Manifold or header

Hello everyone, my name is John.....new member, long time reader.

I have searched this topic for a while now with no real answer found. I currently have a 2.7l with a cracked manifold, I have no desire for a loud truck and never found any real hp gains with headers on a non supercharged engine. I know a stock manifold would keep my truck purring nice and quite but don't want to replace it when it cracks again so I was considering LCE headers just for longevity...thoughts??

Thanks,

John

 

I replaced the cracked manifold on mine with another manifold in my pre- tacoma world days. After, I read that the stock "mini headers" on newer 1st gen tacomas would fit with no trouble.

Wish I had gone that way.

 

Yeah just go stock mini header from later model first gens, dont even consider the cast one again!!
I suppose you didnt know that they ended up going to an oem mini tube header as a fix for the cracking pos cast ones did ya? You can get a junk yard pull off or just go with a new one from the dealer. I personally bought a kit from toyota of dallas. A fella there puts together a kit with everything you need for an install and offers a couple different options like with or without a new heat sheild (since the old one wont fit anymore) and with or without new hardware and gaskets. I found the guy on yotatech but i bet you could just call the dealership and ask and could get it sorted out if that were something youd wanna do...

Hardest part of the install fur ne was the damn egr tube, had to undo a bolt on back of engine then flex it enough to fit, but i left all studs in place too, if the studs were removed it woulda been super easy. With that said id still leave em in place if i had to do it again...unless they were junk which pry wouldnt be too common id think??

My other taco had an lce when i bought it, its cool but nothing special. Id pry just stick with a mini myself. Not so sure the lce would be worth any extra cost. Very minimal gains if any, certainly not noticeable!

 

AJM & BRY,

Thanks guys! I didn't realize Toyota was using the mini as oem, that is perfect!! I'll give Toyota of Dallas a call for a price. Def going to the Junkyard this weekend....maybe I'll get lucky.

Thanks again for the help!!

John

 

I think the mini became standard in 02...might be wrong on that though, if so id only be like a year off and maybe they started in 01 but its right there possibly even between the two, there might be some 01's with them, might not. Someone else will surly know when they started to be used over the cast junk if im off base...

Im trying to remember the fellas name at dallas so you can ask for him direct but its slipped my mind, been a couole three years now...ill post it if i remember, i might jump on yotatech too and see if i cant find that stuff. Pretty sure that info was stickied in that forum...been the same amount of time since ive been in there too though, haha...TW is a much better site by a long shot, after i joined here I've never left lol...

Pretty sure i forked out like $315 for the mini plus gaskets and some new hardware and i opted out of the heatshield. Only reason i did that was cause my other taco with the lce dosent have one and ive never had an issue with tje heat on any component at all. Thus the reason for opting out of the shield with the mini header...not real cheap by any means but i wanted a nice new unit rust free so i went new. I then got some of that VHT (very high temp)ceramic rattle can paint to hit it with. Was skeptical because of the heat. Well that shit works! It literally still looks like the day i painted it and its been like 3 years! It also helps with the radiant heat! I think thats why my lce hasnt ever had an issue with heat either as its ceramic coated from them when you purchase it...