Hooker Longtube installation, specifically written for 96-97 dual-cat cars.

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What I used:

Jet Hot Coated Hooker Longtube Headers w/ O2 bungs pre-welded - $620
Custom Bent 3" Ypipe by Florida Performance - $250
Programmed PCM for !EGR, !AIR, !Rear O2's - ~$125
Fel Pro 1406 Gaskets, Stage 8 Locker Bolts, O2 Extenders - $100
Misc Stuff, RTV, Loc-Tite, LT4 KM - $100

1. Set aside a weekend
2. Disconnect your battery, remove your alternator, WD-40 as many of the bolts as you can reach. Remove all your spark plugs. and let your plug wires hang. If you don't have a way of remember the firing order from the opti, just label the wires.. K?
3. Start by lifting the car as high as you can, for the most part, you can work with the car lifted all the way up until you have to move your jack positioning when installing the passenger header. We were working with a 3-ton Floor jack at about 3/4 of it's maximum extension and jackstands at full reach, and it worked just fine.
4. Get comfy under the car because you'll be on your back for a while here. Start by removing the clamp off your catback connection to your ypipe. This is probably rusty as hell, and the ypipe will pretty much be "heat-welded" onto your catback. Don't worry about removing this yet, just take off the clamp. Remove the bolts that hold the ypipe to the car near the middle, and disconnect the rear O2 sensor.
5. Remove the bolts that connect the driver's side of the ypipe to the passenger side.
6. Drop the starter & disconnect the front passenger O2 sensor.
7. Get extensions & swivels ready, because you'll need them to get to the manifold/ypipe connection nuts on the passenger side. Try different combinations and lengths to get it to fit, and you'll be able to get them out.
8. When you disconnect the ypipe from the manifold, slowly bring it down and see if you are able to pull the ypipe out of the catback. If you can't, it really doesn't matter because you probably have a 2.5" inlet on your catback, and your new ypipe will have a 3" diameter, so break out the sawzall or whatever you have, and cut the catback's intermediate pipe as close to the 2.5" inlet as you can, leaving 3" pipe.
9. Leave this manifold in place for now, and start working on the driver's side, that way you can have the whole ypipe out and not have to hassle with it later. The driver's side ypipe is tough to take out because you have the huge catalytic converter canister in the way. I couldn't get the right angle to pull out the bolts from the ypipe/manifold connection, so we worked it a little differently.
10. Remove all the fittings from the driver's side manifold, pretty much just the AIR tubing connection. If you have something to plug the block coolant sensor, try it, we snapped mine when we took out the driver's side manifold and got stuck having to get a new one the next day. That said, remove the bolts from the driver's side manifold, and let it fall down, it won't come out yet because it doesn't fit out the bottom, just let it rest down there. It won't come out the top either with the cat still on, so don't bother. Disconnect the rest of the O2 sensor connections.
11. Get under the car and wiggle the ypipe/cat assembly around till you get the nuts off the bolts holding the ypipe to the manifold. I snapped one of the manifold bolts in this connection, but it snapped clean, and only because it was so rusty it gave out. Have someone hold the manifold up top so it doesn't fall on your head. :)
12. Pull the manifold from the top, and drop the ypipe from the bottom. Clean up the connection to the head and get it ready for later, take off any gunk or gasket material.
13. Lie on the motor, disconnect the EGR tube from the back on the intake manifold. This is held on by two nuts, remove, twist around clear of the manifold.
14. Under the car, grab a good set of aviation snips or something equivalent, first smash the EGR tube somewhere close to the manifold, then cut it with the snips. Just leave the remains on the manifold, it will come out with it.
15. Undo the bolt holding the dipstick tube to the motor, and pull out the tube, easier said than done, but it comes out, yes, it has to come out.
15. Disconnect the AIR connection, undo the bolts to the manifold, and drop it from the bottom.
16. Have a couple beers, you need them, your hands are cut up, and next it's time to put those longtubes in :)
17. Make sure you have the car up pretty high to get the right angle. Have coated headers? Use some masking tape and protect that longtube when going in, wrap them up (remember you'll have to take off the masking tape when you get the header in, so don't go too crazy). Get under the car and angle the driver's side longtube up and slide it up while someone is at the top to grab it. It should slide right in. If it doesn't, work with it a bit and change the angle until it slides in. When it does, grab your gasket, some loctite, the bolts, and get to work putting that one in. Congrats, driver's side is done.. too easy huh? Yep, wait until the next side :). Grab your front driver's side O2 sensor and go ahead and put that in to the longtube if you have the provisions in the collector.
18. Passenger side, every car is different, so this will vary from car to car. You'll have to loosen the passenger side motor mount, because you need to lift the motor up to get the passenger side header in from the top (Doesn't go in from the bottom.) We jacked up the motor using the crank pulley and a weird combination of blocks of wood to get the motor lifted enough. Loosen the mount by slightly raisin the motor and messing with the bolt until it comes out, this puppy is on tight, so it'll take some work. Jack up the motor, wrap up the header if coated, and try sliding in from the top. Need more clearance? Try taking off the valve cover, I had to, and finally we got the header in. Go ahead and bolt up your header to the motor. Install your O2 in the passenger collector.
19. You're almost there, it's reassembly time. Put your plugs back in, check/tighten all bolts to the header/head connection. Reconnect your plug wires and get ready to use some zip ties, you need to move EVERYTHING that is in those header's way. You can use the stock routing for the most part, but make sure to clear those headers or else you'll have a misfire party. Other things to check are the ABS sensor connections and wires, you'll need to move those around. There's another harness on the passenger side that also needs to be tied back. Remember that EGR tube? get the end that connects to the intake manifold, cut the tube itself real short, but long enough to crimp the end, cut it, smash the end (look for the picture in the install pictures section) and place it on the back of your intake manifold. I sealed the cut and crimp with some RTV, it's not pretty, but noone sees it, and it works. Plug in your O2 extenders and connect your O2's. Tie up the slack you have left in your extenders. Put your starter back in, alternator, reassemble everything. Check all your connections. Don't have your PCM programmed for !rear O2's? Plug in your O2 simulators.
20. Have a mufflex Ypipe? I didn't, I had one custom made and that's what I recommend. I've heard lining up the mufflex Y is a real pain, so if you have one, just work with it as much as you can to make it fit leak free. If you can't get it to fit, you're gonna have to head to your local PERFORMANCE exhaust shop, hopefully not the midas/meinikie down the street.
21. This is all I can think of right now, I'll re-read it tomorrow to see if I missed anything. If you spot something I missed and have done this install before, please email me. javier@zmydust.com Personally, I still need to remove my AIR pump and tubing, and my entire EGR system from the car, although it's deprogrammed from the PCM.

 

 

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