Well I took last Thursday and Friday off to get the job done. I'm glad I did. It took the better part of both days get it done. The headers went in pretty easy. I did not have to drop the oversize oil filter or the (mini) starter. No bending tubes or anything either. I already had 45 deg header plug wires and insulators anyway so that was good. The only issue I ran into was that the header flanges were not clearanced for the lower row of head bolts. Considering these things slid in like butter otherwise, this surprised me. I would also say that I am a little upset at how close the collectors are to the frame. I would have liked a little more clearance there.
The H-pipe kit was even easier to install. No complaints there. I installed it right off the header reducers and used the V shaped pipe to get under the transmission pan.
My biggest headache was getting the old pipes to work. Somebody had split a larger diameter pipe in half and welded it over the primary exhaust tubes as a heat shield. I've never seen anything like it. So I had to remove a bunch of that, only to find out that the inner pipe, while in great condition, was an unknown size. Larger than 2 1/4, but smaller than 2 1/2. I ended up making an adapter using some various tubing that made the connection, but between making the adapters and cutting/grinding everything it took pretty much all of Friday to get the job done.
End result? The headers look/fit very nice as did the H-pipe. The included gaskets worked well with no leaks. The only real issue was the frame clearance as they do bang a little bit in certain circumstances. It's not too too bad though and I may try rotating the collector clamp a little to see if that will help.
HOWEVER. I will say the the H-pipe took ALL of the aggressiveness out of the exhaust. This was originally a true-dual with Flowmaster Super 44s and exits at the bed corners. With the previous setup it would BARK when I got on it.
Now it is much more... refined. I'm still up in the air about whether I like it or not. It sounds much more modern, has much less in-cab drone, and a much more even sound. I liked the old aggressive nature of the exhaust so I really don't know how I feel about it.
I'll post some pics of the new setup soon. I will say these headers do look very nice. Especially since you can see them from the side of the truck through the wheel well. It's pretty cool. Overall I can't complain too much. The headers were $269 shipped, and the H-pipe was $40, and Summit had a $20 off sale going.
