With the headers out, I got the Z1 engine and transmission mounts installed. Everything is out of the way for the headers to go in.
In removing the factory headers, all the studs came out with the nuts. Not great. I contacted a local Nissan dealership, and they actually had everything within 24hrs range. So I opted to replace them all and get a fresh set of factory gaskets, as I didn't really trust the ones that came with the headers.
It was now time. I slid under the car with the passenger header and dropped it onto the studs. Not bad. Added a few nuts, and began tightening. Everything seems good. No contact, position appears to be close to stock, and nothings contacting anything. Great. Tighten everything up and it looks great. Hawtness.
Now, time for the driver's side. The bane of my existence. I'm going to have to slide it in, check clearanced, mark where i need to dimple the tube to clear the steering rack, pull it back out, dimple it.. and finish installation. I never got nearly that far.
the first problem showed up just trying to slide it in the first time. The angle was different due to conflicts from the steering rack, making it impossible to complete at the height the car was at. Okay, i haven't maxed out the jackstands yet.. just jack the whole thing up again, extend the stands a few more notches, and it should get me the clearance to the ground i need.
Wrap that up, slide back under it, and YES! i can get it into the engine bay.. now just line it up with the studs and slide it... nope. the header is hitting the firewall on the rear cylinder primary. I'm thinking, maybe it's an installation angle problem... as i can't line up the rear stud either.
I yanked out the rear stud, and tried again.. more progress, but it's still trying to occupy the same space that the firewall is. I begin to think about the angles... i just replaced the motor mounts with the Z1s.. and they're adjustable. Maybe they're not set right?
So, jack the engine back up, and yank the mounts back out, and checked it with a caliper.. they're about an 1/8th of an inch taller than the oem ones.. and those are rubber... so i imagine there's at least another 1/8 of deflection.. so a full 1/4" too tall by rough numbers. I fight them down into position and preload the urethane bushings inside. drop 'em back in the car and....
They're closer to fitting. But not close enough, and i'm now contacting on the underside of the chassis too. I'm done. These things just don't fit.
So, now i'm torn between my remaining options. Being i didn't originally think i'd have the budget to do LTHs at all, i scored some used berk test pipes to use to remove the stock cats, and let me put the high-flows in the y-pipe as preparation for a set of LTHs to be installed the following year. but i'd hate to throw away all this work to get clearance for the LTHs to have to do it again next year. I'm a big fan of doing things once, the right way.
The other option is the expensive one, spring for the PPE headers right now. I have no idea if i can even get them, or if they're an "assembled as ordered" part like the MCS shocks (that i'm still waiting for). I got a tip from a friend on facebook that Enjuku racing is a dealer, and is consistently the cheapest seller of them, so i called them this morning.
Right now, i'm waiting on a call back from Enjuku. to see if there's a set on the shelf right now or not. If not, it's berks and put off headers to next year. If they do, i may do something stupid.
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