dmag23 Posted July 7, 2007 Share Posted July 7, 2007 I installed a set of Doug Thorley headers on my '87 Pathfinder. This is the long tube set made for the '87-'89 model year. The front most exhaust tube on the driver side header is so close to the steering shaft flex plate that I can't turn the steering wheel without hitting the header tube. The header tube is literally rubbing up against the flex plate on the steering shaft. I've checked the header flange to make sure it is flush up against the engine head. The header flange is flush up against the head from the front exhaust port all the way to the rear exhaust port. The motor mounts are new and I've checked the engine for alignment. It is sitting in the chassis just like it's supposed to. Has anyone else installed Thorleys on an '87-'89 and run in to this same problem? Any suggestions for a fix short of adding a body lift? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unccpathfinder Posted July 7, 2007 Share Posted July 7, 2007 i have thorleys on my 87...the only difference is its a 95 engine (but that shouldnt matter they mount in the same place the only diff is the intakes) and they're for the automatic tranny(mines a manual... heres some quick pix i just went out and took...the 1st 2 are of the area u speak of and the only closeness area i had is on the pass side heat shield (its the 3rd pic) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cohen Posted July 8, 2007 Share Posted July 8, 2007 Where did you find these headers? I can only find Pacesetter for ours. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
88pathoffroad Posted July 9, 2007 Share Posted July 9, 2007 Google Thorley headers.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unccpathfinder Posted July 9, 2007 Share Posted July 9, 2007 Where did you find these headers? on wheelmans engine Google Thorley headers.... Last time I checked they were like $275 or so (about 2-3 years ago)...but I think they may be like $350 or something now and IIRC the gaskets need to be upgraded to a mr gasket set? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mws Posted July 9, 2007 Share Posted July 9, 2007 (edited) UNCC - You are using '95 headers, right? There are some differences between the pre '90 and post '90 sets. The bad difference is the need to move that upper pipe to make room for the EGR fitting off the back. I had the same issue on our '87. I suspect there is some variation in engine/body positioning that leads to this. If the body is shifted to the passenger side, the clearance is reduced. Loosening the body and shifting to the driver's side should be possible. But a reallyh good jolt could move it back, possibly leading to steering seizure. My short term (and fast) solution was to grind off the bolts and stuff that were hitting. Long term would be a small body lift. Edited July 9, 2007 by mws Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmag23 Posted July 9, 2007 Author Share Posted July 9, 2007 Where did you find these headers? I can only find Pacesetter for ours. You can contact Doug Thorley directly at 800-347-8664. Nick Thompson and Bob Taylor deal with automotive headers. Nick is at extension 217 and Bob is at extension 205. Headers for the '87-'89 year model (V-6) are part #464-1. Headers for the '90-'95 year model are part #464-2. Ceramic coated headers use a "C" in the part number. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmag23 Posted July 9, 2007 Author Share Posted July 9, 2007 Adding pic's isn't as easy as I thought. Let me try again. If it works, I'm adding two pic's of my clearance issue with the steering flange. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mws Posted July 9, 2007 Share Posted July 9, 2007 (edited) Yup. That's what I encountered, but yours looks even worse. This makes me think even more so that the root cause is body shift on the frame. I see a plug in the air injection pipe bung. Are you also plugging off the EGR? In that case, you may be able to use the -2 version. Note, I said may - I have no idea if there changes other than those to allow room for EGR bung! Derrr.... on edit, UNCC's experience makes it appear the -2's should fit in the '87 if the EGR and AIR do not need to be hooked up. You also loose the hot air stove for the intake, but that could be overcome as well. Edited July 10, 2007 by mws Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unccpathfinder Posted July 10, 2007 Share Posted July 10, 2007 UNCC - You are using '95 headers, right? There are some differences between the pre '90 and post '90 sets. The bad difference is the need to move that upper pipe to make room for the EGR fitting off the back. DOH...I just went comparing to my 87 (with manifolds on the stand) and the 95 engine with headers and thats right...and i just realized that I have an even bigger problem in trying to complete the emissions crap for Ca... (im gonna send you a PM about my issue) just a side note did you happen to lay the manifolds on top of the headers to see how similar their path was? I wonder if thorley has a good QA process b/c i would think they have a jig to weld the tubes to the flange and maybe it gets off by 3 degrees or so and the result downstream gives the result u are seeing...I wonder if they would let you get a copy of their tube prints (im going to say yea right) but if you could find a machine shop or something with a CMM and could verify some points to know that the headers are good and within tolerance.. does the crossover pipe match up with that driver side header and match up with the exhaust flange without binding anything up too much? that just seems like an awful lot of interference for everything to be within tolerance Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmag23 Posted July 10, 2007 Author Share Posted July 10, 2007 MWS - As for now, I do have the Air injection and EGR plugged. That's only because I couldn't get the pipes out of the original manifolds. I'll have to fab some new pipes. As for the -2 units. I struggled with that one before ordering. In the end, I decided to go with the -1 (long tube) set thinking that it would be a better match for the Throttle Body setup. As it is now, and looking at UNCC pic's, I wish I would have gone with the -2's. UNCC - I didn't lay the original manifolds up against the header assembly to compare paths. I knew they would be different. Actually that's good. A larger bend radius on the Thorley tubes (as compared to the stock manifolds) helps the flow rate. The down side is interference issues like I have. The crossover pipe matches up perfectly, along with the header/crossover flanges. And it mates up to the original exhaust perfectly. Everything bolted in with no problems. It just sits too close to the steering shaft. I contacted Thorley and they are looking in to it. I sent them a bunch of photos to review. I'm waiting to hear back from them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mws Posted July 11, 2007 Share Posted July 11, 2007 Gotcha. If you want to hook up stock EGR and AIR, you will need to use -1 set like you have. The -2 has only 1 bung. I fought the stock tubes for over a week before they came out of my manifolds! I soaked in PB twice a day, and heated them up every night while loosening and beating the hell out of them with hammer. It eventually worked, although I did have to resort to a pipe wrench on the air pipe.... and then ground new flats to fit a wrench on it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Casey.T Posted July 11, 2007 Share Posted July 11, 2007 I bought a little pipe wrench just for the egr tube... paid $3 for it and I use the Spark Plug tool for extra leaverage Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unccpathfinder Posted July 11, 2007 Share Posted July 11, 2007 I knew they would be different. Actually that's good. A larger bend radius on the Thorley tubes (as compared to the stock manifolds) helps the flow rate. Yea I was talking about the flanges in ref to one another...but if it all mated up without any issues then they should be close to spec...I helped a buddy do some exhaust work on his camaro with getting the new down pipes mated to the headers to the cats to the X pipe (the big issue there was the new 3" pipe wasnt flattened like the original for the increased flow it took about 4 hrs of tweaking but it all worked out to no interferences Good luck hope it all works out Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
exploited789 Posted August 8, 2007 Share Posted August 8, 2007 i installed headers and i ran into the same exact problem but i solved mine with a 3 inch body lift it clears alot of the issues with the headers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now