headers wrap question

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ValerianMagnum

ValerianMagnum

the little car that could
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did you guys ever did this ? i was planning on doing it to my new hooker headers , but im wondering if its worth it , says that it helps with cooling too , and i have no clue if its hard to wrap the headers with it !

let me know guys !

thx a lot , Joe
 
put that stuff on some corvette headers once took about two months and it burned holes in some tubes by the collector...
 
I also consider them a bad idea. They absorb oil and humidity. It's more expensive, but a good coating, internal and external, will help with keeping temps inside and longevity.
 
I just use header wrap in places that need some protection from the heat.
Like the 5&7 plug wire boots that would touch the header tube.
I folded it over twice making a 3 layer thick pad about 2 inches long with a little high temp RTV inside it to keep it from unwrapping and falling out from between the tube and the plug boots.
Basically just a high temp insulator pad to keep the boots from melting to the pipe.

Works great.
 
I have used wrap on painted headers for a couple decades without problems. I would think burning pipes likely happens due to retarted timing, not wrap. Without the wrap some may see when they turn orange, but most know the engine would also be running like crap, as an indicator too.
 
KitCarlson said:
I have used wrap on painted headers for a couple decades without problems. I would think burning pipes likely happens due to retarted timing, not wrap. Without the wrap some may see when they turn orange, but most know the engine would also be running like crap, as an indicator too.
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From some of the post I have seen on here, some people can't tell if thier car is only running on 6-7 cylinders, so I wouldn't get my hopes up about them knowing/feeling the effects of late timing. :D
 
I put a heavy coat of spray zinc on first , let it dry, soak the wrap in water overnight then wrap it as tight as possible. I use it on everything, even my daily driver.
 
Works like a charm. I wrapped my exposed headers on my rat and they can be touched when the car is at temp without getting burned. Keeps the heat in the exhaust and away from the intake.
 
yep, stuff is Great works Way better than ceramic coating for heat in my opinion.
definitely want to paint them first, then soak and rap them. they even have a silicone spray to use on the wrap.
 
i've used it on my snowmobiles and on motorcycles. It works both to make more power and to keep heat down. Never had an issue with any of the pipes.

i'm not sure why it would work differently on a car?
 
roccodart440 said:
i've used it on my snowmobiles and on motorcycles. It works both to make more power and to keep heat down. Never had an issue with any of the pipes.

i'm not sure why it would work differently on a car?
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I`m doing it now to the second set of headers. 1st. was on a 600horse 406 chevy, no problems, and it worked fine. the ones I`m doing now are on a set of chrome, used tti r/b victor headers. the most important thing is start tight against the flanges, keep them tight all the way, and tie them down in a few places and at the ends. you can paint them and the straps w/ high heat paint, has worked very well for me. do wet the wrap before you start, and keep it wet, wear long sleeves, because your going to get the fiberglass in your arms and hands.------bob
 
Friend used it on some headers. Danged near burnt the car to the ground because of it. ATF cooler line leak sprayed ATF onto the headers. Couldn't put the fire out until his passenger spotted a nearby garden hose. On removal he found that the rust errosion of the headers had been accelerated by the higher heat of the wrap. ATF lines got replaced with industrial hose & JIC fittings.

Seriously doubt that he had late timing as he was then one of KA's smog referee's and he spent a lot of his open time with his car on the scope & three gas analyzer refining the tuning of the car. Tune and then test up & down a curvy mtn road nearby.
 
famous bob said:
the most important thing is start tight against the flanges, keep them tight all the way, and tie them down in a few places and at the ends. you can paint them and the straps w/ high heat paint, has worked very well for me. do wet the wrap before you start, and keep it wet, wear long sleeves, because your going to get the fiberglass in your arms and hands.------bob
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I've always painted mine. YOu know they make black color now, but I still paint. Rubber gloves helps too.

ntsqd said:
Friend used it on some headers. Danged near burnt the car to the ground because of it. ATF cooler line leak sprayed ATF onto the headers. Couldn't put the fire out until his passenger spotted a nearby garden hose. On removal he found that the rust errosion of the headers had been accelerated by the higher heat of the wrap. ATF lines got replaced with industrial hose & JIC fittings.

.
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So let me get this straight, if the ATF cooler line leak sprayed ATF onto the headers and they weren't wrapped it wouldn't have caught on fire?
 
roccodart440 said:
So let me get this straight, if the ATF cooler line leak sprayed ATF onto the headers and they weren't wrapped it wouldn't have caught on fire?
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No, if they hadn't been wrapped the oil that was on the headers would have soon been burnt off or dissipated. The wrap was soaked in ATF and kept re-igniting. This was early in the availability of the wrap. The mfg's hadn't yet started telling people to coat it with something to keep oil out.
 
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