Long Tube Headers

13641 Views 14 Replies 5 Participants Last post by Navy Lifer, Jan 8, 2014

DangChung

Discussion Starter · Jan 2, 2014

I've done a little research into determine if Lt headers from a G8 will work on our cars. I've contacted Kooks for their input and I'm still waiting on a response.

I'm hoping the community could help me out with some info. I'm wondering if our Australian members can confirm aftermarket compatibilty between the VE and VF commodore. And if anyone else has an answer.

I'm extremely tempted to just bite the bullet and order a set to see they fit.

1 - 15 of 15 Posts

K9Vic

· #2 · Jan 2, 2014

I am pretty sure the G8 will not work due to the oil cooler as the Caprice has this issue with the G8 headers. Currently us Caprice owners are waiting word back from Kooks for a few months now if they are going to make a header for the Caprice. If it the SS is the same issue, hopefully that will help push them to make them soon. I think that they may have been waiting for a SS to see if it is the same issue with the oil cooler as the Caprice.

If I see any word back from Kook on the new Caprice forum I will pass it along here.

DangChung

Discussion Starter · #3 · Jan 2, 2014

DangChung said:
I've done a little research into determine if Lt headers from a G8 will work on our cars. I've contacted Kooks for their input and I'm still waiting on a response.

I'm hoping the community could help me out with some info. I'm wondering if our Australian members can confirm aftermarket compatibilty between the VE and VF commodore. And if anyone else has an answer.

I'm extremely tempted to just bite the bullet and order a set to see they fit.

K9Vic said:
I am pretty sure the G8 will not work due to the oil cooler as the Caprice has this issue with the G8 headers. Currently us Caprice owners are waiting word back from Kooks for a few months now if they are going to make a header for the Caprice. If it the SS is the same issue, hopefully that will help push them to make them soon. I think that they may have been waiting for a SS to see if it is the same issue with the oil cooler as the Caprice.

If I see any word back from Kook on the new Caprice forum I will pass it along here.

Thanks for the heads up.

z51vett

· #4 · Jan 2, 2014

Oil cooler right at oil filter part of pan I think.
z51vett
Doug

bpoirier

· #5 · Jan 2, 2014

I wonder if a set of headers from a 2010 Camaro would work. Both cars have the same engine configuration and the zeta platform. I know when I installed my kooks headers on my 2010 Camaro it was a little snug going by the oil cooler but still a very easy install. 2.5 hours from start to finish.

DangChung

Discussion Starter · #6 · Jan 2, 2014

Hmm. Those stepped headers look nice. I think I'll call up kooks tomorrow and bug'em.

K9Vic

· #7 · Jan 2, 2014

DangChung said:
Hmm. Those stepped headers look nice. I think I'll call up kooks tomorrow and bug'em.

The more people that call them, the faster they will likely make them for the SS and Caprice if they will be the same fitment.

Reactions: 1

bpoirier

· #8 · Jan 2, 2014

I'll call Kooks too.

Navy Lifer

· #9 · Jan 2, 2014 (Edited)

The quest in the Caprice PPV group has been ongoing--this thread was started in March 2013 based on a PPV owner living near Kook's facility in NC. There are other header sources, so it's not a given that there is only one path to a solution.

There are several PPV owners with headers, not even sure of brand(s) used, but in one case (car is fitted with supercharger and headers), the oil cooler was deleted, using parts from G8. Details/link are in the thread above that identify what is needed to accomplish this.

Most recently, a picture of a CTS-V with headers was posted in this thread, showing that headers and oil cooler can co-exist in that configuration, with acknowledgement that the Cadillac and Chevy are not built on the same platform, and that the CTS uses an oil cooler that is mounted further forward, on the oil pan, rather than back near the oil filter on the side of the block or rear corner of pan. More research is needed to determine whether the CTS-style cooler could be fitted to SS or PPV to provide room for a LH header AND allow retention of the oil cooler.

See less See more

DangChung

Discussion Starter · #10 · Jan 2, 2014

2

Navy Lifer said:
The quest in the Caprice PPV group has been ongoing--this thread was started in March 2013 based on a PPV owner living near Kook's facility in NC. There are other header sources, so it's not a given that there is only one path to a solution.

There are several PPV owners with headers, not even sure of brand(s) used, but in one case (car is fitted with supercharger and headers), the oil cooler was deleted, using parts from G8. Details/link are in the thread above that identify what is needed to accomplish this.

Most recently, a picture of a CTS-V with headers was posted in this thread, showing that headers and oil cooler can co-exist in that configuration, with acknowledgement that the Cadillac and Chevy are not built on the same platform, and that the CTS uses an oil cooler that is mounted further forward, on the oil pan, rather than back near the oil filter on the side of the block or rear corner of pan. More research is needed to determine whether the CTS-style cooler could be fitted to SS or PPV to provide room for a LH header AND allow retention of the oil cooler.

Thanks for the link. There's some good info in that thread. I've taken two pictures of the oil cooler, one is angled from where the air filter is located and the other is taken from near the master cylinder. How is the location of the cooler compared to your ppv?

See less See more

Navy Lifer

· #11 · Jan 2, 2014 (Edited)

Cooler picture - PPV

Note that the above pictures are part of another topic--the VEII platform received aero panels that included the shield under the engine. This was carried forward to VF, but the shield does not show up in the GM parts book for the SS (that I have been able to find), but the aero panels ARE listed for the SS, even though they are not being installed in production. While the shield never was installed on PPV (WM or WN), it does fit, since all dimensions between Commodore & Caprice are the same forward of B-pillar. Aero panels were not fitted to Caprice, even though some mounting provisions are present--rear panels will fit, but front panels are made only for shorter VE/VF body.

Also discussed in detail in SS Forum

Cooler delete

Cooler install on PPV & SS is the same

PPV (and SS) parts illustration - cooler

CTS-V parts illustration

See less See more

Reactions: 1

z51vett

· #12 · Jan 2, 2014

Navy Lifer said:
Cooler picture - PPV

Note that the above pictures are part of another topic--the VEII platform received aero panels that included the shield under the engine. This was carried forward to VF, but the shield does not show up in the GM parts book for the SS (that I have been able to find), but the aero panels ARE listed for the SS, even though they are not being installed in production. While the shield never was installed on PPV (WM or WN), it does fit, since all dimensions between Commodore & Caprice are the same forward of B-pillar. Aero panels were not fitted to Caprice, even though some mounting provisions are present--rear panels will fit, but front panels are made only for shorter VE/VF body.

Also discussed in detail in SS Forum

Cooler delete

Cooler install on PPV & SS is the same

PPV (and SS) parts illustration - cooler

CTS-V parts illustration

Bill:
Anyone tried the aero panels out yet to see if you can gain gas mileage or is this just for high speed running. The one under the engine would block air flow for the oil cooler I would think and make car run hotter just my 2 cents.
z51vett
Doug

DangChung

Discussion Starter · #13 · Jan 2, 2014

I just received a call from Kooks and I was told they hope to have something in production in the next couple months.

Reactions: 1

Navy Lifer

· #14 · Jan 8, 2014

z51vett said:
Bill:
Anyone tried the aero panels out yet to see if you can gain gas mileage or is this just for high speed running. The one under the engine would block air flow for the oil cooler I would think and make car run hotter just my 2 cents.
z51vett
Doug

I don't know if any SS owner has purchased these yet. Greg at Pace Performance has all of the info on these parts--he's posted here in the Brake forum (and several other threads) in regards to the Z/28 calipers, so maybe he'll see this. Screen name here (SS Forum) is radrace19

Friend of mine with a GXP (used to be an SS owner) in San Diego went through the effort to put them on his G8, which was never provisioned with the mounting points for the panels. I need to find the link to his comments as to your question about what is or is not achieved by their use.

The oil pan shield has no impact on oil cooler - the cooler uses engine coolant, not air, to do it's job.

Navy Lifer

· #15 · Jan 8, 2014

Oil cooler info - update

OK, finally did some parts research.

Oil pan for LS3 in SS (sedan), Camaro, and L77 in Caprice are the same PN.

SS & Caprice share the same oil cooler, located toward rear, close to filter, and block mounted.

Camaro shares oil cooler with CTS-V (LSA) - forward mounted, on oil pan.

Part Numbers:

12640748 - Oil pan on SS/Camaro (LS3) and Caprice (L77)

12606576 - Oil cooler - forward mount, Camaro/CTS-V (quite pricey at $595 list - $357 dealer cost, plus the additional parts required to make it work)

92246966 - Oil cooler - rear mount, as used on SS/Caprice

Several other items required - piping, mounting hardware, etc. TBD

This means that the mounting bosses seen on the SS oil pan (same PN as Camaro LS3) will allow mounting of the Camaro/CTS cooler, which locates further forward, POSSIBLY providing room for the header tube bundle to pass and clear the cooler. It's not certain that the Camaro/CTS cooler will actually fit in the space, as the CTS frame/cradle is shaped somewhat differently in this area--do not know about Camaro, but it is more likely to be similar to SS & Caprice.

IF the Camaro cooler will fit & clear frame, engine mounts, etc, the coolant plumbing would still need to be figured out.

Here's a picture of American Racing Headers installed on a non-LS3 Caprice (not a police vehicle, either) in the Middle East, with no oil cooler - really hard to say with any confidence that the Camaro cooler will even fit the SS/Caprice chassis, from this photo:

See less See more

1 - 15 of 15 Posts

This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.