JBA Shorty Install

[DavidRam]

Burning cosmoline will have you thinking you've set a wire harness on fire if you've never smelled it before. Just confirm nothing is touching them, then after you get the right gaskets and whatnot, run the **** out of the truck for a little while to burn it all off.

Good point...

Plus, if there is an exhaust or header leak, it's not gonna hurt the truck to drive with it and the leak might identify itself with a nice bit of black exhaust.

 

[Havix00]

Black exhaust? How so?

A friend mentioned that new headers would burn off whatever finishing chemicals they had, like you said BigSloth, both inside and outside. Could that have also produced the white haze I saw? All I know is that I panicked and shut it off immediately after I noticed it. Wasn't able to determine if there actually was a leak - I just assumed.

As for torque specs, I don't have a calibrated wrench/ratchet small enough to get in there to verify. I just cranked the **** out of the bolts til my hand hurt.

 

[DavidRam]

Black exhaust? How so?

A friend mentioned that new headers would burn off whatever finishing chemicals they had, like you said BigSloth, both inside and outside. Could that have also produced the white haze I saw? All I know is that I panicked and shut it off immediately after I noticed it. Wasn't able to determine if there actually was a leak - I just assumed.

As for torque specs, I don't have a calibrated wrench/ratchet small enough to get in there to verify. I just cranked the **** out of the bolts til my hand hurt.

What I meant was if there's a leak it will start to show a little black from the exhaust coming out...

IIRC, the bolts were to be tightened to 27lbft which is nothing. Actually, it kinda surprises me that JBA only calls for that little torque.

A ghetto way of checking for leaks is covering the tail pipes for a couple seconds, if there's a leak it will get much louder.

Maybe just drive around for a few days and see what happens? How do you like the sound?

 

[Havix00]

I think I'll do that. Truthfully, I tightened the **** out of them cuz I was nervous about this whole situation. If it turns out to be just chems burning off, I'll be much happier.

I love the sound! I had a Magnaflow 18" on it prior to this install, and its low rumble got amplified 10x. Exactly what I wanted.

 

[Havix00]

Here are some pics of the install.

The driver side:

Side by side comparison:

Heads w/o pipes:

Stock heat deflector before grind:

Stock heat deflector after grind to "D" ports:

Passenger side w/ JBAs on and heater hoses raised:

 

[Havix00]

Got the OEM gaskets in today! Excited to get them on.

 

[Havix00]

These OEM gaskets are great! And I can get rid of the heat deflector from the stock headers, because they already have one built on. It started normal and there doesn't seem to be any leaking. Good to go.

Now to get my HF test run to Sean.

 

[DavidRam]

These OEM gaskets are great! And I can get rid of the heat deflector from the stock headers, because they already have one built on. It started normal and there doesn't seem to be any leaking. Good to go.

Now to get my HF test run to Sean.

Good to hear!!!

 

[Havix00]

For the record: After this installation, there has been a "tick" sound that was not there previously, under any amount of acceleration. Checked for leaks, possible valvetrain issue. Any correlation?

 

[Broke pilot]

The thinner wall of the header tubing lets you hear even more valve train noise. Nothing to worry about generally. LS3 camaros are notorious for being noisy after headers since the valve train is already noisy. I'd have to imagine the Hemi is no different if not worse!

 

[CMil527]

Impressions? Do these fit 4x4's and what kind of install cost is typical guys?

 

[Havix00]

The thinner wall of the header tubing lets you hear even more valve train noise. Nothing to worry about generally. LS3 camaros are notorious for being noisy after headers since the valve train is already noisy. I'd have to imagine the Hemi is no different if not worse!

I suppose that makes sense since the stock block-hugger headers were thick cast iron. Thanks for the reassurance.

 

[Broke pilot]

Yesir, that cast iron is a great noise suppressor.
So how are you liking it so far?

 

[Havix00]

Impressions? Do these fit 4x4's and what kind of install cost is typical guys?

I just installed the JBA titanium ceramic shorty headers (1961S-2) on my 2012 RAM 1500 4x4 Laramie crew cab. They cost me $689 from Moe's, no tax, free shipping.

For the installation, I purchased Permatex Ultra Copper gasket sealant for $8 at Autozone, 6.1 HEMI OEM gaskets (JBA's aren't premium quality) for $17 a piece, socket extensions for $8 and a new set of swiveling ratchet wrenches from Walmart for $28. I recommend the wrenches for a quick(er) and easy installation, along with sockets w/ various extension sizes.

Left gasket part #: 05038099AA
Right gasket part #: 05038098AA

Plan to allocate 6 - 8 hrs of work for a newbie (like me).

 

[Havix00]

Yesir, that cast iron is a great noise suppressor.
So how are you liking it so far?

I had a magnaflow 18" on prior to this, and was hoping the JBAs would make it roar louder. Sadly, it hasn't been as loud or rumbly as I had anticipated. I can however feel a difference in performance when paired with a Hemifever tune. 90 mph comes quickly if you're not careful Lol. Not much change, if any, in the low end, but instead once I hit 2600+ rpm you can really feel it in the seat compared to stock headers + DS 91 tune. Barring any further issues, this install was worth the time and money.

 

[DavidRam]

I had a magnaflow 18" on prior to this, and was hoping the JBAs would make it roar louder. Sadly, it hasn't been as loud or rumbly as I had anticipated. I can however feel a difference in performance when paired with a Hemifever tune. 90 mph comes quickly if you're not careful Lol. Not much change, if any, in the low end, but instead once I hit 2600+ rpm you can really feel it in the seat compared to stock headers + DS 91 tune. Barring any further issues, this install was worth the time and money.

Cool! Btw, it will get louder as they brake in.

 

[Havix00]

Cool! Btw, it will get louder as they brake in.

I've never done a mod of this caliber myself before. Thanks for helping me out this past week.

 

[DavidRam]

I've never done a mod of this caliber myself before. Thanks for helping me out this past week.

Sure thing. Glad it came together with the new gaskets.