Since I was redoing my Boxster's catback, I figured I'd replace the headers as well. I decided to give the ~$100 Chinese headers that are all over eBay (just do a search, they're everywhere) a shot.
When buying headers, please make sure to note how many holes for O2 sensors the headers have. Some will only have one hole per header, which won't work on cars that have two holes per header stock. I asked the seller prior to buying the headers to verify that they had the necessary holes for O2s.
I also made sure to buy O2 sensor spacers. This is simply to prevent the check engine light from coming on when replacing headers that have pre-cats (such as the headers on my '01 S). Since the secondary O2s are right after the cats, they will detect the lack of a cat and throw a CEL unless a spacer is used. Some recommend buying an angled spacer and tilting it upwards to prevent condensation pooling up at the head of the O2 sensor.
Here are some close up pics of the headers. Look like they're pretty well put together. Impressive for the $100 or so they cost.
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This is what the O2 spacer looks like installed:
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I couldn't quite bolt two pieces of polished stainless to a rusted out set of midpipes, so while I was at it, I had the midpipes sandblasted. I then sprayed them with black ceramic paint to keep the rust at bay.
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Here are some close up pics of the headers. Look like they're pretty well put together. Impressive for the $100 or so they cost.
See the rest of the pics by following the link!
I couldn't quite bolt two pieces of polished stainless to a rusted out set of midpipes, so while I was at it, I had the midpipes sandblasted. I then sprayed them with black ceramic paint to keep the rust at bay.
Installation wasn't that tough, apart from the O2 wires being a bit of a reach. Don't use the gaskets that come with the headers; make sure to use OEM gaskets.