Header Fitment Question

[Justinj360]

I'm looking at these cheap headers for my 2004 GMC Yukon 5.3L:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Exhaust-He...-2500/163116907058?autorefresh=true#vi-ilComp

The title says they fit 4.8L and 5.3L engines but the compatibility tool says only the 4.8L engines. Are they compatibile with both engines?
I figured anything would be better than the stock headers...

 

[Justinj360]

Anybody? I just want to know if headers for a 4.8L will fit a 5.3L as well

 

[Justinj360]

Echo...

 

[SnowDrifter]

You might try contacting the seller

 

[iamdub]

I don't see how they wouldn't work. The heads are interchangeable between all the engines and the engine blocks are even stamped with "4.8/5.3".





I know you didn't ask, but shorty headers are essentially worthless performance-wise and aren't worth the problems from the extra heat and potential leaks that they come with. Sure, they LOOK cool. I guess that's a benefit for when you have your head in the bay tracking down a leak and/or replacing crispy wire loom.

 

[Justinj360]

You might try contacting the seller

I did and he was no help.

I don't see how they wouldn't work. The heads are interchangeable between all the engines and the engine blocks are even stamped with "4.8/5.3".





I know you didn't ask, but shorty headers are essentially worthless performance-wise and aren't worth the problems from the extra heat and potential leaks that they come with. Sure, they LOOK cool. I guess that's a benefit for when you have your head in the bay tracking down a leak and/or replacing crispy wire loom.

So would I be better off with the stock manifolds then? Do the stock heat shields really make that big of a difference? I'm having the engine replaced soon and thought it would be a good time to get new headers too. The rest of the exhaust is newer.

 

[iamdub]

So would I be better off with the stock manifolds then? Do the stock heat shields really make that big of a difference? I'm having the engine replaced soon and thought it would be a good time to get new headers too. The rest of the exhaust is newer.

Honestly, yes, you would be better off. The stock manifolds really aren't all that restrictive. The bigger problem is heat control and the thick cast iron manifolds retain far more heat than the thin walls of aftermarket headers. Of course the heat shields help as well. With headers, you lose the insulating properties of the cast iron AND the heat shields. You also open yourself up to potential leaks from the probable fitment issues associated with cheap headers. If you have one of those "pretty" hot air intakes (the cheap and popular ones that are a shiny tube with a cone filter open to the engine bay), you'll lose even more power from the engine sucking in the now even hotter air.

What it boils down to is go with long tubes or stay stock. Long tubes provide quite a noticeable bump in power and can be had for $300-$400 with a Y-pipe, so they're a pretty decent bang-for-the-buck bolt-on. They'll still breed more heat in the engine bay than the stock manifolds, but at least you'll get something useful out of them other than just looks if you have an air intake that is fed fresh outside air (such as the stock setup). Investing in a good ceramic coating will help with the heat retention. My personal plan of attack is to get Speed Engineering headers and Y-pipe and have the headers coated by Swaintech. Yes, I'd be spending more on the coating than the headers, but it all would still be cheaper than the high-end/high-price headers that aren't coated and they'd flow just as well.

 

[Justinj360]

Honestly, yes, you would be better off. The stock manifolds really aren't all that restrictive. The bigger problem is heat control and the thick cast iron manifolds retain far more heat than the thin walls of aftermarket headers. Of course the heat shields help as well. With headers, you lose the insulating properties of the cast iron AND the heat shields. You also open yourself up to potential leaks from the probable fitment issues associated with cheap headers. If you have one of those "pretty" hot air intakes (the cheap and popular ones that are a shiny tube with a cone filter open to the engine bay), you'll lose even more power from the engine sucking in the now even hotter air.

What it boils down to is go with long tubes or stay stock. Long tubes provide quite a noticeable bump in power and can be had for $300-$400 with a Y-pipe, so they're a pretty decent bang-for-the-buck bolt-on. They'll still breed more heat in the engine bay than the stock manifolds, but at least you'll get something useful out of them other than just looks if you have an air intake that is fed fresh outside air (such as the stock setup). Investing in a good ceramic coating will help with the heat retention. My personal plan of attack is to get Speed Engineering headers and Y-pipe and have the headers coated by Swaintech. Yes, I'd be spending more on the coating than the headers, but it all would still be cheaper than the high-end/high-price headers that aren't coated and they'd flow just as well.

Thanks for the very long and detailed response! You obviously know what you're talking about. I'll just stick to the stock manifolds. I'm not totally committed to new headers, just thought it would be a good time to do it.

 

[iamdub]

Just passing along what I and many others have learned!

An engine swap is an ideal time to perform all kinds of upgrades, but you have to stop that snowball before it starts, unless you're committed! This is my problem- I need motor mounts but it'd be a great time to install headers, so I wanna do them all at the same time. While I'm there, I may as well go a little further and pop off the heads to delete the AFM. While I'm there, I may as well install a performance cam. Then comes all the supporting mods with that. The WIHIMAW Syndrome can kill bank accounts, projects, marriages...

So, I'm stuck doing nothing because I don't have the resources to rebuild my entire drivetrain once I start by replacing the mounts. lol