2000 LC Doug Thorley Header Install (16 Viewers)

[Mrpizza]

As you may have seen in the other recent doug thorley thread, I am doing a set on my 2000 LC. I figured I would document as I went along and maybe it could help someone out. The more information, the merrier!

I wanted to start a few days ago, but I had to work doubles so I started today instead.
I started by getting the Cruiser up on some Esco jack stands.

Then, I yanked the front tires, skid plate, and inner fender liners. Ended up here.
Driver side

Passenger side

Also got my parts laid out on my work table.

My barn is a mess and it's really small, but I do get a lot of wrenching done out here!
I hit all the bolts with PB blaster before i stopped today.

I will likely pull the cats tomorrow, then hit everything with blaster again. Friday I will loosen the heat shields and blaster again. Saturday will be the main event to pull the manifolds and install the headers. It's way too hot here to be out much, heat index is over 110 for the last two weeks.

Time invested so far: 20 minutes.

 

[Frogg420]

I love this and applaud your documentation. This is on my to do list. And will follow your every move

 

[Mrpizza]

Day two was mostly uneventful and I got to the point I wanted.

I started by unplugging the rear O2 sensors on the cats. The driver side is easy to get to.

The passenger side is tighter to get to the release tab on the plug. I shoved my left hand up there and was able to press the release tab with my thumb and pull the plug with my right hand

Next up was the rear cat flange bolts, two on each side. I used my impact, and the passenger side came right off. Driver side immediately stripped! I got the grinder and cut off disc and went to work. 30 seconds on each bolt and those were free. In this picture, the bottom set is the passenger side

Then I took the manifold flange to cat nuts off. All came off with the impact, one snapped off on the passenger side.

Then I dropped the cats out of the frame. Easiest way is to get the rear flange loose and push it upwards. Wiggle the front flange off the studs, then you can fish the cats down and out the front towards the engine. I just pushed these back under the LC to sit for now.

 

[Mrpizza]

Last item on the agenda today was getting the heat shields off. 4 10mm bolts hold each one on. I used a 1/4 ratchet with a deep socket for the top two bolts on each side. Once I cracked them loose I could spin them out with my fingers. The bottom two passenger side and the bottom rear driver side I added in a 4" extension to my ratchet setup for those. Also finger loose once broken free.

**Edit to add: The bottom two bolts on the passenger side and the rear bottom driver side bolt I got from below the engine laying on the ground, the top ones and the bottom front driver bolt all from the wheel well.**


The front bottom driver side shield bolt I used the 1/4 ratchet and a short 10mm socket. As soon as that bolt broke free, I pulled up on the heat shield with my left hand to add tension to the bolt, and used the ratchet to get it out the rest of the way. Those that have done this before know that this shield doesn't drop right out like the passenger side, so it stays until later.

I hit all the manifold bolts with PB Blaster again and called it a day.
Passenger side, lots of room!

Driver side, this is going to suck!

Time today: 35 minutes
Total time: 55 Minutes

I will probably do the passenger side tomorrow.

 

[Scotty UZJ100]

Next up was the rear cat flange bolts, two on each side. I used my impact, and the passenger side came right off. Driver side immediately stripped! I got the grinder and cut off disc and went to work. 30 seconds on each bolt and those were free. In this picture, the bottom set is the passenger side

And that's why those crack heads just cut the cats off with a Sawzall

 

[JohnMed]

Great thread. I can't wait for the next installment!

 

[excessive]

Good luck, its a bear of a job without a lift, but it can be done

 

[Mrpizza]

Good luck, its a bear of a job without a lift, but it can be done

Yep, there are many times I wish I had a lift!

I don't think I will be able to get to any of it today other than spraying the manifold nuts again, but Saturday is looking good.

 

[ClassyJalopy]

best of luck! YOur truck looks surprisingly rust free for being in IL.
Not having AHC lines in the way is a plus here.

 

[Mrpizza]

best of luck! YOur truck looks surprisingly rust free for being in IL.
Not having AHC lines in the way is a plus here.

I picked this one up in Utah a few months ago. I am going to treat the whole frame this fall and not drive it in the winter so much as I can. It is very rust free, a little surface rust on a few things like the rear axle housing.

 

[Mrpizza]

Wrapped up the project today!
I started with the passenger side. Step one was getting the forward O2 sensor disconnected.

Then I started pulling all the manifold nuts. I could get 7 of them with my impact, except this one on the bottom just above the motor mount. Had to use a wrench on it.

The manifold then came out easy, and no studs came out.

Here is the extent of the tools I used on the passenger side: impact and various extensions and swivels, and the wrench. I didnt use the two extensions right at the bottom of the picture.

Getting the bottom nuts i had to come from underneath next to the differential.

Front cylinder has a hairline crack on it.

 

[Mrpizza]

Next up was swapping the O2 sensor to the new header. I used my jawhorse to hold it.

And installed

It went back in quite easily, lined up nicely and bolted it down

Here are the tools I used to reinstall the passenger header

The O2 sensor wiring, I released that clamp and pulled it further back. Then I used that now empty clamp to hold a zip tie and secured the bundle.

 

[Mrpizza]

The 5 photo max is making this hard.

Anyways, here is the 02 sensor wiring and connector, nicely clear of the header tube

There was no torque wrenching here, it's nearly impossible to make that work, so I just used German torque on everything.

The passenger side, start to finish, took 45 minutes.

 

[Mrpizza]

Then came the driver side. I could remove two nuts that I could access before lifting the engine, so I did, and then jacked it up about 1.5 inches. Got the rest of the nuts off, but not before getting the heat shield out. I cut it in pieces with some snips and bent it up to get it out. Made my life a lot easier.

I got these manifold nuts pulled and the manifold came right out. No pulled studs on this side either, but big crack also on the front cylinder.

This side was much more difficult to get the nuts tightened. This one here, bottom nuts third cylinder, was easily 20 minutes of turning it 1/64th at a time.

The rear cylinder bottom nut i was able to get from the bottom with the flex head wrench, had my wife hold her finger on the wrench so it would stay on the nut.

The O2 sensor connector I had to pull off the little metal bracket. I ran a zip tie through the hole in that bracket and bundled up the wires and connector here.

 

[Mrpizza]

Got the cats reinstalled with new gaskets and all new hardware

Also did an oil change and installed a Fumoto valve on the drain pan

Here is the pile of tools I had to use on the driver side. The impact was also used.

 

[Mrpizza]

Final order of business was to zip tie the ac lines and wire bundle up on the driver side. I used a hole in this bracket by the fuel filter to hold my zip tie.

Then secured the bundle like so

The driver side took me 3 and a half hours. I did not take off the dipstick tube or take apart the steering linkage.

All in I spent just over 6 hours start to finish on it by the time I got the cats back in. I also did an oil change and rotated the tires.
Bear of a job, but definitely not too hard, just have to spend time thinking of the best way to access each nut. Lifting the engine is mandatory, there is no way the new header goes in without lifting.

I have 16 brand new studs I'll sell cheap if anyone is interested!

I'm sure there are things I didnt mention or forgot, so ask away if you have any questions!

 

[Nori470]

Nice work!!

Any immediate impressions? Noticeable changes?