If you can work up the coin, I'd recommend a stainless header if you live in a climate where you'll see snow, and especially if they salt the roads where you live. My StainlessWorks are holding up great against New Jersey winters and excessive amount of salt that our roads get covered in for weeks at a time.

I'm not knockin' the Thorley's, as they're supposed to be a quality header, and the tri-y design has proven to provide gains in the low end torque to mid rpm power department. I just know first hand that the StainlessWorks are a top notch quality header though...as least the set I have installed on my rig are

 

I will post up pics of my pace setters after 4 1/2 years of salt and ran.. I would def go wit a SS header... At your stage if you plan to run a 3k verter something made for lower end power isn't gona do you any good, cause once the verter loks up the motor is already in a power making range...

 

Post #9 shows a pic of some coated PaceSetters after 2 Boston winters, there's nothing but rust. They look like a recent pic of the Titanic

 

I had the Thorley's on my 01 Yukon for 4 Michigan winters and they held up just fine. They were not the coated ones but the chrome headers. They looked better after 4 winters than my SS headers after one year.

 

How much are coated Pacesetters? Close to $380? You can get coated Thorleys for $450-500 if you look around, that's what I paid for mine.

 

they are $489 last time i checked. BUT that with Y pipe as well. Thorley's don't have a Y pipe so what would you do? have to get a custom one built? cause i don't think they bolt up to the stock Y

 

They don't bolt up but they do exit inches in front of the stock cat location. It wouldn't take much for a knowledgeable shop to connect the two.

And in reality, this header design is what a majority of daily driven trucks on here really need. Torque is what gets these heavy beasts up and running.

 

That's why I said Pacesetters are around $380, without Y pipe.

The stock Y pipe works fine, you just need to cut & move the cats back a little or just cut them and weld some tube in its place if you want to get rid of them.

 

so they will bolt up to the stock Y?

 

It's not a bolt on job, you need to cut & weld but a shop can do it. It's not that hard really.