I bought a Racing Beat cat-back and header to install on my S2, as it came with an obnoxious single muffler and the stock manifold.

RB makes really beautiful products. It almost a shame that it's under the car instead of on display. Love that mirror finish of polished 304.

My last RB header install took about half an hour with hand tools... Of course it was on a 1986 RX-7 and almost two decades ago when I was much more limber. None the less, put the car on ramps and all the work was done from underneath.

Imagine my surprise when It took the better part of a weekend, mostly done through the little triangle hole in the passenger wheel well.

And when it did come time to install the header under the car, it's almost as if the rubber undercoating spray on the bodywork was too thick. No matter what I did, RB's instructions stating "reassembly is the previous steps in reverse" were not entirely accurate. No amount of manipulation would get it in.

Luckily my wife was available to wedge a jack handle between the unibody and the big ground bolt on the lower intake manifold and pry the engine over towards the driver's side an inch or two.

Don't even get me started on tightening the bypass air pipeline flange bolts.

I dread ever needing to take this thing off.

It sounds great though.