Hi folks. I have a problem with the stock manifolds on my 1994 Firebird
V6 3.4L (auto). First of all, the car engine runs kind of rough, and it
sounds like there is a manifold leak/crack on the passenger side. This
was confirmed by a muffler shop mechanic examining my manifold. He was
not able to determine precisly the cource of the problem, as I would have
had to pay them some money to attempt dismantling components in order to
get to the manifold and do a thorough close-up examination. On the DRIVER
side manifold, there appears to be a missing BOLT from the front of the
exhaust manifold. Either the bolt is completely missing, or more than
likely it broke off.

Because of these manifold issues, I want to get a brand new set of
manifolds to replace the stock ones. A friend of mine is a GM mechanic
and he can order me the manifolds at dealer cost, but I just checked
GMpartsdirect.com and they have an even better price at $127 (US) a
piece.

Should I replace my manifolds or just get a set of headers? Will the
headers replace the exhaust manifolds, thus eliminating them from the
scenario and fixxing my problems? There is a listing on eBay for Camaro
V6 headers manufactured by Pacesetter starting at $217. The mechanic at
the muffler shop told me he does not recommend headers for a V6... why, I
don't know. Are headers overkill for a 3.4L V6, or should I consider
getting them instead of ehaust manifolds?

Guidance and advice will be greatly appreciated. Thanks.