2010 Chevy Camaro BBK Exhaust Headers - The Long And Short Of It

No matter if you are going to use the short- or long-tube headers, the tear down process is the same so we'll go over that first. The first thing to get out of the way is the plug wires and plugs. The design of the LS is so nice because you can get all the plugs out without the need of funky extensions or a U-joint. The standard plug socket and a ratchet will do the trick.

The dipstick tube on the passenger side also needs to come out. A small bolt holds it on, which is in an accessible location.

The car was raised up on the lift to tackle the four O2 sensor plugs. There are two on each side, one in front of the cats and one in between the cats.

The mid-pipe has two bolts on the flange holding it to the manifold and a simple clamp at the back. After the hardware was removed, the mid-pipe can be taken out. If you are installing the shorty headers, this will be reused. If you are installing the long-tubes, a new cat and small section of pipe will replace it.

Now the six bolts holding the manifold can be threaded out. Again, all the bolts are accessible with a simple socket on a ratchet. The driver's side manifold will come out from the top while the passenger-side will drop out the bottom.

The BBK short-tube, unequal-length headers are designed for direct bolt-on install to the existing stock exhaust system. They are CAD designed and are manufactured with 13⁄4-inch CNC mandrel bent tubing for unrestricted airflow and a one-piece laser cut 3⁄8-inch flange for added durability. The headers are pressure tested to ensure leak-free performance and are available in three finishes: chrome, silver ceramic, and 304 stainless.

Before the short-tube headers can go in, the steering arm needs to be unbolted to provide a little more clearance on the driver's side. The shaft will collapse once you get the bolt out. It has a master spline so don't worry about putting it back on wrong.

Both the driver- and passenger-side header will go in from the bottom. Other than the steering arm, there will be plenty of room to get them in.

Mike Briggs from BBK recommends using a little anti-seize on the new (provided) header bolts before installing them.

Mike passed along this little procedure to help install the gaskets. Loosely install the front and rear bolt, which will hold the header in place. Cut out two little pieces of the gasket (shown in the picture) so the gasket will slip over the bolts and stay in place. Once you have the gasket in place you can snug up the front and rear bolts before installing the rest of the hardware. Once you have everything snugged up, tighten the bolts from the center out much like the torque sequence on a head.

Now the plugs, plug wires, and dipstick can be reinstalled. The headers are design to provide easy access to the plugs and allow enough clearance that you won't need a new plug wire with a special boot.

With the top done, the car was lifted back up again and the mid-pipe was reinstalled. The header flange matches the manifold so the mid pipe hooks right up. BBK provides a new flange gasket to ensure a tick-tick-free install.

The shorty headers added another 7 hp and 5 lb-ft to the peak numbers. Our totals now stood at 375.6 hp and 370.8 lb-ft of torque.