Cost to install headers and down pipe?

nobbie · 01-25-2008, 02:17 AM

So, I picked up some headers and a down pipe for the 94 off of eBay. Any idea on what a shop should charge to install them for me? Would a muffler shop charge less?

bobbyisking · 01-25-2008, 02:35 AM

sh*t, if you were local, i'd charge you, hmmm... do it your self. it is easy as hell. will take at most, 2 hours of your life, well maybe 3 hours because of the damn egr tube thingy. i just didn't use it and made my own cover for the egr hole on the intake manifold. i'm sure a shop would charge you over 100 bucks to install it.

10psigti · 01-25-2008, 02:42 AM

^^^x2

billc · 01-26-2008, 09:15 AM

I would guess that a shop would charge 1 to 2 hours labor. Labor rates in your area might be $75 to $100 per hour, I don't know. Why not get a couple estimates from shops? Then you will know for sure.

It's straight forward to do, but nothing is easy on a 14 year old car. There are a couple things that can go wrong if you do it yourself. You might have trouble getting the O2 sensor out of the old exhaust manifold, you could break off a stud in the head (they can get weak with time), you might have trouble getting the EGR pipe out of the old header, you may have difficulty getting the EGR threaded into the new header, and you may have a hard time taking your old downpipe off your cat due to corrosion.

All of these can be dealt with, and the Forum community is here to help. But you will need to make sure that you can safely jack up the car and that you have the proper tools. And it would not be smart to jump on your first header install expecting it to only take an hour or two. Do your prep, take your time, and you will do it right. Otherwise, just have a shop do it and Enjoy the Ride.

nobbie · 01-26-2008, 09:28 AM

Thanks for that Bill. Yeah, I'm thinking I'll have the shop do it as I doubt the exhaust manifold has ever been off on this car and there is surface corrosion so, a pro might be the best bet.

bobbyisking · 01-26-2008, 12:07 PM

i'd rather have you know what comes off or what won't come off, than have a shop break a couple of studs, and not tell you.

Sunny · 01-28-2008, 09:07 AM

meng, the 1st time i did a header install it took me a day (set aside at least 12 hours

, but after doing a few and hosting geekouts regularly you start knowing the labor time and it should be around 2 hours.

i agree with billc, there are a lot of possibilities that could prolong an otherwise (what we would like to happen everytime) in and out operation, which have all happened to me & others on installs and removals on different cars. i am sure the risks are now higher due to the age of the cars.

Tevs