LT set-up question; is this all i need?

**Guerrillakilla13** · 01-24-2012, 04:17 PM

Hey guys, i'm gonna keep this short and simple; is this all i need for a best bang-for-your-buck quality LT setup? I estimated it to be around 700 W/0ut tax..

Pacesetter LT's 1-3/4"
00-02 LS1 Pacesetter 1-3/4" Long Tube Headers (w/emissions | WS6store.com

Pacesetter 3" Y pipe
98-02 LS1 Pacesetter 3" Y-pipe | WS6store.com

Pacesetter universal High Flow cats (i'd buy two obviously)
93-02 V8 Pacesetter Universal Hi Flow Cat 3 | WS6store.com

Honestly, its nice to get the power, but I'm mainly doing it for the hellish loud sound It'll cast upon traffic lol

I'm having it installed by someone else, since i don't have the time nor equipment to do it, so fitment wont bother me unless it leaks. I also wanna make sure that nothing in the engine bay will get damaged, since i've been told different things about that

PS, i currently have a Borla Cat-back system installed. Is this all i need?

Thanks for the help!

**Guerrillakilla13** · 01-24-2012, 04:25 PM

Actually here's option number two!

BBK Full length header system (ceramic coated)
98-02 LS1 BBK Full Length Header System (Ceramic | WS6store.com

SLP High Flow Cat's
98-02 LS1 SLP High-Flow Catalytic Converters (PAIR | WS6store.com

***SMWS6TA*** · 01-25-2012, 07:45 PM

Quick question, do you have emissions? If not drop the hi flow cats and just use the ORY.

My set up is Pacesetter ceramic coated race style LT headers (no EGR tubes) and a TS&P ORY, Pacesetter had a back order when I got mine so I got the TS&P.

The headers are 2 1/2 yrs old and still look good. Nice fit and sound goes real good with Magnaflow but if you want loud the SLP LM1 will do the job.

I got both LT's & ORY from TS&P $485 shipped.

Others have said they are very happy with the ebay SS headers.

**Guerrillakilla13** · 01-25-2012, 08:06 PM

I do have emissions here unfortunately... You know man Tatertot91 suggested I get Pacesetters LT's and a TSP catted Y (ceramic coated) from texas speed and performance; exactly like yours but my Y being catted, and the deal looks really good. I'm gonna do that when I get enough money to.

I'm not very happy that i gotta pay 505 for labor and 200 for the tuner plus 300 for the tune! Overall i'm looking at nearly 2,000 dollars for the whole thing.

and i dont know what no EGR tubes means man hahaha

**0rion** · 01-25-2012, 09:17 PM

$500 for the install buys a lot of tools........also, why are you paying $500 for a tune? At least that's how I'm reading it 200+300. That's expensive for a tune and unless you're doing more mods it would be smart to wait until you get more mods to get the tune done. I would recommend a mail order tune from frost for $150 and save yourself bout tree-fitty. Might want to also look into ebay headers.....can save a handful of dollars that way too and it's been well documented here that they're decent headers.

**Guerrillakilla13** · 01-25-2012, 10:12 PM

Orion, sorry man bear with me I have a very basic knowledge with LT install and everything about it.

They said it'll be 200 for the tuning device, than 300 for the actual tune. I've heard that tuning the car is absolutely necessary for better sound and performance, so it's definitely something I'd wanna do.. They also mentioned something about a license to do it from the device? I dont know..lol

Can you tell me what exactly a mail order tune is? how is it different from a tune from the shop?..

I just checked ebay..maybe i'm looking wrong but it seemed more expensive lol

**0rion** · 01-25-2012, 10:38 PM

Your tune numbers don't sound right to me. If they're using hptuners a license is $100. If they're charging you for the license I'd want to know how many cars they've tuned because they should probably have unlimited if they have a bunch of experience. Most tuners will just give you a flat cost like $400-$450.
With a mail order you would need to pull your pcm out (easy to do) and mail it to Frost. He will tune it and send it back to you. His turn around time is excellent on it and all you need to do is search frost on the board here to see how many happy customers he has here. His mail order tune costs $150 and you will notice the difference.
TunedByFrost.com - Services

I would recommend you do some reading for a while before you do anything. There's a lot of info out there that will help you decide which direction to go. There are some step by step guides out there on doing the header swap. Read those and see if it's something you think you could tackle before paying 5 bills to have done. Saving that $500 goes a long ways towards other mods.

**tatertot91** · 01-26-2012, 04:20 AM

^agreed, if you feel up to it installing yourself is definitely worth it. Plus there's always a greater satisfaction in completing the job yourself

**Guerrillakilla13** · 01-26-2012, 02:51 PM

wow its only 150 for the entire tune process if I did that?? Does his tune work as well as a normal tune from the shop?

I wouldn't mind doing that at all, but i use my bird as a daily driver..I assume the car wont be drive-able without the PCM.. That's a problem for me..

As far as the LT installation goes, it looks like a hell of a lot of work and time lol I'm slow at these things and would probably screw up at a few points. But Yeah i'll look more into the process online and maybe even convince myself otherwise! I really appreciate all your guys's help!

**0rion** · 01-26-2012, 04:26 PM

well....this may be the point where I start talking out my ass but for some reason I was thinking frost either does or used to do loaner pcm's. You'd pay a deposit and he'd send you a pcm to drive on until you got your tuned pcm back. Like I say....I might be completely wrong on that but for some reason it seems like a few years ago I read about him doing that. With your mods his tune will be every bit as good as the one you'd pay $500 for. I would talk to some friends or family and see if they'd give you a ride to work a couple days. His turn around is same day so you're just looking at mail time. Overnight it to him and pay to have him overnight it back. Do it on a friday and you're only needing a ride one day.

**Guerrillakilla13** · 01-26-2012, 08:51 PM

I'll send them an email and ask about that! If they do it and its cheaper than overnight shipping there and back than hell hahaha. Dude thank you so much for referring me to that, this might have actually been the determining factor for me getting the LT's done! I need to save all the money I can

***SMWS6TA*** · 01-26-2012, 09:11 PM

You can send you PCM to Frost on Monday via priority mail and in most cases he'll have it back to you by that Friday or Saturday. My turn around time was that damn quick. But I'd call or email him first. The hard part was getting the damn PCM out

I like many others can testify for Frost tunes. He really wakes these cars up.

Now if you end up doing a H/C mod you'll need a full tune, I think he can give a basic tune so that the car can be drove to a tune shop, again ask him.

This is not a difficult mod to do, but it is time consuming. I did my LT's in my garage with a buddy, it took us about 6-8 hrs total time because I make sure I do it right the first time so I become very meticulous and take my time and also because of breaks and lunch.

Just have to get the car about 20" off the ground. Do all of the top stuff first then lift in the air. There are a couple of threads about header installations that helped me when I did mine. Only major issue I can see are the old exhaust manifold bolts getting seized up. Soak them in break free overnight and you should have no issues.

Depending on the brand you get you could have some issues. Some on the drivers side have clearance issues with the K member. BFH and/or a grinder usually helps. Also this is the time to do motor mounts, make sure yours looks good, if they are you don't have to change but now is a good time to do so. Poly are more stiffer and some ppl have complain about feeling motor vibration more.

**Guerrillakilla13** · 01-26-2012, 09:26 PM

I can't go car-less for a week man, i'm a pretty busy guy haha
I just came back from googleing tuned by frost and ya there are a tone of people who think he's done a great job! I just find it hard to believe that when you get your pcm back its completely monster'd up and ready to roll hahaha and at 1/3 the cost of having some local place do it for ya!

I don't have jacks do get it 20" off the ground.. I think those would cost me at least 100 themselves, which would be like 1/4 1/5 the cost of have the shop do it...right?
It sounds like fun no doubt lol but i just don't know if i trust myself to do it right.. cause any mistake or any other thing i give up on cause its too hard than i just ruined my car til i can get it towed to a shop! hahaha

I'm gonna have to say that i'm 100% gonna go with ceramic coated Pacesetter LT's and TSP Catted Y. Wait is any welding required to do all of this? Cause i don't even have a welder in the garage I don't think

*added* hey can you guys tell me the difference between "offroad LT's" and "emissions LT's"? I thought only the Cats was needed to pass emissions.

**0rion** · 01-27-2012, 01:28 AM

no welding required if you buy headers and a Y. Offroad LT's mean that it doesn't have fittings for a.i.r. or egr. Your car doesn't have an egr but it has the a.i.r. fittings. Look on your stock manifolds and you'll see a riser on each side that has a hose going to it. That's for the a.i.r. system which pumps fresh air into the exhaust stream on start up to get your cats working faster. No matter what headers you get you're not going to pass a visual if they look at them.

**Guerrillakilla13** · 01-27-2012, 07:52 AM

Oh ok, so I'd probably want the emissions headers. Thanks for the explanation.

I was snooping online and saw this for Arizona, so I think I'm ok on the headers

28-955. Mufflers; noise and air pollution prevention; emissions control devices; civil penalty; exception

A. A motor vehicle shall be equipped at all times with a muffler that is in good working order and that is in constant operation to prevent excessive or unusual noise.

B. A person shall not use a muffler cutout, bypass or similar device on a motor vehicle on a highway.

C. The engine and power mechanism of a motor vehicle shall be equipped and adjusted to prevent the escape of excessive fumes or smoke.

D. Beginning with motor vehicles and motor vehicle engines of the 1968 model year, motor vehicles and motor vehicle engines shall be equipped with emissions control devices that meet the standards established by the director of environmental quality.

E. A person who violates this section is subject to a civil penalty of at least one hundred dollars.

F. This section does not apply to an electrically powered motor vehicle.

I hope the director of environmental quality has no idea what longtubes are Hahahaha.

If they do a visual inspection, I think I'm ok because the LS1 is tucked so far back into the engine bay you can't see a thing XD

-Sent from my Dual-Core Android-

***SMWS6TA*** · 01-30-2012, 12:32 PM

If you get those headers then you will need block off plates for the egr tubes because of the year of your car. 01-02's Pontiac/Gm dropped all of the EGR off the LS1's and your intake is a LS6 with no egr port.

So you DON'T NEED Emission style headers. (I'm trying to save you some $$)

And as hard as it is for you to believe that Frost tunes are all that, they are. I have never heard any members here say they were ever unhappy with his tune. Not one!

A visual inspect - be aware they use mirrors or you drive over a bay for them to get underneath.

**Guerrillakilla13** · 01-30-2012, 12:50 PM

Thank you, I'm trying to get all the information I can before I begin the operation.

So, I don't need Off-road headers and I do need block off plates; do those plates come with the headers?

So long as i have the Cats and Muffler on, I should be okay right? I live in Arizona, this state isn't nearly as strict on vehicle laws as some of the more harsher ones..

And the best part of living in AZ, is that his tuning services are done from perhaps the farthest point possible from me across the U.S. sh*t I'd have to pay a fortune to overnight it

***SMWS6TA*** · 01-30-2012, 01:01 PM

No,no, no.....

I'm saying that if you're getting the Pacesetters - get the Race style (NO EGR) ceramic coated headers. <<<<<<THIS IS THE ONE YOU WANT

If you get the LT's that have EGR you will need to get the block off plates for the egr tubes on the headers. As I posted above your car does not have EGR on it, so the tubes will be worthless to you.

Every state law has the same emissions statement, it's how each one enforces it. Some states have no inspections so for them it's never an issue. Having Hi Flow CATS and a muffler like Magnaflow will help.

Shipping it overnight not really, 2 day priority only cost me 12 bucks. Is this your only car? I can see being with out it for a week will be a PITA but I can say it is so so so very worth it.

**Guerrillakilla13** · 01-30-2012, 04:58 PM

I'm sorry man that's what I meant, I DO want the off road headers. Off road LT ceramic coated headers and TSP catted Y. Excuse my stupidity it happens more than often Haha.

I'm gonna buy off this site tatertot91 suggested to me, it looks like its all I need.

I'll get the offroad headers and the catted Y, with o2 extensions if needed.

And hey that shipping doesn't sound bad actually i gotta ask next time Im by the post office. I don't ship 1 or 2 day very often so I don't pay attention to it.

Its my daily driver, the longest I can go without it is Friday through Sunday.. I'm in college so I don't really have any alternative lol

***SMWS6TA*** · 01-30-2012, 07:22 PM

You may be able to work something out with Frost about a loner PCM, It will cost some $$ but it will give you what you want which is to be able to drive it. Ask Frost.

Also you might get a warning about posting a link to a non sponsor site. I just thought I give you a heads up to try to remove it before the mods do. 1st time a warning, after that they may issue points.

We all know about TS&P, so that is all you have to do is state that there is where you are pricing them.

I'm currently using the O2 extensions (well have been for 2.5 yrs now) with no issues, I'll swap out for Bosh 13111's when I'm due to replace my O2's or may just keep, depends on price.