Approx cost to install headers exhaust

[at1212b]

Does anybody what the average cost is to install headers and a exhaust?Just a general ballpark range? Thanks.

[400wagon]

it depends on where you take it. If you took it to a muffler shop, their probably going to charge you a lot (well over $1000) to fabricate and install all the pieces necessary. A lot of shops may not do it either, with laws about catalytic converters and stuff like that. I went to a shop, it was a chain store, but I don't remember which one, and they wanted at least $1000 for duals back from the manifolds. I'm sure a header install will probably double that.

If you do it yourself you can save a lot of money. I put headers on a car once and I think I ended up spending around $300. The headers were around $100, and I had straight pipes going back to mufflers ending right before the rear axle, but I wouldn't recomend that setup. Its really noisy with resonance in the interior and would scrape the ground over anything more than a small bump.

Occasionally you can find a shop that will do duals from the manifolds back for around $300, but they are hard to find, and are usually privately owned garages.

Sorry, hope that wasn't more than you asked.

[bobss396]

The emissions laws are the key to your decision. Where I am in NY, they are very strict on them. The cars all get a tail pipe test and run on a dyno to simulate road conditions.

Also your engine is designed to run better with all the emissions equipment hooked up and you still have to deal with the computer on some cars.

To me, headers on street cars are nothing more than grief. They rust, they scrape, they loosen up, blow out gaskets, they're actually noisy. Factory manifolds soak up heat from the cylinder heads, they deaden the combustion sound. Your existing system probably has AIR tubes all over it too.

There is no cheap way out that I can see. If you wind up going to the wrong shop, your car might even perform worse than it did stock. I'm a hotrodder from way back, I've seen lots of things that didn't work when cars were simpler.

Bob