Edelbrock TES Header Installation

Written by Jay Vessels

My 1982 Chevrolet S-10 Sport was in dire need of a new exhaust. I was going to just replace the converter, muffler, and piping. I found out that Kenneth Zink, a fellow list member and V6/60 enthusiast, had a set of Edelbrock TES headers for sale, I decided that I would spend the money and upgrade to headers. This article details the installation of these headers.

I bought the headers from Ken used, and they arrived in short order. My first impression was that these are quality parts. The header flange is heavy steel, and finish-ground. The tubes, collectors, and Y-pipe are all high quality, heavy steel. It is a three-piece affair, with one header per side, and a Y-pipe that exits the same location as the stock Y-pipe. I sent them to Troy Boys (859) 734-4843 where they were ceramic-coated. Cost to coat was $100; normally $185, but I got a price break because it took them a long time due to coating vendor problems.

Supplies:

Edelbrock TES headers (mine are #6886 for 1983-1985 2WD S-10 truck)

Header gaskets (I used Fel-Pro gaskets I had left from my engine gasket kit)

Stage8 header bolt kit #6910 for 2.8V6

O2 sensor (if you have one, don't reuse you old one if you do)

Catalytic converter (if needed, mine is 2.5"in/out 3-way Dynomax w/o AIR)

Muffler (if needed, mine is Flowmaster Delta Flow 50 series, 2.5" offset in/ 2.5" center out)

Penetrating oil for stubborn bolts

Anti-seize compound

Major tools needed:

7/16", 10mm, 13mm, 15mm, and 22mm wrenches

7/16", 10mm, 13mm, and 15mm sockets (deep well and normal)

cutoff tools to remove the old pipe (if your converter won't slip off)

Allen wrenches

Screwdrivers of various sizes

Hammer

Cutoff tools (air chisel, cutoff wheel, hacksaw, pick your poison)

Heck, just grab the toolbox, as you're gonna need it.

First, remove your old manifolds. This involves removing the AIR lines (if the AIR system is still on the truck). On the driver's side, there is a bracket retaining the power steering pump that must be removed; it is on a stud that also mounts the dipstick. On the passenger side, it is best to go ahead and remove the alternator. Its bracketry can stay. It might be best to remove most of the AIR system at this point, as the valving will be in the way, too.

There are 6 bolts that hold the manifold to the head. I was lucky enough to have recently removed my manifolds during an engine gasket replacement, so the bolts came out easily. If you're not sure, soak each bolt with penetrating oil daily for a few days before removing them. There are two bolts that hold each exhaust pipe in place. One bolt on each can be accessed through rubber flap in the wheelwell. The other bolt on each pipe can be accessed from underneath. This is true of both sides, though the passenger side looks like both can be accessed from underneath, given enough extensions. Be careful when removing the bolts on the driver's side as the oil pressure gauge sending unit can be in the way, and you don't want to damage it. If in doubt, remove it. Also unplug the temperature gauge sending unit wire, and move out of the way. Remove the plug wires so you don't take a chance on damaging them.

The Y-pipe is next. The catalytic converter is supposedly a slip-on affair, but mine had been installed for 19 years and wasn't coming off. Since I was replacing it anyway, I used an air chisel to cut the pipe off. The Y pipe is not retained anywhere else. The converter is held (on manual trucks like mine) by a brace that runs from the transmission crossmember to the converter. Two bolts hold the converter heat shield onto the brace, and two bolts retain the converter pipe clamp to the brace. The rest of the exhaust is held in with traditional hangers.

Now that the exhaust is off, it is time to install the headers. Start with the driver's side. The dipstick tube goes on the outside of the headers (it's not completely obvious), and while it can be a bit of a wrestling match, it's not bad. Don't fight it too much, and it will go into place. Watch out for the steering column, but there is plenty of room in there, I promise.

Coat each Stage8 bolt with anti-seize compound. If you ever have to remove them, you'll be glad you did. Install the gasket and all of the Stage8 bolts. Don't tighten them until they are all started, and run them up evenly. I like to run each up until they just touch, and then tighten them from the center out.

If you haven't bought the Stage8 header bolts because you think $34.99 is too much for header bolts, think again. I don't know if new TES headers come with bolts or not as mine are used, but the Stage8 bolts are wonderful. They fit like they should. I don't know if the locking mechanism is required, but they won't back off. If the bolt were to start to turn, the locking plate would simply jam against the header tube and prevent further movement.

The Stage8 bolts have metric threads like the stock bolts, but the head is 7/16". There is an Allen wrench socket in each head, so an Allen wrench can also be used. A 7/16" wrench is the best way, as many of the bolts cannot be accessed with a socket. An Allen wrench is nice on the center bottom bolt on both sides.

Next is the passenger side. It is easier than the driver's side, but the alternator will be in the way, so if you haven't removed it, you will have to do so now. If you've got a TBI truck, it looks like the water line to the intake has to come off, but it does not. The heater hose will flex enough to get the header installed. Coat the bolts, and install the gasket and bolts the same way as the driver's side.

Now you can reinstall the plug wires, any wiring you've unhooked, the alternator, the power steering bracket, and the AIR system. For those that are emissions-exempt (i.e. for off-highway use only :) ) 1/4" pipe plugs will fit in the headers where the AIR lines went; missing AIR equipment won't set a Service Engine Soon light, either.

My truck has been converted to TBI, so I needed an O2 sensor. California trucks all got O2 sensors (carbureted and fuel injected), and all TBI trucks have them. Edelbrock installs a plug in the passenger-side header where the O2 sensor goes. A 22mm wrench will remove the plug. Get your new sensor out (now is a good time to convert to the 3-wire, heated AC p/n AFS-74 sensor if you want a heated sensor) and install it. Don't over-tighten it!

Next is the Y-pipe. The stock Y-pipe was a royal pain in the behind to remove, but the Edelbrock one is wonderful. The headers drop down low enough that you can get to all four bolts easily. If you didn't get bolts for the flanges, standard small-block Chevy bolts work fine. I didn't get doughnut gaskets with mine. On my Y-pipe, the passenger side had a regular flange like the stock Y-pipe, but the driver's side had a steel sleeve in it. I don't know if this is true of other systems or not. The sleeve got ceramic coated with the rest of the Y-pipe so I couldn't remove it. For that side, a standard small-block Chevy doughnut gasket fits fine. The other side used a standard 2.8V6 doughnut gasket; simply remove the steel sleeve that comes with it, and the gasket will slip over the sleeve. Your mileage may vary. If that sleeve had not been there (and I doubt it should have been) SBC doughnut gaskets would have worked on either side. If both sides had the sleeve, 2.8V6 gaskets would have worked.

One area to watch is how the header-to-Y-pipe flanges are orientated. On the driver's side make sure that they won't hit the brake lines if the engine moves. On the passenger side, make sure they won't hit the frame. Carefully orientating them before tightening the bolts will avoid problems later.

After installation, I checked everything for tightness and clearance. Make sure that no wires or hoses can come in contact with the headers! Check the starter heat shield clearance and adjust if necessary.

If you are going to replace the rest of your exhaust, now is the time to drive it to the exhaust shop. Otherwise, reconnect and clamp your converter to the Y-pipe and start it to check for leaks.

That's it! Total installation time for me, with my father helping (one person on each side is nice) was a few hours and we weren't working real hard. Note that I had an exhaust shop install the converter, muffler, and the rest of the piping.

Final analysis:

These headers fit great! There is ample room around the steering column, brake lines, clutch linkage, and oil filter. I may switch to a PF47 (from a PF52) but I don't think it's required. The Y-pipe fits good, and the exhaust shop had no problems getting the converter to fit correctly.

The Stage8 bolts are great, too. I've used other header bolts and they always seem to fit poorly; the Stage8 bolts don't have problems with the header tubes being in the way (the Allen wrench feature helps here).

I am really happy with the fit and finish of these headers, and I can honestly say I would do this swap again. If you're considering headers for your truck, I can recommend the Edelbrock TES headers without reservation.

The rest of the exhaust is as follows: From the 2.25" collector on the TES's Y-pipe, the exhaustshop adapted it to 2.5", and connected it to a Dynomax SuperConverter 2.5" in / out ($50 from Jeg's). 2.5" aluminized pipe goes to the Flowmaster Delta Flow 50-series muffler ($90 from Jeg's), 2.5" offset in, 2.5" center out, and then through a 2.25" aluminized tailpipe. Total installation cost (cost to install the converter, muffler, and the piping -- pipe provided by the shop) was$134.

Edelbrock headers, no converter, pipe, muffler, or tailpipe.

57k file.

47k file.

96k file.

Go back to the S-10 page
Go back to Jay's Home Page
Go back to Vessels-Clan.com