Header Install
I picked up a used Pacesetter header from a CelicaSupra.com list member. I needed to do several things to make it work the way I wanted it to. I needed to put a flange on it so I would be able to easily unbolt it when I wanted to swap it out for a turbo downpipe. I also needed to relocate the o2 sensor bung as Pacesetter put it in a bad place. Also it needed some kind of wrap or coating to help keep the heat down.
The collector on the headder is 2 inch pipe, my catalytic converter and exhaust are both 2.5 inch. I went to my local parts store and bought a 2 to 2.5 inch exhaust coupler. I then needed a way to bolt the whole thing to the rest of the system. I went to an exhaust shop and bought a 2.5 inch 2 bolt exhaust flange. Here is a picture of all that tack welded into place after test fitting it on the car to get the positioning correct.
Next the original o2 sensor pipe was cut off pinched shut and welded closed. At the parts store again I picked up a spark plug non fouler from the HELP section of the parts store. You know all the little things in the red packages like varous caps, switches, bolts, grommets, and things of that sort that every parts store carries. o2 sensors just happen to be the same thread as spark plugs, so if you cut the end off one of these things and weld it to the headder you can screw in any regular o2 sensor you want. I placed it in one of the collectors where the primary tubes come together. This is similar to the placement of the o2 sensor in the Doug Thorley headers and it seems to work well there. Here is a picture of it in place.
Here is a shot of the side of the block and cylinder head that the header bolts to.
And here it is installed and ready to go. It was actually very easy to install the header. The power steering pump did not have to be removed like I thought it would, however I did have to remove the charcoal canister and a vacuum canister that is bolted to the frame but it was a total of 3 bolts to take both of those off. The car is actually quieter now during normal driving, it does not drone like it used to while you were cruising but if you open it up it does get pretty loud especially above 5000 rpm where this thing really starts to pull hard.
Created by Wesley Hetrick 5/1/2003