My Kooks Install

[cyclone03]

Well Santa hooked me up big time with a Kooks full system.
I'm not going to do a step by step but I want to pass on a few tips if anybody is planning to do the install at home.
I did the install at home with the car on jack stands,ie;on my back.

First get the car up on jack stands as high as you can,I have a set of "truck"stands so I had about 16" from the frame rail to the floor.

Next remove the battery,you need the battery out for arm room,trust me just remove the battery.

loosen the O2 sensors before you remove the cat tubes.

remove the starter.

remove the 3 bolts holding the a/c compressure

loosen the EGR tube on the right rear of the intake,it's on top under a black bracket with 2 cables attached to it.

remove the bolt holding the steering shaft,the 13mm one.You will be doing alot of grinding on this baby soon.You don't have to remove the shaft just sepperate the 2 halfs.

remove the 2 bolts holding the dip stick in place.

Now install stuff.

I didn't use the bolts supplied to install the headers,I used the stock studs.

remove all the top row studs on the right side.

cut the first 5 threads off the #4 top stud.

both headers can be installed without lifting the engine.

use the stock gaskets

ON THE LEFT HEADER CUT ABOUT 1/2" PIECE FROM THE FLANGE BETWEEN THE #6 AND #7 TUBES this will allow the dip stick to fit through without removing it.BTW it looked to me I would have to remove the left motor mount to get the tube out.YMMV.

fit headers in place and install all nuts.finger tight.

right side reinstall starter,rotate the small wire so it raps around the solinoid(bad spelling)the gold thing on the starter, you want it to rap around the outside so it will not rub the header,it will make sense when your on your back. The large wire installs as it came off.

slide out from under car,take a break and then prepare for about 2 hours of pure hell as you try to tighten all the nuts on the right side. hint #2 bottom will teach you new words.

reinstall the a/c compressure.

I did the right side first,I think it's a little harder than the left.

left side fit header in place with a few loose nuts.

connect the lower end of the EGR tube not tight yet.

install all the nuts on the headers.


General notes:
as you tighten all nuts you want to run them all down about 1/2 way then 3/4 then tighten,why? because the clearence is such that you can't turn the wrenchs if you tighten them all up one at a time.

you need 1/4" drive sockets and universals.long extensions too.I never used my 18" 1/4" extension so much.

you also MUST HAVE a short 13mm wrench,sears has a whole set for around $25

The #2 and #6 bottom nuts are a real PITA to install move around under the car,you'll get a good angle on them and they'll go on.


A side note, if you can find a set of nuts with reduced head size that fits the studs I think life will be a little easier,more wrench room.A set of header bolts with the small heads may help to,but I like studs better.

If you have to drive the car to the muffler shop to have the tail pipes welded to the mufflers you need 2 21/4" muffler clamps.
or you could just install the cat section and not cut the stock mufflers off,they will stall in place because the hangers will hold them in place.Then drive to the shop un capped.

That should get you close on the install,have fun.
I'm sure I'll have a little more,if anybody has questions let me know.

[SergntMac]

Whew! Man, I need a beer! Thanks, Lance, please keep the 411 coming.

[cyclone03]

Hey Mac, rember the "wars" we had last year?
Guess I'm not "stock tell I die"now!

My computer is relearning still but the pull at 4000rpm is like a drug!

[CRUZTAKER]

:up:
....still psyched....damn weather. Gotta add the 36 degree air temp to the snowbird install :(

[BillyGman]

I want to give Cyclone a BIG thanks for posting this stuff on here even though I've already performed the install myself also. I say thanks because this header installation is a challenging job. It wasn't the most difficult work that I've ever done to a car, but it is challenging, and the more guys who post some how-to's on this Kook's header installation, and how they did it, the better as far as I'm concerned. GOOD JOB CYCLONE!!!!!
For those of you who are reading this helpful info posted by Cyclone, I just want to add a couple things, so that it might help you too. As far as how installing these headers on my car went, let me say that just like Cyclone I did NOT have to remove, or loosen either one of the motor mounts, or jack-up the motor. So i fully agree w/him on that.
I will say that I did NOT have to remove the battery, and that it isn't neccessary to do so, but please keep in mind that I performed this work with my car on a lift, NOT on jackstands like Cyclone did. my hat's off to Cyclone for performing this job with his car on jackstands. that's very daring, however it's obviously do-able since our MM brother Cyclone has done it. Perhaps it must have been a similar exprerince for him than mine was when I installed the 4.56 rear end gears w/my car on jackstands.
So maybe if you don't have a lift the battery removal is a good idea. or maybe it would've been for me to do that also. I didn't even think of that.

Cyclone had also removed the starter, which is what I was going to do, until TooManyFords suggested that I do what he did, by leaving the starter connected to all of the wires, and simply removing the three mounting bolts and rotate the starter so that the solenoid is in a 12:00 position. That way, the header can clear the starter motor and you don't have to hassle w/trying to reconnect the starter wiring while you're fishing your hands past the header to do so. So that worked great for me, and I'd recommend that it be done that way. My thanks goes to TooManyFords for suggesting that to me.

Now this whole thing about "grinding" the steering shaft?:confused: Did I read that right? I didn't have to do anything to the steering shaft other than remove the one bolt, disconnect the shaft, and then reconnect it after the header install.

So again, I really like the fact that there are guys on this board who go out of their way to help the rest of us out, like TOOManyFords has for me, and like Cyclone has done here in this thread. I just wanted to offer some things from a different viewpoint concerning the installation of these headers. And I have absolutely no quarrel w/Cyclone. In fact I wish I had considered the battery removal thing during the installation, cuz maybe it would've made life easier, I dunno. what I did do though, is remove the two front wheels so that I could have access to some of the header bolts through the removeable flexible panels that snap off which are in the front wheel wells. I hope this helps.:)

[cyclone03]

Thanks Billy,
Your instruction was very helpful,I just wanted to expand on some of what you did.

The grinding I did was on the BOLT on the steering shaft.
I had to cut 4 threads off the bolt,no problem they stick out of the u joint,and grind the head of the bolt down to about 3/16" thick because it would BIND on the header.

This bind was so severe that the steering would LOCK!NOT GOOD!

I wish I thought of pulling the front tires.:)

I pulled the battery so I could work my arm down to the #1 &#2 header bolts.
I also pulled it for safety,ever layed a tool acrossed the battery post:mad2:

[BillyGman]

so did I read that right about you installing the complete Kook's system? if so, then I assume that you also have opted for the 18" magnaflow straight-thru design mufflers like I have. Right? Don't they sound great? it even gets better when you start getting guys pulling up along side you to say "Your car sounds great!!".....you'll see;)

[cyclone03]

Oh yea complete system to the stock tail pipes.
I like the sound,but....
with stock gearing at 50-60 I feel it's a little droney....
I have an up hill section of road posted 55mph about a mile long and uphill with the engine under load it's ALMOST too loud.
But at 70 up it sounds SSSWWWEEEETTTT!

Remember I have stock 3.55:1 gearing so with 4.10:1+ it would be above that RPM range.

[BillyGman]

that's true.;)

[jgc61sr2002]

This site gets better every day.:up: The sharing of information is the best.:D

[martyo]

Like they taught us as kids......."It's nice to share."

[cyclone03]

One thing I forgot,and it's very important.
Before you install the headers CLEAN ALL THE METAL OUT OF THE TUBES!

If you don't all that C@#p goes right into you new cats. and then they're c!@p too.

The shavings and pipes are covered in machine oil so just spray somthing like Simple Green into each tube and blow em out with water.

You may also want to carefuly clean the inlet side of you cat pipes too,don't try to rinse out the cats though,I just inverted the pipe and brushed the junk out.Then wiped them out with a contact cleaner soaked rag.

[BillyGman]

A VERY GOOD point!! I did that too!!!!!!

[cyclone03]

I should have added this earlier...
At Indy I had the chance to talk with Zack and check out his car,as he did mine.
In this and other header install threads several cleanence issues are mentioned.
Steering shaft,fuel lines,A/C box.
Jacking engine,remove- reposition starter and/or cables.

After seeinf 4 cars with the Kooks set up all these issues are in fact,present..or not.

Zack said he never had to cut the heads off studs,and he's right his headers have more cleance over the studs than mine.
I had to do major(not really that bad I guess) work so the headers would not hit the steering shaft.
Another had a tube almost touching the fuel line on the right side,mine is very close to the A/C box.

What I'm saying is of course YMMV!
I've said it many times,read all the header install threads for the best info anywhere on installing Kooks headers on a Marauder!

[FiveO]

As they are custom bent...there must be irregularities.

I definitely had to shave the tops off of 3 studs....the stud was hitting the header and wouldn't allow it to go all the way on.

Mine was no where near the steering shaft.

[Dan]

There was not stud or bolt cutting on my MM.

If you try to start all of the bolts but not snug any of them you should be able to get them all to fit in every Marauder.

Dan

[FiveO]

My headers would physically not fit with the studs the way they were. We couldn't even seat the header w/ gasket onto the head.

The studs stuck out too far and were rubbing on the header.

There must be irregularities as they are hand custom bent.