Part Two: The Install
Now it was time to put the performance system in the truck, starting with the headers. Gibson spends numerous hours making its products fit like factory, so there will be no need to massage the tubes with a hammer or anything like that.
 1. Here is a little tech tip...  1. Here is a little tech tip from Shawn: Use a little electrical tape to hold the gasket in place while you install the headers. The tape can be torn out after all the flange bolts are tight, but it will eliminate the frustration of lining up the gasket while trying to hold the header. |  2. Once he dabbed a small...  2. Once he dabbed a small bit of anti-seize on the bolt holes in the head, Shawn fed the new headers into place and installed the bolts. Shawn notes: Tighten the headers from the center bolts to the outside bolts. |  3. Once the bolts were all...  3. Once the bolts were all tight, the steering shaft, oil dipstick, and plug wires were hooked back up |
 4. Moving under the truck,...  4. Moving under the truck, the collectors were connected and secured with the provided hardware and a 9/16-inch socket. |  5. With the headers done,...  5. With the headers done, it was time for the cat-back, starting with the new headpipe. |  6. The single-in dual-out...  6. The single-in dual-out Superflow muffler followed the headpipe and was held on by the provided zinc-plated clamps. The clamps were tightened only enough to keep the muffler in place. After everything is on, Shawn will be able to come back and tighten them all of the way. |
 7. Next, the tailpipe sections...  7. Next, the tailpipe sections were fed over the axle and hooked to the muffler, and with a little muscle, the hangers were pushed together. |  8. The last step was to bolt...  8. The last step was to bolt the two pipes together and install the new polished tips. Shawn went back around to every bolt and made sure each was tight and nothing was hitting the sheetmetal. | |
How Do You Like Your Tips?
We mentioned in the beginning of this story that Gibson has some options when it comes to exit configuration. Here is a quick glimpse at what they are and how they look on this truck. If you want more information on any of these, go to Gibson's website or give the company a call.
Super Truck Exhaust | 
Split Rear Exhaust | 
Dual Sport Exhaust |
Swept Side Exhaust | 
Extreme Dual Exhaust | |
The Final Word
The whole job only took about a half day, even with us shouting, "Hold it right there," as we shot pictures. The truck showed gains of 15 hp at 5,300 rpm and 18 lb-ft at 3,600 to the ground and had a nice throaty growl as the motor went through the R's.