I have a friend who is looking into getting headers and a Y-pipe for his 03. I have been looking like crazy for him and can't find anything for him. All I can find is headers and ypipe for an 00-01 or the VQ30 engines. So I'm not sure if anyone has tried it but I am pretty much just wondering if they will fit. Or when he gets them installed will they have to modify them like crazy to make them work? Any advise would be great.
These are the two that I have found so far.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/WARPS...Q5fAccessories


http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/95-96...Q5fAccessories
Thank you
-TJ

 

All headers from 95-03 are the same as fitment goes.

 

So they should work?

 

The headers in the second link should bolt right up.

 

Talk to Grand_Hustle about this. I'm pretty sure he did the same thing and got decent results.

As far as buying the y-pipe, you shouldn't need to. Those headers look like they come with the y-pipe and everything you need.

 

Ya I know the second one comes with the y pipe. So I imagine the y-pipe should be pretty universal to the 5th gens or am I wrong?

 

I think so, but I'm not completely sure. You should have your buddy look into a set of OBX headers for his Max...they're a bit more pricey, but worth the money.

 

Do you have a link to those headers by any chance?

 

any obx or headers you get off fleebay are cheap crap tell your buddy to invest in a set of cattman headers just go in the group deal section of this forum

 

Yup, in fact I just put a y-pipe AND catback from a 4th gen with a muffler from a 5.5 gen on a 5th gen recently.....

 

I saw an add on craigslist in nyc for $200 yesterday might wanna check there,they were brand new and looked better than what you found

 

Ppl still do this in 2010??? Dude almost half the forum nowadays is using OBX headers............ anyways to the OP, I'm not looking at the link cause I'm posting from a cell phone but if its probebly the ones I have and yes they fit but fitment is a bish (but who goes into installing headers with a rush???) I've posted dyno's of these headers and mind you, I have a stock catalytic converter and a non mandrel bend b-pipe and a busted cattman axle back and I also have a video of a track run in my sig.... headers fit from 95-03..... as for reliability, how long have they been out now???

 

Just to let you know.... I have the 3.0 OBX headers there are some "shorty" headers on ebay that also fit but idk there is no good dyno numbers on those here.... I bought mines from the 4th gen section for about $250 shipped...

 

muahahaha i will always do this just to **** you off

 

Always works, Worst case scenario you MIGHT have to grind down a bit of your motor mount depending one what brand you buy. I got the obx v1 and had to do that because, well... I got them for a Steal and it was worth the 10 minutes to grind down my motor mounts. Instal is pretty easy once you get the stock headers Off because you will have Tons more room with the aftermarket ones (you'll literally be mad happy once you see what i'm talking about). All in all it's worth it but be sure to take your time. Stripped bolts were my main delay...

 

I'm just giving him another option, some people actually like to spend a couple extra dollars for proven performance and products that fit and last but hey if he wants to buy the obx thats his choice

 

yea who the hell uses OBX headers.....

 

Obx is proven performance... am I the only one on here that never had to shave or modify anything???

 

There's nothing wrong with OBX other than (as I understand) some sub 2.5" piping on the Y-pipe. I may have also seen something about the flex section being to small, but I am not sure.

That said, you get what you pay for with Cattman. Perfect welds, collectors, fitment, and thick stainless steel. My only gripe is that the Y-pipe is 2.5". On a 3.5L I'd much rather see it be 3" and I am sure he would sell more if it was 3"... oh well.

Most of the cheaper headers will look good on the outside but may not have the kind of quality work put into the collectors and thinner SS, which isn't really a big deal considering the price difference.

 

i understand fully why cattmans would cost more (maybe not as much as they do) but i do understand... now i dont get why the statment was made???... this is like one of those FSTB arguments... they all work, if u wanna buy one just to say whatever then thats cool... if cattman really did a 3" header then id be all over it cause at that point i see the difference in my investment...

 

If you think all headers and Y-pipes are made equal (especially in the finish of internal welds and collectors) like FSTB's, you may have the wrong idea

 

Internal welds n I agree that they are not the same why I said I understand y cattman headers cost more... but what makes one weld so much better than the other if none of them broke???

 

It's not about breaking, it's about the cleaning up of them afterwards for the best flow. Have you seen interior pics of 3-1 collectors after they are welded up? It's just as important as piping diameter and degree of turns for flow restriction. I'm not saying the OBX headers have bad collectors, but I guess I am doubting they are put together as well as the cattman piece. I know I am not going to cut mine up (yet) to find out.

 

I saw the link lastnight n I have none of the two headers/y but I did on my 4th gen and they are still working fine to this day and that's gotta be going on 5 or 6 years, IMO they paid for themselves already performance wise n durability wise... nothing else matters to me... looks before the polishing and all the other crap that goes into making them... maybe its just me, maybe I'm shallow cause I don't look into so much fine details

 

^ Taken from another thread since this seems to be the "livelier" of the two.

Anyone at all...?

 

I would do mines only cause its attractive to me... better yet ceramic coat the headers but other than that there's tons on here that has headers for some very long time without having any heat problems, maybe that's why u don't hear of more ppl doing it...

 

I like the look, too. But as far as the headers go, I'm more interested in function over style.

The only problem I see is heat wrap seems to be expensive as ****. But I guess if it works, it's well worth it, though. Maybe I'll look into playing guinea pig and see what I turn up.

Edit: Oh yeah, and the other reason I'd like to install heat wrap: To keep from burning the hell out of myself if I have to work on my engine when it's hot.

 

Well the heat wrap works but I've never really heard of headers melting the radiator fan on any family sedan or coupe cars... I guess u can say there is some functionality if u wanna take it to the extreme technicality... ppl have had headers on since 02,03 and 8yrs later I haven't heard of "warped fans" only reason id do one is for looks but that's not worth spending the extra... I'm sure ud still get burned even with the wrap... ain't too much u can do around the headers while the car is hot... at least nothing major... undoing any hose will have hot radiator fluid comin out so working on the car while its hot is still a no no imo...

 

I'm not talking about fine detail or external appearance. Apparently we're not on the same page whatsoever... I'll just give up.

 

IIRC, from what I could see on the front header of my OBXs, the internal welds look pretty smooth. But the only weld I could really get a light on was the weld that connects the 2.5" piping to the collector. What we need is someone with one of those snake cameras...save you from cutting your headers up.

 

also arent obx's made in china or some third world country for like 2 cents lol and cattmans are US made i'll take US steel over china pos anyday

 

To each their own, man.

I'm in college, so I'm not in a position where I can drop $800 on a set of headers. So if I see a listing for a used set of OBX's that'll make close to the same HP for a quarter of the price, of course I'm going to grab them...

Besides, we don't get enough bad weather where I live to have any short-term detrimental effects on the exhaust piping...

 

................. yes obx is probebly most likely made overseas.... i also agree that the cattman LOOKS better, but i dont get why because its made in a third world country then its a problem... nvmd, doesnt really matter...some buy cattman some buy obx... i think header threads should be closed immediately after the are started... there is enough info now on here about headers for anybody with any question and if there aint then this will answer everything

1. Cattman headers have the best fitment
2. EGR from Cattman will need to be plugged for 02 and 03
3. Cattman's outter appearance looks better
4. OBX headers fit from 95-03 (95-00 may need EGR weld in)
5. rear o2 sensors need to be relocated on OBX and maybe crossmember shaving
6. OBX has the same performance output like cattman (whether its equal length or non equal length y)
7. Cattman is made in the U.S, OBX and others overseas (however that helps...)
8. Ebay headers also fit 95-03
9. Ebay headers will most likely have the same power output as all else but that is suspect due to what some call (shorty collectors), however no one has stepped up to the plate to prove these (dyno,track)... dyno's were done be me on an auto 4th gen 189whp 182tq (i dont know the average numbers for an auto 4th gen (search), on the car 5+yrs no problem
10. 2 o2 sensor bungs may need to be welded in on for 00-03
11. an anti fouler or o2 sim is needed to clear CEL (search that too)
12. Pimping02max made a write up on headers (search)
Whatever i failed to type fail not to search... But at the end of the day whether you go Cattman, OBX, or Ebay, there is power increase from all the headers, it basically comes down to whether u mind doing modifications to save yourself hundreds, or just spend hundreds for peace of mind and frustration... /Thread... this headers thing is gettn old... better yet, its old

 

im glad i got my hotshots while they were still in business

 

My cattman headers did not have an EGR bung.

It's not about the cattman headers being made in the US or elsewhere, it's that they are made with better materials with performance in mind. Even though power gains may not be huge or worth several hundred more dollars, I would wager that the cattman headers have better flowing collectors from the design alone.

Again we're not talking about FSB's or intake pipes, the design and cleanup of welds around collectors are extremely important to performance and if you just look at pictures of the cattman VS obx collectors you will instantly see the difference. The OBX collectors are very short and stubby (probably to keep cost down), while the cattmans have a much longer and smoother collector design. It would be great to see a direct dyno comparison, though. From looking around on other car forums, the OBX headers are generally known to make less power than the high quality ones because of the poor/short collector design...

That all said, the gains can't be too much more but I'd put money on the cattman piece making a few more whp on a dyno for the reasons stated above.

Just look at the 3-1 and 2-1 collectors. I am also sure the very small Y-pipe on the OBX (is that 2 1/4"???) would cause power loss compared to the 2.5" ID from cattman's Y-pipe.

OBX:


Cattman:

 

Still would like to see someone length each individual tube on the headers buy another foot or so, bend the individual tube up under the engine for the front and for the rear up ender the chasis. Have a 2.5" collector on the end and run a true dual 2.5" dual exhaust pipe out the back with an x-pipe.

Someone did come close to that setup and had very very very nice numbers.

I took mine and had the collectors cutoff of the header and a 2.5" collector put in on each header and then those merged into a 3" pipe all the way back (like sparks is talking about), talk about a huge kick in powah

 

I said this months ago, there will NEVER be a sensible header thread here.

 

Well I think generic bolt-on header discussions...yeah

but as far as advanced header design and ideas go...and for those of us who want to squeeze everything out of the engine with just bolt-ons....I like reading those.

 

Well ur just making a guess here... I have the exact same OBX headers you list and there was no power loss...... again this is piontless...... hotshot obviously made the best header for our car...... I dynoed and tracked the OBX you show and there is no power loss or less power.... again I know everything I'm typing is pointless cause even though I made it a fact about the headers, I'm still going to hear a bunch of non facts on what the headers can or cannot do.... so again, I'm done.... OP get whatever

 

How can you possibly make that statement when you haven't tested them compared to the cattmans? I did not say there would be a power loss compared to stock, you are acting ridiculous about this.

I said there would be a power loss when compared to cattman headers + Y-pipe, and it may not even be a big one. I also presented evidence both anecdotal and physical in my post about the difference in collectors. Just single out one thing... the smaller Y-pipe diameter of the OBX compared to cattman's Y-pipe. That alone is enough to prove gains from cattman over OBX without even having to get into design characteristics.

Again, my point is that OBX (OF COURSE) makes good power over stock, but are not likely to match cattman headers on power output due to both better collectors and piping diameter on the cattman design. Long, smooth collectors make the most power, and are the most expensive to either outsource or create in house. Just revisit those pictures and look at them. If you don't believe me, spend some time on google and find out.