Thread: New ssac header I bought fits Ve head perfectly

A friend of my have one of this headers and the other day we took it down and noticed that the ports of the header are a little bigger than the ports from the VE engine... I thought it was going to be the other way. And it is exactly as mine and as the one from the pictures...

We are in Costa Rica...

Regards,

I ported mine just a little bit (2.5 inch version)


What o2 sensor did you use?

I think i have a problem with this, perhaps i did the wiring wrong or something

I just checked every header ad for our cars on ebay tonight and although they are sold under 6 or more different names, there are two different distinct sizes on the inlets and outlets.

Some are listed at 1.75" inlets primaries with a 2.25" outlet.

The others list 2.00" inlet primaries with 2.5" outlets.

So would it be safe to say that the smaller inlet port size headers will match the DE ports and the larger ones are for the VE?

Also, the OBX header costs almost twice as much [$222 shipped] but claims to be of thicker gauge steel and of somewhat better quality. Can anyone confirm this please?

^ That's not my quote. Mr jagy flubbed the original quote. Here she blows.



But since we're here, most of those ebay SR20DE headers are the same. They are certainly based off of the original Hotshot. Then OBX and SSAC etc. Same style and similar performance numbers but with slight build quality differences.

Personally, I would buy the 2.5" outlet ebay header for $114-$130.

Having the ports line up for a VE application seems to be hit or miss as far as I can see from what other members have reported. I don't have an ebay header, I have an OG Hotshot header. The smaller 2-2.25" ones were designed for a DE. I think that the 2.5" outlet headers are a better match to the VE head as far as them lining up with the ports. Once again, different members have reported different results.

Whatever you purchase, just check the header ports against the applicable exhuast manifold gasket. If it's off a bit, just port with a dremel or better yet a die grinder.

Yeah, the OBX is a bit better quality but I wouldn't pay the extra money for it as most of the ebay-style versions seem to hold up pretty well. Plus, I'm pretty sure that the OBX are the same size as the smaller outlet "ebay" headers.

There are some used ebay/SSAC headers for sale in the classifieds.

I knew going in, that these inexpensive headers might need some tweaking to work properly. I accepted that possibilty and will now report on the one I bought off of ebay. I paid $89.99 plus $45 shipping. It is model number TP-190. The seller said that it had a 2.25" outlet but it is actually 2.5" I'm OK with that. I am very impessed with the fit regarding how tightly it tucks up under the oil pan. That's very imprtant to me as I rallycross my car.



The only problem I have is that the three bolt flange between the primary and down pipe is very badly warped, presumably from the heat of welding. So even with a SCE 9400 copper collector gasket fully torqued, there is an open gap on one side. It's that bad.



I will try to sand both upper and lower flanges flat tomorrow on a large belt sander. The top flange to the head was fine. I know some people have said that they had to elongate the holes in theirs, but mine went right on. It's nice working on the car while the lower radiator support is out.

It took a lot of effort, but I was able to get my warped header flange flat today. It took a combination of grinding down the high spots with a disc grinder and then finishing it on a belt sander. I had to do both the primary and down pipe ends of this flange.



The only other complaint I had with the header is that one of the primary collector ports was quite a bit off center, as seen in this picture.



This is the other side of that same port. You can see that the exhaust gasses would have met a sharp edge from the flange/pipe mismatch. I ground a 45 deg. chamfer into the edge for a smoother transition with a carbide bit in a die grinder to blend it all in. In all I spent about 2 hours of labor to make this header right.

Mike

i noticed that with my header as well, probably why my car didnt make very much power n/a

Looking better! Hopefully it is flat enough now for a good seal.

Also, you might try and email/message the ebay vendor and disclose some of the warping/fitment issues you've had. If you provide pictures they may be willing to give you a discount or even a credit of some sorts. It might be worth a shot and it's not uncommon for ebay vendors to give discounts after the fact.


Edit: Which vendor did you purchase it from?

I purchased it from always-bargains. It's been relisted for $20 more now but the shipping is still $45.

Mike