Installing Headers On The LAST Naturally Aspirated AMG V8 Was A NIGHTMARE But The C63 Sounds CRAZY!

[@LegitStreetCars]

What's the loudest car you've owned?

[@rohittaurus911]

If it counts My GrandFather's 2 Stroke Scooter was a Hoot. It Woke up entire neighbbourhood

[@JxH]

1966 VW Type 3 Fastback with four straight pipes, but with four individual see-thru 'Thrush' brand so-called mufflers. It sounded like WW2 Battle of Britain. Same 1.6L engine later pulled a one-foot wheelie in a 1957 Beetle.

[@WorkingWithWimberley]

I straight piped my 2002 Corvette Z06. It was way too loud. I put the mufflers back on the very next day.

[@QuikModsOBS]

01 cobra straight x pipe and slp loudmouth 1's!

[@alojzijejozinovic9524]

w124 200d

[@bugout2422]

ATTENTION.... Milwaukee Tools please provide this man with an entire set of tools so he can keep providing us with informative videos.

[@HowardFBeale-ql6gk]

Love them, but don't buy the weed eater unless you wanna use it as a $600 lawn dart.

[@Louie90s]

Word

[@anthonygeden7862]

This man deserves Snap-on!A statement which is in no way affected by the fact that I sell the stuff ;-)

[@MatejVelican]

You mean Makita? Because eeew Milquackee

[@OM-jt9nk]

I dont like Milwaukee, I would rather use Bosch(blue serie) or AEG/Ryobi.

[@remaxbrad5995]

Nice work Alex!! It's such a treat to watch someone who actually 'wrenches every day' instead of just talking about garage updates. Your channel is by far the best and most informative for the real enthusiast!

[@masmotorsports]

Have the same snap on service tray!!! Cant wait to leave my day job and do youtube full time, been a lexus mastertech for 10 years now. So many trips and tricks i need to show everyone. Your an inspiration to us all.

[@Spooly_]

How many months until you pay it off? 😬

[@tyleraidie4176]

With the help of this video I was able to get my vrp headers installed myself in my garage on stands. Thank you very much Alex!

[@LegitStreetCars]

That's great!!

[@abdelhameedalotaibi3657]

Thats the issue of putting that gigantic 6.2L V8 into a small C class , there is simply no room to do any maintenance, but its great as usual keep up the good job 👍🏻👍🏻

[@orxanmuradl1792]

Sure,TOYOTA is the best,lets go places.

[@roccomassello1767]

Took me probably about 9hrs all together to do the exhaust install on my 2014. It’s not the hardest thing I’ve ever done, but honestly I’m one of those guys that will never do it again with the engine in the car. It truly sucked, I think it was more mentally exhausting but the outcome is amazing. I too am running the factory mufflers and let me tell you. It’s loud when you want it to be and yet you can keep it quite with normal driving.

[@monsterram6617]

Open headers...? I run open exhaust ports.

[@dexterjsullen]

That just straight pipe

[@mrAudisubaru]

@@dexterjsullen There is no pipes if he has no manifolds(headers)

[@IhateYoutube]

RIP your exhaust valves! Unless it's a rotary in which case, hold on let me clean the blood out of my ear canals! :D

[@dexterjsullen]

@@mrAudisubaru I think he means open exhaust cut out, unless its a joke, because you're destroy your engine bay.

[@mrAudisubaru]

@@dexterjsullen Probably a joke yes but you never know.

[@ademc8872]

"it's basically me fiddling around with nuts" 😂 😂

[@petescarport]

Omg I was going to say same thing. I cant believe he didn't put "that's what she said" on the screen

[@JxH]

Spray the studs with penetrating oil every day for a week or two before attempting to remove the nuts. I actually had a mechanic tell me how frightened he was to remove the exhaust manifold, and then how amazed he was that everything came apart easily.

[@sven3882]

According to Simon Motorsports you get better performance with catalytic converters on long time headers vs. w/o. The back pressure gives you better torque gain in the lower rpm range. Simon is a very respected tuner in Germany and remapped over 500 cars with an M156.

[@GibRealistic]

These information seems to be slightly ridiculous for me, could you point me to source of the information, I tried googling it but I haven't found it. It seems to be counterintuitive that increase of back pressure would have any positive effects.

[@stuartd9741]

@@GibRealistic If you run open exhaust ports /headers. When the fuel air mix enters the cylinder some of that mix will pass straight through out of the exhaust valve/port because there is no back pressure. With the back pressure or reverse pulsing of the exhaust gases with a full system actually keeps the fuel air mix losses to a minimum. Hence more engine torque...

[@GibRealistic]

@@stuartd9741 are you talking about scavenging, i thought that well tuned exhaust system would use exhaust pulse to push more air into cylinder, which could increase power and torque of engine. Any back pressure seems to be still something which causes only losses.

[@sven3882]

@@GibRealistic kzbin.info/www/bejne/ZnKoaKyYd9aEicU

[@jrew3569]

Stuart D how the fuck is it gonna go out the exhaust ports? They’re closed then...

[@vinnyespo]

Oh man, breaking bolts = worst nightmare. Great work tackling that. Sounds sweet.

[@rohittaurus911]

Finally Some C63 content , one of my favorite car........ Like always Great Job Alex

[@DriverJizzle]

I watched this a while back when I was interested in a c63, and now ironically I own a white c63, with vrp headers also 😂

[@mbeenz]

ManyThanx WOW Buddy,,,!, My Mechanic Spent 10hrs installing his Headers!!,! He said it was Tough but he did a Brilliant job!!!, He is SO TALENTED!!,!. I’d be lost Without Him!!!. Love Your Videos Brother!!,!,!

[@elomeli211]

21:23 watch the blinds in the brown house

[@Phrofetic_MayaN]

There goes the neighbor doing cocaine and loud cars like f is for family lol😂😂😂😂

[@stuartd9741]

This is YT gold. A genuine problem with a tricky solution. When drilling out studs. The tricky part is when to stop drilling out to retain original thread. As Alex says eventually what's left of the bolt will just literally fall out. (With a little help with small long nose pliers). Drilling bolt can be scary especially with no acess. Nightmare. 👍👌👊

[@pfoxhound]

Finally information about broken bolts/studs...

[@DiscoFang]

pfoxhound Yes! Alex, you should edit out a section and load a vid titled just that. You pretty much had a worst case scenario plus how to diy solve it cheap. People will be searching this problem.

[@pfoxhound]

@@DiscoFang when i broke injector bolt inside om648 there's almost no good info how to get it fixed. I had a little conversation with mbdieselfreak and was tapping drilling for 3 weeks, as mount bracket was 2 days after order placed, it is very hard material, has to be drilled in a shop.... and I was under torquing and the bracket hole had to be really big... and when I was done I found a British kit specifically for this problem. I purchased e320 cdi because I saw how nice and easy to take care of it on this channel, but found that it's not so easy. Mine is 156k, Alex had 200+k and he was able to get all injector bolts out...

[@nickcsuki8123]

@@pfoxhound When I was an engineering student we supported the development of a very specific tool for removing stuck injectors. Funny fact, most of the cases we looked in to where mercedes engines. The tool screwed into the injector header and used high frequency vibrations to turn all the accumalated mess into a liquid so you couls take them out with ease... My point, that's a complete hell of its own when an injector is stuck...

[@brianlueders498]

You know it's bad when Alex says "Borderline Impossible" and he is a Mercedes tech (?) and has a lift in his garage!

[@rlscustoms]

I did a set on an M156 CLS63 and damn near lost my mind but the end result was a major power increase and amazing sound so totally worth it.

[@dennisrobinson8008]

Lol how long did it take?

[@rlscustoms]

@@dennisrobinson8008 well it snowballed into pulling the engine to do head gaskets/studs and every other M156 issue documented out there but honestly its never just doing headers well because M156 🤣

[@dennisrobinson8008]

@@rlscustoms omg may as well pull engine and do everything

[@tuomasholo]

I need to add left handed drill bits to my tool box. Thanks for sharing.

[@ChristopherBristol]

I had to get a set after something similar happened to me, twice.

[@FelyneHeros]

I feel this video so much.... stripped out 2 threads of the injectors on my CDI.... these older mercedes really tend to rip screws or threads until you have replaced every single one with a repair thread

[@TimPerrier]

21:33 neighbours checking out whats going on lol

[@patriciomunoz2830]

Pretty sure they love Alex now lol

[@lengerer]

Haha two. One head over the fence and the brick house opening the window 😂😂

[@STRGHTSXBNZ]

Isn't that his own place? Basically kiddo wondering what daddy is doing outside XD

[@teloz559]

Tim Perrier good eye

[@Wakeywhodat]

You noticed that, I did too, in 2020 lol

[@QuikModsOBS]

Your face says, "Maaaaan F*"K this, but I'ma do it for the followers" 🤭 Good work!

[@jamesmedina2062]

Bro, I think you need try the broken stud remover made by Irwin. If you drill to a certain depth using the recommended drill bit and then insert the extractor, slowly turn it counter clockwise, it grabs really nicely and you don't ever have to hammer it in. I would definitely recommend you buy HJS Hi flow cats from Germany(sold on Ebay) and install them for hi flow and high efficiency.

[@lomparti]

Daamn man, I know the feeling when you try to mod your car and it turns out to be a huge freaking headache because of unforeseen problems and then you wish you never started modding it in the first place. lol

[@Ruhdiculus]

That's me with anything I ever do in my life

[@DiscoFang]

The afterwards you feel awesome for having solved & fixed it. The bipolar world of diy.

[@FVCK-]

@Cassette Walkman lol afterwards and 5 grand out of pocket in my case usually haha

[@wingmangt]

I always get a service manual and Haynes for every vehicle I get. It makes diagnosing and fixing issues way way easier.

[@enkay3791]

I believe the reason they provide 4 oxygen sensor ports is so you can put both post-cat and pre-cat sensors in. Its provided for those that will choose to run a catless setup without having to drill and weld more bungs

[@brandnewty]

Glorious. Sounds better than my 5.7 ram with headers.

[@hamoudalthanawi6749]

I'm lucky to find your channel a year ago man. Keep it 👌.

[@zimzimzimmer]

My Heart sank when that first stud went... then the others 🤦🏻‍♂️ we’ve all been there. Great come back and good to show a positive fix and prove it can be solved. Well done can’t wait for next video. Great work

[@BridgerCrusan]

Having just done this on a c63 last month i can say my favorite part is dropping the last nut into the collector and then having to take the header back off just to get it out.

[@mcdblhndl]

Those broke studs broke my heart. So happy you got them out.

[@fallbangskid8304]

As a C55 owner, I really appreciate your videos. Do you do all your work alone? Very inspirational!

[@OGYELLOW]

This mod was one of the easiest manifolds I have ever done. Was not hard. No subframe dropping at all.

[@nealneals6515]

That car sounds absolutely bananas!! You owe your neighbors big time, I though my 2500k diesel was bad. Your skilz are impeccable, keep rolling with your channel love what you are doing

[@beyondthelol]

man i wish i had a hoist in my garage - imagining doing this on the ground on my back is causing me pain already lol

[@zollotech]

Ez-outs. Used them 100 times for studs and other bolts.

[@LegitStreetCars]

Me too but these felt like they were going to snap

[@zollotech]

LegitStreetCars Yeah...I saw that as I kept watching, but I haven’t had one snap yet. However, that reverse drill is a great tip.

[@LegitStreetCars]

It was scary because I know how hard those are to get out.

[@davidwentzell5416]

I know it's been a year since u posted this video. What trick I've found searching KZbin especially since I have a ram 2500 hemi, has been to weld a nut to the broken post an it'll back out. There's many videos showing them broken flush like yours were. Love the videos keep'em coming.

[@euroberto85]

Some day i will own one of these AMGs, but for now these DIYs will be good enough

[@orxanmuradl1792]

Toyota is the best,buy Toyota,let's go places.

[@loganknupp9034]

Orxan Muradlı 😐

[@the_first_resort940]

All the studs came off with the nuts because of all that tension that hacked exhaust was putting on the manifolds it had no room to flex under load and that power has to transfer somewhere but you’re a genius Alex I’m sure you knew that.

[@MrHaun]

I think your pain and agony paid off. She sounds amazing with open headers- but I cant wait for the full exhaust. M156 FTW.

[@chrisjay555]

I only want to own a C63 AMG nice I've started watching this guy's videos. The power of KZbin 😂 Should get one this year I hope.

[@LuisGarcia-vs7zd]

I’m an exhaust specialist, best and easiest way to get them out is by welding a washer on the stud then a nut on the washer. Let it cool down for 5 minutes and hit it for an impact.

[@_i-kr6eg]

Get the Snap On extractor kit I've got it works everything comes with drill bits and in a small red box

[@Paul-hy6rp]

That looked like hard work, glad you showed all the problems along the way, thats cars for you, nothing is ever easy.

[@DiscoFang]

I've been working in construction & renovation for 30 years. I knww those screw extractors instantly. Great tools! However, I've snapped them just on hinge screws into timber casements. You were wise to stop before stressing them.

[@paulpasternak2026]

10to14 hours gave me a chuckle this morning. Thanks.

[@lukegilbert7985]

Alex, Your internal emotional struggles remind me of the old days! You can never rest until it's sorted, this is also why my new car that I collect in 48hrs has a factory warranty extendable for up to 15 years! I don't have the stomach for all that stress anymore! C63 Sounds amazing!

[@promx96]

Yes the video ive been waiting for !!!! Best youtube channel

[@pedroa.f.c.590]

That's a hell of a job you did out there on your C63 AMG...great !!! Congrats again Alex !!!

[@raydonovan518]

I just love the sound of tht 6.2L AMG V8 GROWL

[@user-mr9uy9gj5l]

Great job, Alex, especially considering the broken off bolts. You said if we believe in anything . . . and I believe in you, so you got the job done well. You even managed to squeeze in a "while you're in there" comment.

[@BrickyRecon]

Brahh you’ve got incredible patience! Great job.

[@a3c1m]

You are so lucky, studs are almost imposible do extract, screw extractor never worked in real live, and often they break in the hole - so now you have to find carbide drillbit.

[@mindtouchone]

Love your videos! It's "too much fun" when you break off your "as hard as it gets" extractor. I was able to drill around the extractor with a small Cobalt bit and finally get the broken extractor out. In the end I used an air powered 1/4" Harbor Freight angle drill (much smaller than your battery type) to drill and tap for a slightly larger thread size. In operations like this sometimes I would be working on something Metric and was able to go slightly bigger by tapping for a standard thread or standard to metric. I used to work for an engine rebuilder and we built around 6,500 engines a year and there a few problems I haven't seen. Also companies like ENCO have short drill bits that are handy in tight spots. Another useful thing is a very short bit with a quarter inch shank and a sharp 1/8" tip. These don't flex and "walk" around when center drilling broken bolts and studs. Finally I have a little butane lighter that has a label that states "2,300 degrees"! It's about 4 inches tall and the flame is at a 90 degree angle and you can apply heat precisely without burning the vehicle down.

[@darrenjorgensen1917]

That 13/14 hour estimate for the header replacement is now looking very conservative....

[@DiscoFang]

Darren Jorgensen Yes and that surely doesn't include crying time.

[@phaedrusbjb]

couple of suggestions - 50/50 mix of acetone and AFT lubes and penetrates better than PB Blaster, for marking centers like on the broken studs, a snap punch is almost indispensable. i've never gotten a broken stud out with an easy out, but left handed taps and bolts into a stud like that has worked - just don't tap thru and maybe use a bolt with an unthreaded shank if the stud is broken below the surface.

[@mrgtsx]

Love your videos! I’m from Melbourne Australia (work for Mercedes head office) great to see you still working on Mercedes even after your time away from the dealership

[@TKPorsche]

Alex, great job on a most difficult and frustrating project! The C63 is beginning to rival the E55 for best in the fleet.

[@joesvideos3798]

Left hand drill bitting everything, getting ahead of yourself. Replaces hands with left hand drill bits

[@anthonygeden7862]

Excellent choice of music,haven't watched your stuff for ages Alec..forgotten how beautifully put together your videos are.The one about the E320 CDi.....rushed out and bought one immediately!!That lovely straight 6...aaaah..Unfortunately also bought a Jaguar...needless to say the gearbox exploded last week..it serves me bloody well right.NIce to see you trying out the goode olde easy-outs.Such a pleasure to watch what I refer to as 'the concert pianists of the automotive world'.

[@sethdbourne]

I feel your pain with stripped out fasteners, I have a 99 ml and whoever did the last brake job stripped all the caliper pins... an hour job took a couple days

[@ng-ht1vx]

I've had good luck welding studs out. So, build the end up with welding, and weld a nut on. You could do that on that car with short ends of stick rods, or a 90* mig neck. Another way was to get a big fully charged battery and a set of really heavy jumper cables. Hook the battery up normally. Put the ground onto the engine close to the stud. Hold the positive up against the stud till it turns red. Let it cool. Repeat a few times. Stud should just turn out.

[@scottrlynch]

Alex, you showed extreme patience with the extraction of the broken studs. You could easily have been a dentist as well!!! Good work.

[@TheDonYG]

You got a clean C63 AMG, my dude. Ive been thinking about getting a 2000-2003 S210 E320 wagon over an Acura TSX, but lately I've been thinking more of the TSX, but now watching this, it's time to man up and go get a Benz now.

[@anasahmed9006]

You are a true enthusiast....hats off to your patience and thanks for the tutorials.

[@sulmanhafeez3148]

10:50 never ever continuously open the screw/bolt. You got to 1-2 thread loosen up a little then tighten 1 thread back in, do it back and forth till it comes out clean... you will be doing this because you do not want debris in your thread (it will mess up with your thread) that’s when it get really hard to open it up therefore it breaks or damages. If it make sense, give it a thumbs up! 👍

[@dporrasxtremeLS3]

To me, this would be a nightmare install with the broken studs and the repairs! Alex, you are one awesome mechanic!

[@briansmith2570]

First of all...LOVE the sound. But, with that I'm not sure what is impressing me more. Your ingenuity or your perseverance. 🤔

[@mrelectron6220]

Had to give you a thumbs up just for your determination if it was me I'd of probably torched the the car at that point.

[@matthewdru8941]

Left handed drill bits! Need a set of those!!! Love the open headers

[@jayceecombs6887]

Nothing else to say but: "Amazing!" Looks GREAT! J

[@diggleboy]

Hooray!!! I was feelin' for ya, Alex, for some of the serious challenges with the stainless steel headers install and I'm glad you got it all sorted out with a plan B and sympathetic friends to loan you tools to help you remove the broken bolts. Frustrating I'm sure, but perseverance and determination, along with stepping away from it for a while, always wins out in the end. Keep up the good work and looking forward to hearing the C63 AMG roar to life with the full exhaust system installed and especially the factory exhaust tips. Just the right upgrade to make this a really great sounding and great performing daily driver. The engine mounts are absolutely brilliant, and to go with rubber or even polyurethane is a great comfort solution in the cabin. Well worth the $$! Test drives and hopefully drag times if you're up for it.

[@carycoplon5681]

Looks good Alex, as for thelug nuts, I would go with gray .

[@JayMaverick]

That 90 degree power drill, what a miracle tool!

[@2006gtobob]

Congratulations on 200,000!

[@navaho5430]

Great job, worst scenario is breaking a drill bit or easy out you have patience and perseverance, cheers from OZ.

[@chappie6985]

can you possibly give another link for the manuals please

[@vincephan344]

Straight pipe on an NA engine = 2whp gain, and lots of loud raspy noise. Straight pipe on a turbo'ed engine = 100hp gain and very nice jet turbine like noise.

[@nickgough6904]

Good job. Those header nuts and studs look to be a PITA. It always helps to have a lift system so you can get underneath the car. I don't have that so I have to contort myself with the car up on jack stands and then I ache for about the next week. (It's gotta be an age thing. :-) I don't plan on installing headers on anything anymore. Did it once a very long time ago (early 70's) on my 69 Z/28 Camaro. After a lot of trial and error, I had a great exhaust system on that car. Of course, there were many fewer things in the way on that car than on the W204 you worked on here.

[@rbehan]

Thanks for the great video Alex. Stinks you ran into an issue but great teaching moment for dealing with this type of issue. Keep it up! Love the channel and content.

[@revtec4267]

Perhaps they could have sorted those exhaust studs when it was at the stealership? The broken engine mounts wouldn't have helped those exhaust studs. I personally use Torx bits to remove broken studs. Drill hole then bash a Torx bit in there then bite your lip and turn at your peril ;-) I love left-handed drill bits. I love your channel. O2 sensors No doubt would be throwing some codes LOL

[@seanlyngen7879]

There's also a way to remove broken studs and bolts using a welder to build up a nub to grip on to. Not sure if you would have the clearance in that bay though. Also, I have not done it, I've just seen it done. I understand it takes some practice and a steady hand.

[@promx96]

Well you working on the car one-handed while holding the camera is my motivation ha ha ha ha thanks again now i can do my exhuast here at home no paying a shop another 1 grand

[@TheCheeseWedge]

Next time you encounter a broken stud try welding another sharpened tip bolt to the broken portion of the stud and just using a wrench. I have found this method to be less of a risk of damaging the head

[@garygrenier]

Great Videos Alex!! Nice to see someone document all the issues normal folks run into doing everyday work on their cars!! Keep it up!!! ALSO, I LOVE SIlver wheels!! Thanks for bringing SIlver back!! I'm over the black wheel trend man!! Never liked it and glad to see someone bring silver wheels back!

[@salvadorebertolone]

you can probably get stub length left hand drill bits from any industrial supplier to increase your room.

[@uzzle21]

so glad you put your own taste.. and also kept it classy and like a benz . glad you took those ugly ebay tips off and put the amg ones back

[@baitse7676]

Disconnect the steering column shaft, and then spin the steering wheel! May want to mention to lock the steering wheel first...

[@jz719]

Sounds SICK

[@DanVilla7]

Not going to lie, I felt your pain when those studs broke. I just recently installed a downpipe on my car and broke the stud. Luckily it was at the tip and I didn't need to extract it.

[@spitbacktruth8080]

WS louder .. BUT AWESOME FIX AND VERY EDUCATIONAL ABOUT THE SECRETS OF THIS C63 year ..thx

[@GMONEYFIFTYFOUR]

One mechanic to another, good job

[@gottliebdee263]

Don't usually like a loud exhaust but that's nice.

[@racerboy2212]

Another great video! You make it real and give an inside view to service many would be petrified to even think about attempting on their own. Thanks for the content!

[@dennisrobinson8008]

I see alot of old posts. First of all someone in another post stated the "E" 63 during those years with the M156 engine only 100lbs heavier than the C63, I always thought it was 400lb heavier!!!! If it's only 100lb heavier it's certainly worth consideration due to more underhood room and a greater passenger compartment! The guy installed the OBX headers on the E63, they were sold on ebay. The OBX on Toyota, Honda and certain other brands were actually pretty good. They weren't like getting Kooks headers, but they paid attention to the welds and it was pretty good build quality and consistency, so they are worth consideration. I see LegitStreetCars installed the VRP's which mbworld and other forums are buying in bunches. There are options and directions to go. I want someone to confirm that C63 vs E63 weight during the M156 years of only 100lbs difference vs 400lb difference, i always thought it was 400lb difference....

[@chrisenglish2312]

Please make more m156 content! I need it in my life lol

[@marcusbaer6738]

The shades flying up in the window of the brick house on the left of the screen at 21:30 ish hahaha

[@wickedz3316]

I know I used to raise the car off the ground a little bit, remove bottom motor mount bolts, get a jack and put it under the oil pan and lift it up a little bit and so much easier

[@mistreku]

Gezus man, open headers sound nuts! Sounds like a crazy racing V8 engine, to me! 21:30 or there abouts.