Installing Headers on my 1976 911 Turbo
I was considering purchasing headers for my car when I thought that I had cracked my stock exhaust at a DE. Much to my suprise the solution was quite simple, though I became more scared before I was relieved
There are 4 phases to the swap to the new headers from the stock exhaust. I found it helpful to remove my bumper during the operation but this is not crucial. It is possible to do the swap with the motor in the car and the car on jackstands of a moderate height. The passenger side rear wheel must be removed and the drivers side reare wheel can be removed to allow superior acces to the waste-gate area
To begin with I thought you might want to see what I got (or you will get) for your $2,000
This is what I removed. I thought I had euro exchangers but they actually are just the later style domestic boxes (notice the O2 sensor) but these are functionally the same.
The first stage is to remove the stock exhaust and oil return can on the turbo. I soaked my exhaust studs with a penetrating oil for 3 days prior to the actual attack and did not loose one. It was well worth it! Once all of the bolts are loose (2 per cylinder, 4 at the turbo) the exhaust should stay in place by the sheer tightness of its fit. It will also probably be obstructed by the clutch linkage where the pipe crosses the motor. I had my wife press the clutch to allow me to remove the exhaust. I then prompltly dropped it on my head. It is significantly heavier than the headers.
It is not fun, but the whole thing will come off as one unit. If you want to you can remove the wastegate to save a little weight but otherwise just wrestle it out of there.
The next stage is the removal of the stock oil lines. for this you will need a 36mm and 30mm open ended wrenches. You may also need to use some lube on these if they have never been apart on your car. The one line attaches to the center of the case and then kjoins teh other line which you will replace over near the oil tank. Thsi line terminates at the thermostat in the rear wheelwell.
My lines came off fairly easily with the correct tools. The next phase is off course to put on the new lines. The lines are now routed under the engine directly and you may want to fashion a bracket to hang the new line off of an oil cooler mount (that is what I did). I was told that you do not need to traeat the threads any, but should insure that the connections are well tightened to insure proper seal.
The final phase is the installation of the new headers and the new oil return catch on the turbo. In order to get the headers on you will need to install them as one piece. You will probably need to remove the turbo mounting bracket as well as the turbo studs to have room to get the headers on. My headers required me to buy new bolts for the turbo mount but this may be addressed in the future. Once everything is bolted in you can reattaceh the turbo mounting bracket and bolt everything up. I suppose I would suggest swapping the wastegate over prior to the installation of the headers but once again if you mount them without it they are lighter and easier to handle.
The new catch mounts up in the stock location and uses a short section of braided steel line instead of the hard line of the stock unit. Be careful that this line is not too long and is not kinked or you will get lots of smoke as excess oil seeps past the trubo seals and makes a mess.
The overall process is not too tricky. Some of the bolts are very tough to reach and may present a real challenge to get free, but take the echaust off and put the header on as one piece. It simplifies everything and is the only way to get the headers on. The perfeomance and sound of the headers are very nice. Better performance and a strong clean exhaust note.
