Since its debut in the ’90s, the LS engine market—Gen III and IV small-blocks—has grown exponentially, with new and better parts being introduced at a fever pitch. What does this mean for us? As the market gets more competitive, prices are coming down, not only on the vehicles themselves, but also on the aftermarket parts that make them faster. A forged 383 rotating assembly is less than $2,000 these days!
Back when this ’99 Trans Am was nearly new, the original owner installed a set of mid-length headers that served the Bird well, but the time has come for a change. There is a small hole in one of the primaries, and the preponderance of rust encourages us to get a tetanus shot just from looking at them.
As we plan to extract more power from our engine, we wanted to see just how much a simple header swap to long-tubes would be worth, and in the process, finally remove some of the disconnected EGR tubes that cluttered the engine bay. We logged onto Summit Racing Equipment’s website (www.summitracing.com) and chose the new BBK long-tube headers for their price, performance, and fit.
The $499.99 header package includes a Y-pipe, and comes ceramic-coated, which should help control the heat and protect the steel pipes from corrosion. The system does not include cat converters. Consequently, there is no claim of emissions legality regarding the headers, and states’ emissions regulations and enforcement vary so be forewarned.
For the install, we entrusted Ramsey’s Performance in Lutz, Florida. Its on-staff GM specialist, Robert Bugg, is a great wrench, who is easy to work with. Like a general before a war, he planned his attack and didn’t run into anything he couldn’t handle.
Let’s see what it took to swap in the new headers, and find out how they affected power.
While this wasn’t exactly a straightforward swap in our case, due to the aftermarket exhaust-system components already installed, this T/A does, however, represent what many owners might be up against on their own Birds, or one just off the used car lot. Our T/A was modified early on, but the addition of the newer, affordable BBK long-tube headers and Y-pipe unleashed even more power from its LS1, and the coating should help the new headers last for years to come.
