after you installed your headers?

[H&S_Miner]

Shun, what kind of gains did you see after you installed your headers?

deending upon what headers you get this will change.

long tubes will give you better gains in the lowend while shorties will give you more gains in the upper range.

[YenkoST]

With ceramic coating I did a comparison on my Edelbrock uncoated headers versus my dad's/brothers/best friends headers and they all were 200 degrees less than mine on each primary....that says that they keep the engine compartment cooler!!

[KrazyKevin]

Is the sound gonna be that much louder than my 14" magnaflow with dual turndowns?

[ShunD's05RST]

It will change the sound a little, but as for the gains kevin, didnt see much with the shorties but the long tubes make alot more power. Definitely worth the exra money!!

[Pauly]

The cheaper the header usually the thinner the header tubing. edelbrock has the the thinest on the market, I think they are 18 guage. I have been told that even with no leaks the Edelbrock headers tick a lot.

Hookers are 14 and 16 guage tubing, mine are quiet.

these headers are for the newer trucks
http://www.stainlessworks.net/cart/index.php?cPath=94_265_362

They come either as headers only, headers with cheater pipes and headers and cats.
these are stainless steel with 1 3/4" primaries and 3" collectors. I would use these on a 6.0 or a highly modded cam and headed , supercharged or nitroused 5.3l. They are pretty big for a stock 5.3L. But they would work, they would have good gains in the upper rpms for sure.

these are Hooker shorties
http://www.holley.com/data/products/pictures/large2083-1HKR.jpg
they have 16 guage tubes that are 1.625"


Hooker longtubes, these are from their Super Competition Series for the 99-05 trucksin 2wd are 285 1hkr coated, 2850 hrk black paint these are 1.625"x 3" collectors
the 2851 1hrk coated and 2851 hkr black paint longtubes are 1 3/4" x 3" collectros, both of these Hooker longtubes are 18 gauge with 5/16" flanges.

My 1997 Hooker Competition(not super comps) are 1 5/8 x 2.5" with 16 gauge tubing with 5/16" flanges.

The headers are from The Other Guys Headers, these are for the 4.8 and 5.3
http://www.performance-exhaust-headers.com/chevrolet/chevy-580022.html

these are for the 6.0 , looks like they come with dual 3" headpipes
http://www.performance-exhaust-headers.com/chevrolet/chevy-600222.html

The Other Guys, use 1/2" thick flanges and 14 gauge pipes, these are some of thebest headers available, they are expensive though.
here is their homepage, http://www.performance-exhaust-headers.com/

I wonder if you could get the TOG 6.0 headers with the dual 3" headpipes and use them on a 1.2 ton. That would be awesome. It looks as though the TOG's are a mid length header.


I would put my money eslewhere in a NBS truck, these trucks need some better low rpm torque help, a torque converter would be the ticket. A Torque Converter out of a Chevy Trailblazer withthe 4,2l inline six is the hot ticket for the NBS engines, it stalls to around 2600rpm behind a 5,3, more if its a 6.0, less if its a 4.8.
there are people here that are getting Yank torque converters, some of these things can shve up to 3/4 of asecond off your 1/4 mile ET and only affect in town driving when the TCC isnt locked. On the highway it drives like stock, until you hammer on it, then the TCC unlocks and your engine is in its powerband no matter what gear you are in. The TC helps lower the rpm drop when the trans shfts gears, they help at any speed, not just from a dead stop. with a trans cooler and a sensible sctall speed, towing capacity isnt affected.

If you are stuck on headers, get the longest primary tubes you can find, these trcuks come with excellent exhausts from the factory, save for the mufflers. The manifolds cats, pipes and tail pipes all are good, just hack off the stock muffler and install a high flow unit. As stated before, thick flanges and retorquing the bolts will keep them from leaking. I would be tempetd to buy longtube headers that came complete with headpipes and cats, so you dont have top spend as much at the local exhaust shop, getting everything welded in. Not many longtube headers will just bolt into the stock exhaust as they exit a lot farther back than the stock manifolds and shorty headers.

With my longtubes, dual 2.5" exhaust(headpipes, cats and muffler) and an ed Wright tune(100%)TM removed, I dropped my 1/4 mile time by 3/4 of a second.

If you spent $600 on a set of headers or $600 of a higher stall torque converter, I am afraid to say it, but I think the TC will give you better acceleration.

i have spent a lot of money on boltons, Iwish I have just gotten a low boost supercharger at the start, I would have been much faster and quicker than I am now. Instead of getting my K&N FIPK, Jet PCM and Lock rite locker by Powertrax, I could have taken that money and bought a brand new 5 clutch Precision Industries or similar Yank Torque converter, I would have had a better gain than all 3 of those things combined. Oh well burn and learn I guess.

Paully

[Z71dook]

i would think that your de screaned maf would be more of a concerne than headers..

[Loudnfast91]

If you decide on headers, get a long tube tri-y design, and get them coated. The guy who had my truck before me bought the non-coated ones, and they are blue and look like sh!t

[ShunD's05RST]

I agree with you Z71dook, I had Thunder Racing install a cam in my truck and they said DO NOT descreen the MAF.. It screws the timing up, because of invalid readings.