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I've attempted to do this 3 times and never completed it. Here we go again....
This is my TTI installation thread where my small block `68 Barracuda get's new pipes. My car is a 4 spd. with a Lakewood scattershield, a difficult combination for clearance. There are a few problem areas I'd like to share with anyone contemplating doing this up-grade. I installed the ceramic coated polished step headers with the matching 2.5" aluminumized X-pipe system. I re-used my old 2 chamber Flowmasters with the hopes that the X-pipe would quiet it down some. The car was L-O-U-D above 3,000 RPM. Annoying loud....
We'll start with this advice: Make sure you can get the car up as high as possible and still have it safely raised. There WILL be prying, banging, cutting, and wrestling. We don't want an un-safe condition. If you have the luxury of tying up a lift for a day or two, that's even better. But it can be done on jack stands in your garage. Plan on not driving the car for a few days too. If it's your daily driver, make arrangements ahead of time. It's NOT a 1-2-3 bolt-in!
I started by removing the old exhaust system. Wrenching will work... sawzall works better.
HEADACHE #1:
I attempted to install the passenger side header first. The"easy" side. This is where I learned first-hand that TTI headers and Lakewood scattershields don't work. I had to take my sawzall out for round #2 of cutting.
WORD OF ADVICE: TEST FIT BEFORE THE ENGINE COMES OFF OF THE STAND IF YOU CAN!!!!!!!!!!
With the passenger side done, I was ready to tackle the bussiness side. I knew I was going to have trouble with the Z-bar..... But what I encountered first was wrestling the pipes in place while installing the slip pipe that wraps around the torsion bar. An exercise in frustration, but it wasn't too bad. Just getting the pipes in place, installing the slip pipe, and holding the gasket in place was fun. At this point all the clutch linkage should be out of the way: clutch pedal rod, Z-bar, bellhousing pivot, and the adjuster rod.
HEADACHE #2:
This is where the we find out how bad the Z-bar hits. It took me 3 trips down the block to the local R&S Strauss Auto Parts Store to use their torches in the repair shop. A big thank you goes out to their manager and mechanics for letting me in the shop and use their torches, Fire Dept. fire codes be damned.
This where the problem is: when you try to release the clutch it will hit this header tube. You'll never get the adjustment rod on, or the pedal linkage.
After the aforementioned trial & error we achieved our desired clearance.
Now we have clutch linkage that works!!!!! The starter clears beautifully with no access issues. I'm not too sure what it's like to pull the scattershield to do the clutch though.....
HEADACHE#3:
This can be advoided if you install your driveshaft safety loop AFTER you install the X-pipe! I had some trimming and re-postioining to do as I mounted my loop years ago.
Once we got that resolved we were able to test-fit the X-pipe.
HEADACHE #4:
2 years ago when I ordered my TTI system from Mancini's I checked the contents to make sure I didn't get 2 left side headers or some such screw-up. Everything looked good so I wasn't worried. What I didn't know was that they sent me the header adapters and NOT the header reducers. The difference is the adapters are about 7" too long. I wasn't about to return the adapters when I could trim the excess elsewhere. Once again, my trusty sawzall made a return appearance.
Hey, what the Hell.... It was only $1,300 for the best system in the world.
Now we had the X-pipe in!
We're getting there! Now we dig out the rest of the mounting hardware.
Look at these hangers. You could probably tow the car from these:
The rest of the system went it without any additional drama.
All in all, once they're in, they fit fantastic. No rattles, no squeaking, nothing. Nice & solid. And they DO look great!
All said & done, I'm not sure if I'm happy with my purchase. While the TTI system is incredibly well made and engineered to fit beautifully, thay are a royal ***** to install, especially on a 4 spd. w/ scattershield. My car has all new engine mounts and nothing was bent up, such as frame rails or the K-frame, and it was still a *****. I've been a mechanic all my life, own all the "right" tools, and have the skills.... and it was a ball-buster. Although I did have to do some hacking on my car, it did go in. But for the money they should offer you a modified Z-bar, or at the very least include one to hack up. I wasn't too pleased bending my new $95 Z-bar from Brewers Performance. Damn, they didn't even throw in a T-shirt or bumper sticker for that kind of money....
Verdict? Until I do an actual hands-on installation of another brand system, I'll have to say vote with your comfort level of getting involved with a challange, and how much extra coin is in your pockets. For the headaches involved, I'd say they are over-priced by about $500. But the positives? PLENTY of ground clearance and that X-pipe made a world of difference with the decibel level of my car: it sound's f`in AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It quieted-down alot. Now I can cruise in second gear and only set off every other car alarm in my neighborhood instead of every one!
But Hooker Super Comps are the absolute WORST header you can bolt on. There HAS to be a middle-ground between them and the TTI's.
This is my TTI installation thread where my small block `68 Barracuda get's new pipes. My car is a 4 spd. with a Lakewood scattershield, a difficult combination for clearance. There are a few problem areas I'd like to share with anyone contemplating doing this up-grade. I installed the ceramic coated polished step headers with the matching 2.5" aluminumized X-pipe system. I re-used my old 2 chamber Flowmasters with the hopes that the X-pipe would quiet it down some. The car was L-O-U-D above 3,000 RPM. Annoying loud....
We'll start with this advice: Make sure you can get the car up as high as possible and still have it safely raised. There WILL be prying, banging, cutting, and wrestling. We don't want an un-safe condition. If you have the luxury of tying up a lift for a day or two, that's even better. But it can be done on jack stands in your garage. Plan on not driving the car for a few days too. If it's your daily driver, make arrangements ahead of time. It's NOT a 1-2-3 bolt-in!
I started by removing the old exhaust system. Wrenching will work... sawzall works better.
HEADACHE #1:
I attempted to install the passenger side header first. The"easy" side. This is where I learned first-hand that TTI headers and Lakewood scattershields don't work. I had to take my sawzall out for round #2 of cutting.
WORD OF ADVICE: TEST FIT BEFORE THE ENGINE COMES OFF OF THE STAND IF YOU CAN!!!!!!!!!!
With the passenger side done, I was ready to tackle the bussiness side. I knew I was going to have trouble with the Z-bar..... But what I encountered first was wrestling the pipes in place while installing the slip pipe that wraps around the torsion bar. An exercise in frustration, but it wasn't too bad. Just getting the pipes in place, installing the slip pipe, and holding the gasket in place was fun. At this point all the clutch linkage should be out of the way: clutch pedal rod, Z-bar, bellhousing pivot, and the adjuster rod.
HEADACHE #2:
This is where the we find out how bad the Z-bar hits. It took me 3 trips down the block to the local R&S Strauss Auto Parts Store to use their torches in the repair shop. A big thank you goes out to their manager and mechanics for letting me in the shop and use their torches, Fire Dept. fire codes be damned.
This where the problem is: when you try to release the clutch it will hit this header tube. You'll never get the adjustment rod on, or the pedal linkage.
After the aforementioned trial & error we achieved our desired clearance.
Now we have clutch linkage that works!!!!! The starter clears beautifully with no access issues. I'm not too sure what it's like to pull the scattershield to do the clutch though.....
HEADACHE#3:
This can be advoided if you install your driveshaft safety loop AFTER you install the X-pipe! I had some trimming and re-postioining to do as I mounted my loop years ago.
Once we got that resolved we were able to test-fit the X-pipe.
HEADACHE #4:
2 years ago when I ordered my TTI system from Mancini's I checked the contents to make sure I didn't get 2 left side headers or some such screw-up. Everything looked good so I wasn't worried. What I didn't know was that they sent me the header adapters and NOT the header reducers. The difference is the adapters are about 7" too long. I wasn't about to return the adapters when I could trim the excess elsewhere. Once again, my trusty sawzall made a return appearance.
Hey, what the Hell.... It was only $1,300 for the best system in the world.
Now we had the X-pipe in!
We're getting there! Now we dig out the rest of the mounting hardware.
Look at these hangers. You could probably tow the car from these:
The rest of the system went it without any additional drama.
All in all, once they're in, they fit fantastic. No rattles, no squeaking, nothing. Nice & solid. And they DO look great!
All said & done, I'm not sure if I'm happy with my purchase. While the TTI system is incredibly well made and engineered to fit beautifully, thay are a royal ***** to install, especially on a 4 spd. w/ scattershield. My car has all new engine mounts and nothing was bent up, such as frame rails or the K-frame, and it was still a *****. I've been a mechanic all my life, own all the "right" tools, and have the skills.... and it was a ball-buster. Although I did have to do some hacking on my car, it did go in. But for the money they should offer you a modified Z-bar, or at the very least include one to hack up. I wasn't too pleased bending my new $95 Z-bar from Brewers Performance. Damn, they didn't even throw in a T-shirt or bumper sticker for that kind of money....
Verdict? Until I do an actual hands-on installation of another brand system, I'll have to say vote with your comfort level of getting involved with a challange, and how much extra coin is in your pockets. For the headaches involved, I'd say they are over-priced by about $500. But the positives? PLENTY of ground clearance and that X-pipe made a world of difference with the decibel level of my car: it sound's f`in AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It quieted-down alot. Now I can cruise in second gear and only set off every other car alarm in my neighborhood instead of every one!
But Hooker Super Comps are the absolute WORST header you can bolt on. There HAS to be a middle-ground between them and the TTI's.
