welding pacesetter headers in the vehicle? bad exhaust leaks at the collector.

The pacesetter headers on my renix leak horrible at the collector. I hooked up a shop vac to the tail pipe tonight since it failed SMOG with high nox and I suspected exhaust leaks. I was able to weld up the connector piece over by the tranny lines, but how the hell do you weld up the y link tube at the manifold without removing the header and down pipe and doing it off the vehicle? any tricks you guys used? I slapped some quick steel high temp on there to see if that will do it since it doesn't seem like its possible to even get the gun behind the flange at all.

Do you take your socks off to wash them? Of course. Pull the manifold. Be mindfull of warpage.

No I don't, should I pull my socks off?

Have you ever had to install one of these pacesetter headers? I hated it. Ive done countless stock setups in an evening. This pacesetter was hell to install with all sorts of issues across a few nights after work. If I pulled it off again I would just order a stock replacement and down pipe, but that adds time and money.

Well since the down pipe wraps under the engine, there would be no way to reinstall the thing without practically puling the motor anyway after the down pipe was welded to the manifold.

What I ended up doing was welding everything I could reach. Then this is where it gets quarter-a**ed. Grabbed high temp quick steel extreme stuff from Autozone (2400* ) . The Y pipe to manifold is now sealed. I tested it this morning with the shop vac. I know its a white trash fix, but SMOG was due last week and it failed with high NOX which the 4 exhaust leaks where contributing to (among other things).

I should have just bought a new manifold and down pipe but I only just found the exhaust leaks last night and I need to smog it tomorrow.

I also over the weekend welded up a new CA legal Walker cat, new NGK o2 sensor, new FPR, new EGR, colder plugs, cap and rotor, sea foam & HEET, & acetone in the tank so spending more money and waiting another week for parts did not sound like fun.

why acetone in tank? I have heard of putting methanol mixed with gas for a way to cheat the test it burns clean.

Some old timer on here said to try acetone during smog so I always do it now.