A header for that car is very hard/impossible to find. If you put a full header on, you eliminate the Catalytic converter completely. The engine will then obviously throw a code. The only way to put a header on that engine is to add an exhaust from an EX, that gets pricey and then you are better off doing a full exhaust.

 

There's a gasket between your head and the manifold, and there's a gasket between your catalytic converter and your manifold. They're not reusable. Well... they could be, but if you develop an exhaust leak because you didn't have them, there goes your pretty paint job, and fast. Get the torque specs for the manifold and converter nuts before you begin. Snapping one of those would not be fun. Just trying to save you a headache.

Hondaman is right. My CX stuff didn't fit a DX motor. I had to change a lot of crap. You would need a new header, cat, a EX/DX or even a CRX downpipe, and I believe the mid-pipes are the same. The factory hangers won't line up when you're done, either. You'll have to get creative. If you can't find it in a U-pull-it junkyard somewhere, that stuff may be difficult or expensive to find.

 

I don't wanna change anything with the exhaust system, I simply want to remove the heat shield, paint it, and put it back

that's alright to do?

 

Yes look at my first post. I think everyone else thought you were going to paint the exhaust manifold not the heat shield.

 

...or you could just ditch that otherwise useless d16y7 and put something worth-while in there

anyway.. yea, you dont need to worry about gaskets and such if you just wanna paint the heat sheild.

 

nahh.. I don't want to do anything major to the car cause it'll be hard to sell later on. The more you do the more you don't wanna get rid of it. I'm just doing basic stuff to improve the appearance