I bought for $321.75 (after tax here in CA) the FlyRyde 4-1 Megan Racing header. Here are some pics of the product:
The tools I used for this installation are:
-The FlyRyde Megan Racing 4-1 Header ($300.00 before tax)
-Arkspeedracing CEL eliminator ($25.00 before tax)
-3/8"-drive ratchet
-1/4"-drive ratchet
-10-mm wrench to disconnect the negative terminal of the battery
-10-mm socket (for engine cover), 12-mm socket (for heat shield), 14-mm socket (for the 9 EM/cat unit bolts), 19-mm socket (for screwing down the nut I bought at an industrial hardware store since the header didn't come with flange bolts and nuts)
-3/8"-drive oxygen sensor remover socket (borrowed from the local Autozone)
-7/8 wrench for uninstall of the secondary oxygen sensor on the flex pipe + hollow metal pipe for added leverage
-3/4 wrench for screwing down the nut and bolt I bought at an industrial hardware store since the header didn't come with flange bolts and nuts)
-Two 2-ton jack stands
-A hydraulic jack
-A creeper
-A can of PB Blaster penetration fluid to loosen up the bolts and nuts
-Anti-seize compound (for application on the oxygen sensors and for the flange bolts and nuts)
***My Installation Steps
**
(1) First thing I did was disconnect the negative terminal of the battery using a 10-mm wrench.
(2) I then jacked up the car using a hydraulic jack and supported the car with two 2-ton jack stands. Don't forget to block the rear wheels with wheel blocks.
(3) I popped the hood open and took off the engine cover using the 10-mm socket.
(4) Then came off the heat shield. I used a 12-mm socket and took out the four bolts. These bolts were on really tight so I stuck the end of my ratchet into a hollow pipe for additional leverage. Then the bolts came off really easily.
(5) I then unscrewed the nine nuts that hold down the factory
exhaust manifold/catalytic converter unit (EM/cat unit) by using a 14-mm socket. Here is a picture after I took off all nine nuts.
(6) I went underneath the car and loosened the two flange nuts. The picture below shows the flange on the flex pipe with the nuts already removed.
(7) Now that the EM/cat unit is loose, I uninstalled it by pulling the header out from above. I had to pull back on the
dipstick piping in order to wiggle the EM/cat unit free. Once the EM/cat unit is off, I then took off the two factory gaskets and replaced them with the gaskets provided by FlyRyde. At this stage, I also loosened the two clamps on the upper radiator hose and
turned the direction in the opposite direction. I did this in order to prevent the radiator hose from making direct contact with the header and melting. I also took off the
bracket that supports the flex pipe as well as the
bracket that holds down your primary oxygen sensor wiring. See picture below for reference.
(
In the next step, I used an oxygen sensor remover socket that I borrowed from Autozone to take the primary oxygen sensor off the factory EM/cat unit. I then threaded in the oxygen sensor onto the FlyRyde header. Before I threaded it in, I coated the threads with some
anti-seize compound.
(9) Before I installed the FlyRyde header, I had to make some clearance room by taking off some bolts from the bracket that holds down the power steering pump and the alternator. See picture below for the bolts that I unloosened. Don't worry about the P/S pump and alternator falling off. As long as you only remove the bolts that I pointed to, the unit will become more flexible and movable but they won't fall apart. Be careful you don't move it around too much or the P/S belt may slip off.
(10) Finally, after making some clearance room, I bent back the dipstick piping even more then wiggled in the FlyRyde header. After this step, I re-used the factory nuts and bolted the header down tightly. I couldn't fit my 3/8"-drive torque wrench in the spaces between the tubing, so instead, I used a 14-mm wrench to tighten the nuts down with a generous amount of force applied.
(11) Next I crawled underneath the car and lined up the flange of the flex pipe to the flange of the header. At first, the fit was off. So I pushed the flex pipe to the left to make them line up. Once lined up, I tightened the flanges together using the 1/2"-bolts and nuts I purchased from an industrial hardware store. The nuts I bought were of the one-time, self-locking type.
(12) I ran into a problem while I was down there tightening together the flanges. With the flex pipe in its new location, I noticed that the flange of the flex pipe was now making contact with the side of the oil pan. To prevent metallic clunking noises and damage during driving, I wedged in some Home Depot padding material. See pictures below to see what I did.
