how to install headers?

fishy68 said
Jack the car up as high as you can get it (minimum of 18") and block it up securely. Pop the dist. cap loose and move it out of the way of the wiper motor so you can jack the engine up as far as possible then block the engine up so it don't fall on you. You have to remove the steering center link cause it routes through the drivers side header. Take the oil filter off and if your car has a 90* oil filter adapter you will probably have to take it off too so get new gaskets for it. Take the starter off. Take the engine to trans. braces off. It can be done without taking the torsion bars out but it does help a lot if you take them out. Make sure you have a torsion bar removal tool as they are nearly impossible to get out without one. Do the drivers side header first cause it's tighter but leave it kinda loose until you get the pass. side header in place. Hope you ain't got power steering cause that makes a bad job even worse.

Also, it wouldn't hurt to change out your starter and use a mini starter from a 90's Dakota. The stock starters are way too bulky and make it nearly impossible to bolt up the wires and the starter itself with the headers in place. I did this when installing my headers and used another stud on the transmission instead of the bolt so I had a much easier job of installing the starter because my starter hangs on the studs and it's easier to bolt the nuts on to the studs. Especially the top one!I also loosened up both motor mounts and raised the engine about 4"-7" on each side during installation to make it a little easier to maneuver the header around due to extremely tight clearance issues.
Once you get the drivers header in place, if your car has power steering you need to be very patient on getting the header bolts lined up properly. Do not try to force any of these bolts in as you will have issues down the road. As stated above, have patience on this one and you will be fine. I think the first time I installed headers on my engine it probably took me about 3 hrs to complete the job. I have since had my motor out a couple of times, and have gotten better at this task so I have narrowed the time frame down to about 1 1/2 hrs or so. Good luck and keep us posted.