Phoenix79

I'm so fraustrated. I bought the hooker comp headers and hooker dual exhaust kit from Summit. It took about an hour to get both manifolds along with the A/C off the car. Then a jolly time doing the new spark plugs and new spark wires. Finally! After bolting on the driver side header I went to putting up the hooker dual exhaust kit. That's when all hell breaks loose. The pipe that bolts to the header does not want to go through the crossmember and by the transmission pan. I remember reading the kit does not work for a TH400 transmission, that's fine I have a stock 79 and remember reading I have a stock TH350. Well I scratch the crap out of that exhaust pipe in trying to rotate it and pull it through the crossmember but the tranny just doesn't want to budge. I try to dismantle what looks like some assembly to the emergency brake *Dunno what it was, it was bolted to or near the tranny pan* well I got all the bolts off of that, except one bolt which does not want to give without pulling some mechanism along with it...I loosen it and the car slides back. That's how I figured it was part of the emergency brake. I bolt it back up and decide that is too much of a hassle to work with. So with all my wise newbie wisdom I go for plan number 2, drop the crossmember so I can slide the pipes through and then bolt it back up to the frame. I unbolt all the bolts, slide the pipe back in and slowly get it to the hooker header. The rear of the exhaust pipe is now pressing against something else and I decide to pull the crossmember down somemore. It falls out only being held by some wire connected into the crossmember and I have a hell of a time using multiple jacks and lifts to get the damn thing bolted back up. I finally get all the bolts that bolt to the frame back up and the crossmember secure in place, but now the two center bolts are not lined up perfectly to the bottom of the transmission...I do not know if the entire transmission shifted a few centimeters off or what. But I can't bolt the two center bolts due to the shift. I've spent 1 1/2 days on the car so far and have yet to install the exhaust. I'm so fraustrated at the kit and how it just does not want to work with my vette. Truthfully I'm feeling completely hopeless, this is my first project ever on a car and I feel I've broken or messed up more things than its worth. Coolant is dripping all over after pulling the A/C...must of pulled a hose alittle and now its leaking slowly. I want to pull my hair out because I don't have the time, money, or experience to deal with such a simple task gone wrong. I'm really concerned with the transmission, did I really f*** something up since it does not line up with the crossmember bolts and without the bolts will bad things happen if driven? I'm pretty scared at the how things worked out and how the situation looks. Some of the forum members said the whole thing fit like a glove...I wish I could say the same for my car. I understand why tons of people I know hate working on Vettes. I stand back and look at the car and I feel alittle better but once I go back to trying to install the exhaust system, anger, fraustration, and total helplessness overwhelms me. Grrrrrrrr I HATE IT WHEN THINGS DO NOT GO ACCORDING TO PLAN.

Amazing how such a simple tasks can blow up into a experience from hell.

Very very angry, tried, and dirty Israel.

Paul 75 L82

I feel your pain, but I had no problems with the full Hooker kit on my 75 with a 4 speed. Good Luck.

Phoenix79

Grrr, I got the exhaust flange up to the header but there is about an inch difference in making the collector and flange flush together. How can I tell if I have a TH350 or TH400?

Steve Straus

The 350 has a square pan and a cable for the kickdown. The 400 has a texas (use your imagination) shaped pan and an electric kickdown.

Phoenix79

Thanks Steve, I'll have to look at that more closely next time I work on the car. You think a shop will do the rest of the installation if I hand them the kit and install the headers myself? I just don't see much light into getting the collector and flange to meet and mate.

noskillz

I kinda went through the same thing. What I finally did was take it to a muffler shop that was recommended to me. I threw away the exhaust I ordered. This muffler guys fitted in (snuggley) a perfect 2.5 inch aluminized exhaust in about 30 minutes. Total job cost slightly more that the exhaust pipes I had ordered. I never do my own exhaust again. :smash:

I thought I would save $, but the savings were minimal.

noskillz

one other thing I learned - Do you have the right side exhaust on the RIGHT side and not vise-versa. Exhaust, not header. This caught me the first time. Each piece is NOT the same.

Phoenix79

I was hoping maybe I made a bonehead move and picked the passenger side exhaust pipe to fit on the driver side so I laid the pipes next to one another and looked at them closely, they are all the exact same. As for the crossmember situation...will those 2 bolts that bolt from the center of the crossmember to the tranny cause any problems if they are absent?

Warp70

As an inexperienced newbie as you put it, what you are feeling is completely normal. I have yet to have one single install go as planned. It is very frustrating for us with little experience to try to overcome even simple obstacles due to a lack of tools or know how. Stick with it though, you'll get it eventually, even if it seems like there's no way in heck at the present time. Good Luck!!! :cheers: :smash: :smash: :smash: :smash: :smash: :smash: :smash: :smash: :smash: :smash: :smash: :smash: :smash:

zwede

Sounds like the tranny mount bolts. Yes, they are definetely NOT optional.

Captain Morgan

Make sure all the bolts connecting the cross-member to frame, and cross-member to tranny are loose. Now try to either move the tranny around, or move the cross-member around until you get each bolt in the hole. It may take some effort but you should be able to get it. If they came out, they'll go back in, it's just a matter of knowing how and trying. You generally want to get every bolt started before tightening any of them. Sometimes you just have to step back for a few hours (or days) and then come back at it again. I know the frustration, I installed true duals on my 79. I too feel that I didn't save much money by doing it myself, but I learned a lot. Good luck and let us know if you have any other questions.

Phoenix79

Thanks for the support guys, I really appreciate it. Atleast I can say...the headers fit and bolted on! I'll have to loosen the crossmember bolts and bang it to the side until the tranny bolts line up. They are off about 3 centimeters, its so close but just not close enough. I wasn't sure if the tranny slipped or what *scratches his head...can it do that?* I found the major problem was I had to lift the crossmember into place just to get it up to the frame but once I did that, it was extremely hard to move around with the tranny on top of it weighing it down. I'll definitely trying again tomorrow. Since I most definitely need the bolts in place. As for the pipes since I already have my own set it shouldn't cost too much to have them bent alittle to fit. If I could find a shop in my area to do the true dual piping I would of done it that way. I appreciate the work you guys go through in working on your cars. Real drivers do the mechanics themselves right? Well most of the mechanics. Thanks alot, I feel more inspired and less inclined to through a brick through my car window.

Captain Morgan

Put a floor jack under the tranny with a block of wood in between the tranny and jack. I did this when I installed the tranny mount hanger for the dual exhaust. Not sure how the hooker exhaust hangs, but you may want to look into getting one of those hangers if the kit doesn't have one. You have to lift the tranny a little and slide the hanger in between the tranny and mount. You'll understand once you see the hanger. I got mine from Corvette World. (724) 837-8600
http://www.corvettedept.com


The part number for mine was 5851 but you will need a different one since you have an auto. Once you go to the website, put in the part number I gave you and that should take you to the right page. Or do a search on exhaust or exhaust hangers. $17.50. Keeps the exhaust from banging around inside the holes in the cross-member. It says 68-75 but it WILL fit a 79.

BB68Vett

When I pulled my engine, I replaced all of my engine mounts and the transmission mount. Well, things didn't line up exactly at the transmission end. It took me about about 1.5 to 2 hours to get the three holes (crossmember holes, transmission holes and mount holes) lined up for the tranny mount bolts to go in. It wasn't easy but I got it eventually. Oh, by the way, my arms and shoulders were sore the next day from moving the tranny back and forth from under the car. Keep trying, it will come. When it got close, I used a phillips head screw driver to line everything up, using side to side movement. Good luck!!

JHL81

Try this, support the tranny on a jack , use a piece of wood and not just the jack`s steel plate. Take the crossmember off the chassis and bolt it to the transmission first then jack it up into place and bolt in the crossmember to the chassis last. At least with the crossmember bolted to the tranny you have something to grip as you move it around to line up the bolt holes on the crossmember to the chassis. Be carefull and take you time and you will get there in the end. Don`t be tempted to drive it with any of the bolts missing. My car is a 4spd but it worked for me when I changed the clutch recently.

J.

J.

Phoenix79

Thanks for all the support guys, I really appreciate it. I really do! I do have a quick question. I first pulled the crossmember off completely by accident and the tranny slipped down alittle. That shouldn't hurt the tranny, right? I sure hope not...

Phoenix79

Oh! Another quick question. There was some mechanism on the tranny pan that I loosened and the car slid back alittle, like I pull the emergency brake off or something. I tightened all the bolts and re-engaged the emergency brake. What exactly is that mechanism? It had a rubber sleeve around it. I hope i didn't mess up something on it and have to do more hardcore :smash: work on the car.