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JBA LT Headers, Cajun B Pipes, UpRev Tuning questions

85K views 170 replies 33 participants last post by  nightowl 
#1 ·
Well, the '08 Mada is right on schedule. Pretty sure I got a cracked manifold. Just trying to confirm. Does it make a clicking noise when the motor fires? I believe that's what my issue is.

I am currently gathering all of the tools and assorted gaskets that go along with purchasing the Stage II performance kit from CajunBpipes.Com. I plan on going with catted b-pipes and keeping the factory exhaust to keep the increased sound to a minimum. Anybody got a sound clip of this particular setup?

Also, I am selling my BullyDog Triple Dog GT to help fund the purchase of the headers and bpipes. The stage II kit comes with UpRev tuning. Can someone please explain to me how the tuning works (i.e. what are datalogs? how do I apply the tuning? HOw do I send and receive tuning info? How many tunes do i get? etc)?

Hoping to order my Stage II kit in the next couple of weeks and will use the awesome "how-to" thread that was posted on here recently to accomplish the install. I have never undertaken this big of a task on the armada so I am rather nervous but can't see spending a bunch of money to have somebody else do it if i have the tools already.

I would appreciate any and all advice, answers to my questions above, and any other input.

Thanks!
 
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#45 ·
Okay, got another question. Anybody know if the OEM cats are stainless steel or are they some steel alloy? I'm gonna run the shorties but if the cats are SS then I want to have them tig welded to the headers with SS filler of course. If it's a steel alloy then it doesn't matter much, just do the same thing the MFG. did. I'm sure they didn't use SS filler wire when they welded though I could be wrong. Any info on that? Thanks guys for the help.
 
#60 ·
I think the OEM cat (maybe the entire system) is 409 stainless.
 
#47 ·
My turn now. 125,000 miles and I have a cracked passenger side header. No way I'm doing the install myself though. I'd have to find a shop that will install parts supplied by me, and one that would know what they are doing...
 
#48 ·
"I'd have to find a shop that will install parts supplied by me"

In my experience this is the hardest part.
 
#49 ·
There are a lot of guys that have done the same thing even some have found Nissan dealerships will do it. I got a call the other day from a Nissan dealership in NY who ordered some bpipes from me for a customer. They are out there just make sure they know what they are doing.
 
#50 ·
Yup. I have a local auto repair place that put my rancho shocks in. They good good work, but if you have to lift the engine a bit to do this, that is what makes me a tad more nervous...That does have to happen, if with long tubes right?
 
#51 ·
Fellas, my Armada is starting to get under my skin now. Knocked out an o2 sensor on bank 2 on install of the LT headers. Replaced that.

Now, I am getting the same code on Bank 1 Sensor 1. Seymore4 checked out my data logs and said it looks like i have an exhaust leak. I concur, I think I can hear a tick from under the hood on the driver side. Sense it's the primary sensor that's coding, that would mean it's leaking at the header flange, right?

The Nissan Tech who installed the headers for me is going to give it a look on Monday. He said it's more than likely a bad gasket or the header flange is warped. Can you guys think of another scenario? If it is a warped header flange, is that repairable? Will JBA send me a new header if it isn't? I used Nissan OEM metal gaskets as suggested so I would be shocked if the gasket is already blown.

The whole point of getting the LT Headers and B Pipes was to fix an existing exhaust leak, so needless to say, I want the dadgum thing to not leak one bit LOL.
 
#53 ·
Very unlikely a header is flange warped. I have never heard of that from a set of JBA's. If the Nissan gaskets where used its unlikely a bad gasket as those are metal and usually seal great. Did the header studs get re torqued a few days after install and a few heat cycles? If not you may have some loose header nuts. The installer should have known to do that. Look to see if the headers/bpipe gasket is sealed properly. You can use a spray bottle of soapy water before it heats up and look for bubbles. JBA should take care of you is the headers are the problem but I doubt they are. It is very important to go back and re torque those nuts or you will find some will loosen up on you. Keep us posted...
 
#52 ·
I'm actually wondering if it's time to start thinking about selling mine. I have the following wrong right now:

1. Header leaks
2. Bad clock spring in steering wheel
3. Rear sonar not working
4. AC vents that won't stay put
5. Busted second row cup holder (in console, thanks kids!)
6. Busted cover on second row 12V plug (thanks kids!)

It might be time...125k miles.
 
#55 ·
Just got my JBA Headers and Cajun Bpipes

Hello, all - first time poster here. Just got my JBA LT headers, catted 2.25" Cajun b-pipes, and UpRev tuning finished up over the weekend on my wife's '06 to fix cracked manifolds.

It was a smooth and relatively easy process for me, and Jeff and Joe were a pleasure to work with and very responsive to all my questions. The headers and B-pipes were both top quality items. I don't have all the jack stands and such to do the header install myself, so I took the Armada into a local performance shop for the install work.

I did a bit of the pre-work for them before bringing it to the shop by breaking loose the exhaust bolts, removing/cutting out the manifold heat shields, and spraying PB blaster on the existing manifold bolts/nuts for 6 nights in a row prior to install day. The shop charged me 5.5 hours of time for the install, which seems reasonable I guess since they do not do this very often.

The UpRev tuning was easy, and it was even fun to see all the engine parameters on the screen in real-time while driving around. Joe was really helpful throughout the process and responded to my emails, even on a Sunday afternoon/evening. (Note to people who install the uprev software on their computers: be sure to run the software update after installing, or your AFR numbers might not show up at first...that was the only hurdle I faced during the process.)

I'm still running the stock catback/muffler, so the sound is improved, yet still pretty tame. It makes a nice growl on startup but then is near stock quiet while cruising down the road, with no drone at all. I would have been okay with a bit more loudness out of it, but my wife loves it just as-is, which is what I was going for. I'm a happy camper!

-Dave
 
#57 ·
Hello, all - first time poster here. Just got my JBA LT headers, catted 2.25" Cajun b-pipes, and UpRev tuning finished up over the weekend on my wife's '06 to fix cracked manifolds.

It was a smooth and relatively easy process for me, and Jeff and Joe were a pleasure to work with and very responsive to all my questions. The headers and B-pipes were both top quality items. I don't have all the jack stands and such to do the header install myself, so I took the Armada into a local performance shop for the install work.

I did a bit of the pre-work for them before bringing it to the shop by breaking loose the exhaust bolts, removing/cutting out the manifold heat shields, and spraying PB blaster on the existing manifold bolts/nuts for 6 nights in a row prior to install day. The shop charged me 5.5 hours of time for the install, which seems reasonable I guess since they do not do this very often.

The UpRev tuning was easy, and it was even fun to see all the engine parameters on the screen in real-time while driving around. Joe was really helpful throughout the process and responded to my emails, even on a Sunday afternoon/evening. (Note to people who install the uprev software on their computers: be sure to run the software update after installing, or your AFR numbers might not show up at first...that was the only hurdle I faced during the process.)

I'm still running the stock catback/muffler, so the sound is improved, yet still pretty tame. It makes a nice growl on startup but then is near stock quiet while cruising down the road, with no drone at all. I would have been okay with a bit more loudness out of it, but my wife loves it just as-is, which is what I was going for. I'm a happy camper!

-Dave
Thanks for the nice write up Dave. Glad you like the new exhaust and your wife is happy. You can throw a Borla XR-1 muffler under it and it will liven up some but with that cabin instead of the bed like on the Titan you will have to be careful for drone.
 
#56 ·
Lifting the engine

It's not bad for a DIY ... Just dont back out the mount bolts complete. they back enough for plenty of room to silde off the old manifold. I found i needed more room for the new JBA LT's installed than the stock removal.

Took me and a friend 6hrs to knock out the headers....we bout figure we could do it in 3-4 now that we know You have to Raise the motor... no getting around it. I did the cats and cat-backs in about 2.5 alone one evening.
 
#62 ·
The Jba shorties are 409 stainless and I believe the stock manifold cats are 409 also. I would weld the two together with 309 stainless wire and a trimix gas using a mig. Tig would be tough as the cuts on those odd shaped cats to get everything lined back up to fit properly is going to be a b####.
 
#67 · (Edited)
I am very tempted to do the install myself, not the welding though. I can borrow a120V MIG welder from work. I could at the very least tack the cats in place. Once I have it secure enough to move I can take them to work and have our welders do what we call a "G job" and re-tack and then grind my tacks out and then seal weld them up. I can then install afterwards. So.., do you think a "plug in" welder would suffice to make some good tacks?

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#71 ·
steveg_nh, just my 2 cents, if you are a motivated DIY person, do it yourself. Save that money towards up rev from seymore !!! B-pipes were easy to install. Have to be patient with header install. There is a very good write up here from one of the forum members with pics. Please check it out.
 
#73 ·
Thanks nightowl. I wish I had the desire to do it myself, but I just don't. Half the time, when I'm not working, I have 30 things to do. I used to always do my own oil changes, and I don't even do that anymore.
 
#74 · (Edited)
Look what just got delivered to my house today!

I know this is primarily a long tube thread so I appreciate everybodys patients. What are us deprived California members to do? The only option we have are the short tube headers.

Anyhow, as stated.., they came in the mail today. I have one shop lined up to do the work already but he's taking about farming the work out, I can do that so I'll keep his shop in mind. I have two other options and one just happens to be the JBA shop right here in town, yes.., the JBA factory/performance shop. To my surprise they are local and not far from where I work. What a pleasant surprise that is. I'm going to give them a call tomorrow and see. I know it's a big ticket to have them install but I want it done right the first time and want to be able to bring it back for the re-torque when necessary.

I got them on Auto Anything for what looked like a really good retail price, $330 before tax, no shipping cost (found out there local to me too). Next nearest on-line price was around $400 and up. So I thought we did pretty good.

I'll keep y'all posted.

Edit; Okay correction.., Looks like JBA must be a subdivision of PerTronics performance products which is located in San Dimas, CA. So.., I'm guessing because IDK but the shop here in San Diego may be one of many perhaps. It'd be interesting to know FWIW.

History of PerTronics FWIW, http:/http://www.pertronix.com/about/history/default.aspx. Just a little background for those interested.


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#75 ·
Look what just got delivered to my house today!

I know this is primarily a long tube thread so I appreciate everybodys patients. What are us deprived California members to do? The only option we have are the short tube headers.

Anyhow, as stated.., they came in the mail today. I have one shop lined up to do the work already but he's taking about farming the work out, I can do that so I'll keep his shop in mind. I have two other options and one just happens to be the JBA shop right here in town, yes.., the JBA factory/performance shop. To my surprise they are local and not far from where I work. What a pleasant surprise that is. I'm going to give them a call tomorrow and see. I know it's a big ticket to have them install but I want it done right the first time and want to be able to bring it back for the re-torque when necessary.

I got them on Auto Anything for what looked like a really good retail price, $330 before tax, no shipping cost (found out there local to me too). Next nearest on-line price was around $400 and up. So I thought we did pretty good.

I'll keep y'all posted.

Edit; Okay correction.., Looks like JBA must be a subdivision of PerTronics performance products which is located in San Dimas, CA. So.., I'm guessing because IDK but the shop here in San Diego may be one of many perhaps. It'd be interesting to know FWIW.

History of PerTronics FWIW, http:/http://www.pertronix.com/about/history/default.aspx. Just a little background for those interested.


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Those are looking good! Have you already sourced cats? I can't remember if shorties requires UpRev or not. Which B-Pipes are you going with? PRT... Cajun? REMEMBER to get/use new OEM gaskets!!

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#76 · (Edited)
Hey Koosh, gonna run OEM cats, the originals. No tune required for these though I'm sure it could be useful. Thanks for the tip on the OEM gaskets. While were at it, original heat shields, use or don't use? Also, one shop is highly recommending I get them coated, yes or no. I'd like too get thoughts on this. I kno I could'a bought them coated but I have them now.., so, lemme know.

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#77 ·
Hey Koosh, gonna run OEM cats, the originals. No tube required for these though I'm sure it child be useful. Thanks for the tip on the OEM gaskets. While were at it, original heat shields, use or don't use? Also, one shop is highly recommending I get them coated, yes or no. I'd like too get thoughts on this. I kno I could'a bought them coated but I have them now.., so, lemme know.

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There haven't been many shorties installed that I personally know if... I think you'll be the first... haha. I would say since your are going with shorties and OEM cats you should go with OEM heat shields and use them. Long tubes don't need them as the long tubes run through that section and connect up to the B-Pipes underneath. I'm not going to be coating my stainless long tubes... You could I guess but not sure on costs versus gains. Other option would be paint them. :) that'd look pretty sweet and set you apart. Not to mention help give a tad more rust prevention.

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#80 · (Edited)
You will not use the oem heat shields as those will be destroyed getting them off the stockers and there is no where to bolt them too the shorties. Those things don't do anything anyway just make sure those oem cats are in good shape and someone knows how to weld.
Koosh, the coating as stated is to aid in reduction of heat in the engine compartment, rust prevention would be an added benefit.

nightowl, cats should be in good shape, far as know I've done nothing to damage or harm them. Welding, I'm thinking of taking them out and taking the whole set to work and have our welders make a jig or fixture for the them. While the original set (cat & manifold) establishes how the new set will bolt back back in. That way it saves me time of having to put the headers in and tacking the cats too them. Our welders at work in our prefab shop can do it no doubt. I've worked with them, I'm confident in their ability. They have to certify every six months on both structural and pipe as well as in all three processes, mig, tig and stick. I've seen a guy wash out because he couldn't pass.



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#81 ·
Koosh, the coating as stated is to aid in reduction of heat in the engine compartment, rust prevention would be an added benefit.

nightowl, cats should be in good shape, far aI know I've done nothing to damage or harm them. Welding, I'm thinking of taking them out and taking the whole set to work and have our welders make a jig or fixture for the them. While the original set (cat & manifold) establishes how the new set will bolt back back in. That way it saves me time of having to put the headers in and tacking the cats too them. Our welders at work in our prefab shop can do it no doubt. I've worked with them, I'm confident in their ability. They have to certify every six months on both structural and pipe as well as in all three processes, mig, tig and stick. I've seen a guy wash out because he couldn't pass.



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Very good idea as that is how I built my jig also. I can get you the best flanges made actually laser cut from the Nissan oem gasket 3/8" thick mild steel or 304 stainless. You will not find a nicer flange..pm me if interested.
 
#78 ·
You will not use the oem heat shields as those will be destroyed getting them off the stockers and there is no where to bolt them too the shorties. Those things don't do anything anyway just make sure those oem cats are in good shape and someone knows how to weld.
 
#79 ·
#84 · (Edited)
I agree, so.., the logical progression would be to flair & flange the header as well, correct? With the flaring of both the cat and header I'm going to lose space or rather gain space between the two, will the donut/gasket make up the difference or will I have to add material to close the gap? Have you flared & flanged any for your customers, what's been your experience or observation in doing it this way? Trying to get all my ducks in a row so I can pull the trigger on this.

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#85 · (Edited)
It is going to be a trial and error fitment and will be a pita using stock cats. The problem with the stock cats is they will have to be cut straight and clean for proper welding. Also there will not be much of a shoulder to weld to for strength. The shorty headers that I do are made with the 2.5" MF 200 cell cats and I use a 3" short piece of stainless as a slip collar then weld it up.
 

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#86 ·
Ah.., I see where you are going with this. I don't do exhaust so I only have a vague idea of how this could/would be done. I had in mind to do a floating flange where the end of the of the two pieces would be flared and butted together that way. I didn't think to weld the flange on. I think I like that way better. Well, the guy I'm gonna use to do this, His jig/fixture should work either way. Whether I weld them directly or weld flanges on. Thank you for the ideas. You do great work, I'm impressed. The slip fit is a great idea. Thanks for the pics.

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