Frankie Posted February 19 Share Posted February 19 I've just spent the last hour trying to find a link about wrapping my exhaust headers. I've been told it really works for heat reduction but it damages the pipes after use. Any help would be appreciated. These words from our friend William Shakespeare are appropriate. "To be, or not to be: that is the question: Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, Or to take arms against a sea of troubles, And by opposing end them" Or pay for a new set of headers? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MV8 Posted February 19 Share Posted February 19 I understand the appeal, but why do you need to wrap? Unless you are wrapping a header with 14ga walls and ceramic coated inside, your interest may be better served by a different method. Wrap turns a header pipe into a small kiln. No downside to using header wrap on components near the header, but there are other products for that such as fire sleeve. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vovchandr Posted February 19 Share Posted February 19 Wrapped mine. Not sure if there was a noticable difference. One of the worst upgrades I've ever done from implementation point if view. Would never do it again unless header was already off. Too far too long in too constrained area with getting fiberglass and metal cuts throughout. Might be different on a Duratec. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrmustang Posted February 19 Share Posted February 19 Heat wrap for the headers works great in a race only environment where you want cheap, easy, and will eventually replace the parts (a year or two), but leads to premature rust out of the headers as well. Better off with ceramic coating to get the same results, without the downside of wrapping. Bill S. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frankie Posted February 19 Author Share Posted February 19 This is exactly what i wanted to hear. Thanks all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slowdude Posted February 20 Share Posted February 20 It's on my list after the de dion bushing gets done. High temp paint the headers, then cure them. Then wrap headers. At least for me it makes sense as the K series has a habit of trying alternators. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coffee break Posted February 20 Share Posted February 20 I had the header powder coated then wrapped. The goal was to reduce heat transmitted to the cockpit and shield the alternator. The cockpit is now more comfortable and the plastic on the alternator isn't melting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MV8 Posted February 20 Share Posted February 20 11 hours ago, slowdude said: it makes sense as the K series has a habit of trying alternators. I can see why. Short of cutting it out and welding in a new $20 section of tube (routed more like the oem) or a shorter race type alt with a multi-vee pulley swap, I'd wrap the six inches closest to the alt. Wrapping a short section of tube is less critical. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KnifeySpoony Posted February 20 Share Posted February 20 If it's just the alternator concern, a small heat shield would likely be simpler and more effective perhaps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slowdude Posted February 20 Share Posted February 20 8 hours ago, MV8 said: I can see why. Short of cutting it out and welding in a new $20 section of tube (routed more like the oem) or a shorter race type alt with a multi-vee pulley swap, I'd wrap the six inches closest to the alt. Wrapping a short section of tube is less critical. Exactly what I think, wrap should be a bit easier to get to as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IamScotticus Posted February 28 Share Posted February 28 I would consider an external wrap only after a coating to preserve the headers. One that coats the insides as well. I believe Jet Hot is popular for this. https://www.jet-hot.com/ No experience, but The combination of the both should be very effective. I have felt the heat, and agree, especially in a LHD and left side exhaust, it gets very toasty. I carpeted my tunnel to be able to wear shorts and not get burned. Also considering pulling my inside Lamiplate pannel to put insulation in the wall. The external exhaust is part of the equation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
inchoate Posted March 1 Share Posted March 1 I had the headers on my very built mini Jet-Hotted and it was very effective in reducing under hood temperatures. If you look around you can find ten people who will tell you how horrible Jet-Hot is and ten people who will tell you it's great. It's where my research let me and I was happy with the whole process from start to the end product. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IamScotticus Posted March 1 Share Posted March 1 Here is another coating option. https://swaintech.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bball7754 Posted March 4 Share Posted March 4 I had my headers Swain coated 12 years ago. They have stood up pretty well, although there are areas where it’s back down to bare metal. To maintain the appearance of the headers outside the engine bay, I only had the top half of each header coated. And before I shipped them off to Swain, I had the bottom half polished. Results are below. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbcollier Posted March 8 Share Posted March 8 After 35 years as a mechanic, I wrap my headers, pipes, silencer, and tail pipe, so I don't #$%@ burn myself. Works great! 1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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