Header bolt question
 

I'm going to be putting American Racing LTs on my 00 WS6 on saturday, I was wondering if the bolts already on my manifolds would work okay? Or should I buy a set of ARP stainless?

Buy the stainless. Anything else the bolts will start to rust and quickly move onto the coating of the headers. Don't forget to use anti seize on the bolts and repeated retightening after the first few heat cycles.

ARP bolts and copper gaskets ftw. May as well spend a few extra bucks doing it right the first time and not have to re tighten them all the time.

i used ARP header studs, way easier than bolts IMO

Stage 8 lockers and aluminum gaskets are a f'n sweet combo

Stage 8 are ok but sometimes difficult to get the clips on. Look into a company called Breslin and their split lock fastners.

Stage 8's last I checked are not as high of a grade as the stock bolts (it's bad enough the aluminum heads are soft, throw an aluminum bolt in there the wrong way and oops... and as stated the little clips and whatnot are a pain in the ass. Good luck with the back one on the passenger side). ARP as far as I know only make a stud for the LS1. Nice, but around 100 bucks (I had ARP bolts on my LT1 and they were the **** so if the LS1 are of any equal quality they would probably be excellent). If I were you I would just clean your stockers and reuse them. Done that on every install I've done and had great success. If the threads are in question, run a M8x1.25 tap through the holes to clean 'em up. I have also heard Breslin are good but never seen a set first hand. Don't forget to tighten from the inside of the header outward.

-J

Stage8 bolts are stainless so they are better than the stock ones. The clips can be a little tough to get on, but it's good insurance they won't come loose. The Breslin is a good option as well. I went with the Stage8 and put the bolts on and drove the car a couple of days nice and easy to heat cycle the gaskets and headers. I tightened them each day and then did a final tightening and put the clips on. No problems with leaks or loose bolts.

DONE. Finished up an hour ago, took just over 4 hours. We had a little trouble getting the dipstick back in, but other than that it was smooth sailing. People said i would have to move the motor and all....they fit right in from the bottom!

Yeah, my headers weren't bad to install in the LS1, much easier than the LT1. I spent more time messing around with the y-pipe because my headers are used and the collectors were cut short. I'm still not happy with the fit of the y-pipe and cats. But I haven't scraped on any curbs, speed bumps or boat ramps yet.