spiru

Anyone know where to buy this online or off?

Thanks!

1979toy

I got mine from Jeg's, Summit should have the same.
The instruction say that when you start the engine for the first time the wrap will smoke. What they really mean is that the entire neighborhood will be blanketed in smoke so bad that nobody can drive down the street for 10 minutes! I bought a lot of beer and wine to smooth that over.

spiru

Well I guess this could get REALLY :lol: expensive, eh? :cheers:


[Modified by spiru, 2:26 AM 1/16/2002]

PatG

Same thing happened to me, smoke everywhere. I started the new motor with the header wrap in my buddies shop which was in a residential neighborhood. Our eyes were burning from the smoke but we had to break in the cam. All the neighbors came by to check out the fire, but all was fine.

By the way. I used to work in a polymer plant and we used the 2" wrap all over the place for steam tracing and small pipe insulation. I got mine from the mechanical foreman for cost at $7.50 a roll. The retail magazines are really sticking it to you if you buy it from them.

norvalwilhelm

I had to buy 2 rolls at a cost of about $50 CDN per roll. I found the secret to good wrapping is to soak the stuff in water to soften it before wrapping. This way you get a good tight wrinkle free wrap. Mine have been wrapped for over 5 years and still look great. The reduction in under hood temperature is certainly worth it. Some of the new coated headers look better but I don't know how efficient they are at reducing the temp under the hood. After long expressway cruising you can pop the hood and that heat blast doesn't happen .

flynhi

The tech rep at Doug Thornley advises against this as the retained temps causes higher temps to be retained in the header tubes which accelerates metal fatigue and failure. What is often described as rust on wrapped headers is really metal failure. Not recomended for street use.

fauxrs

I have read that header wrap is not recommended onthe street as well, and their arguments are logical and make good sense. but on the other hand I have personally used it for many years and know several others who have had header wrap, also for many years. and none of us have had any header failures.

Heres a link to a well done article about it... http://www.centuryperformance.com/heatwraps.htm

I am wondering if this is a case of a discovery made by racing teams (whose headers certainly see more high temps than mine) that have led to recommendations on the street, that maybe arent as applicable as they might seem on the surface.

My camaro had header wrap for about 5 years before I sold the car - never had a leak or any other problem.

Unlike some people I guess. I have a real emotional problem with Jet Hot coatings $$$$$$$$. Frankly my problem has to do with spending 2-3 hundred dollars for a an $90 set of headers, I dont care how pretty they are. Lets face it, the dynomax headers you can buy uncoated for $90 or so bucks are the exact same headers you get for the $250 or so they go for coated. I'm sure they will last longer, but are we talking the difference between 8 and 15 years, 5 and 10? All I know is I have never had to replace a set of headers before, Perhaps 5-6 years isnt long enough to tell.

On another note, whats the deal with Hedman. They have a standard header for the vette that sells at Summit for 104.95, add air tubes to it and the price jumps to 252.99, then take those and get them Jet Hot coated for (I think the going rate is 250) and youve got a 502.99 set of headers. That is way tooooo much for ANY set of headers for a passenger car.


[Modified by fauxrs, 7:39 AM 1/16/2002]

topless68

If you wrap your headers...carry a fire extinguisher on board. Had a vette in our Corvette club catch on fire going down the highway. It was caused by the wrap.

IMHO....spend the money on the coated headers, insulate your floor pan with aluminum sided blanket, and if you want to go a step furhter, get aluminized exhaust half way back. That will serve the purpose of getting the heat out.

:cheers:

Paul 75 L82

I live in South Florida where heat is a problem. I just had my hookers cermanic coated inside and outside and insulated under the carpet with the thermal stuff I bought from ecklers and I don't have a problem. I couldn't stand to take my vette to a car show with wraped headers.

VegasJen

don't spend the money on header wrap for a street driven car. spend it on ceramic coated headers. the first set of headers i wrapped for my '81, i wrapped tight and they lasted two years and smelled like dirty dog every time they got wet. after two years they cracked so bad my car sounded like bubba's truck going down the road. i don't think that there is anything inherently wrong with wrap but it does accelerate metal failure.

LAvetteman

Yep, I had a guy that races cars at the strip advise me against the header wrap as well. Same reason, retained heat/ metal fatigue. Ceramic coated is the way to go.

spiru

Thanks guys for the warning about the wrap. I hadn't heard that before.

dlw

I called Hooker about header wrap and they said do not wrap!!!!! The guy I talked to said it works too good and retains to much heat.

63Banshee

You'd be better off with a Jet Hot coating... you will run into rust issues using a wrap.

spiru

I love this forum, the info I get here is worth its weight in gold! :cheers:

Carl in LA

I have an opinion here as well... I went with BlackSatin ceramic paint on my ramhorns and I painted the y-pipe all the way back to the catylitic converter... BlackSatin is available from Techline Coatings (they're on the web) and that stuff REALLY works. BlackSatin is exactly that - black finish. They sell several other finishes and you have to sand blast the item being painted (and spray the paint on) but the fact is really clear - the exhaust system emits less heat than the block on my 383 rebuild - that pretty cool!

norvalwilhelm

Like fauxrs my headers have been wrapped for at least 5 years or better and I have no problems. They still look good, insulate the heat and cost alot less them coated headers. I do NOT drive in the rain.

norvalwilhelm

Took a picture last night of my old header wrap. At least 5 plus years old.

ZD75blue

one of the guys on here a few months back had a small fire in his car because of a leaking atf cooling line that sprayed enough to start a little fire on the wrap... and ATF isnt supposed to burn :eek: