Long tubes installed

[blue00gt]

Well, I installed my new BBK long-tube headers and short H-pipe with cats this weekend. It gave me arthritis and a bad headache, but they are on there now. I can't imagine what it would have been like with the stock K-member. Took me a total of 10 hours with the help of a friend. You wouldn't believe how tight it is in there. Had to jack the passenger side up about 3 inches to get it in and the header bolts on that side require the assistance of a midget and a contortionist. Passenger side was touching the frame after installation and had to be dimpled to keep it from rattling. Also had to make my dipstick tube 2 pieces to get it back in. The long-tubes hang down further than the stock exhaust and ground clearance is now just over 3".
Now for the plus side. The seat of the pants meter tells me its noticeably quicker through the mid- and high-rpm range. Shifting hard into second without burning out in first used to yield a good solid bark or turn the tires over some. Now it just burns through second until I let off. Even with cats on the H-pipe and the stock mufflers still on there, it has a much deeper and more aggressive tone.
Loved the results, hated the install.