I was just wanting to hear what any of you who have delt with this company is. I'm looking into buying their 390/429 headers for my cadillac but have read very few good reviews and almost all bad ones. They are the only company who makes a header for my engine and I feel if I replace the cracked manifold with a used one it will most likely crack again bc the car is a car that gets drove almost everyday.
WAY overpriced. If your Caddy motor is stock and not in need of headers, put some used exh manifolds back on it after trueing them on a belt sander for a few minutes
I'm having a hard time finding a stock manifold.. It seems everyone has already sold the p***enger side to someone else with my problem
very expensive. I bought some for my 49 Chevy before I went with Mustang II since they were the only ones offering headers for stock steering. had no quality problems, just general header problems. finally got some sort of locking header bolts and different gaskets and it all worked.
sweet! I was hoping most of what I was reading from their unhappy customers was on custom build headers.. I may go ahead and get a set soon and pray for the best since it is one of their offered headers. I was reading a lot about wire from the welder inside the headers and not lining up with the exhaust ports but it was looking like they was talkin about custom built
also it the coating worth the extra $150 I'm not building the car for show.. I use it to drive and have fun in like i believe they should be
I didn't get the coating because I'm a cheap ***. is it a thermal coating to keep down the heat? having no coating didn't bother me, but the car never sat out in the cold overnite, and was never driven in the rain, so not sure how that would effect the rust issues. mine stayed pretty clean over the 3 years I drove it.
Bought a used set of Sanderson blockhuggers for a BB Mopar several years ago and installed them in a '70 Dodge D100 pickup --- worked great, no leaks.
Had them on a 351 cleveland for years and never had a problem.Only one that made them for the app. and good customer service.
I bought a set of block huggers back in 2005 for my Merc. They were the only ones that would clear the stock steering box. They were expensive but I have had zero problems.
Ive got a set of block huggers on a 327, so far 4 years no problems. It dont get driven much, and its garage kept, so for what thats worth to ya
I've had a set of long tube,ceramic coated,for 6 years. They fit very well.I had some rust issues 2 years ago. I called them ,sent them back ,they recoated them free of charge. All it cost me was the ride back.
I aim putting my order in tomorrow with them. I'm going to go ahead and get the coated headers hoping to get more life out of them. I did think of one concern with them though, my p***enger manifold is also part of my alt. bracket I'm hoping they address this with their headers. I will ask tomorrow before I order them
No complaints here on an 18 year old set of sbc block huggers in the '29 CC PU. I always would feel better getting uncoated, fitting them, adding any needed dings for a better fit, and then getting them coated if need be. The sbc set and full exhaust system was hi-temp powder coated up in White City, OR way back when, and is still doing OK. I have another set of their headers for my 392, but we got them only partially ***embled because we knew up front the fit was going to be tricky in my '51. I never did get them coated and they are still doing fine after about ten years.
Very pricey stuff, but good quality. Installed some in a customer's off topic car, had minor fit issues, but nothing that couldn't be dealt with. Love the thick plate = no gasket idea, but damn there spendy!
Buy them bare, make needed adjustments or whatever and then get some steel-it to coat them with. It is not shown on there website but if you email them or call them they can get you the info for their exhaust coating. Stuff is awesome!!! Cures by driving, and looks like clean freshly blasted steel when done. http://www.steel-it.com/
Mine are coated and have never leaked on my SBC. 50fraud gave me a killer deal on his old ones. The car has been parked outside(so cal mind you) for years and no rust issues or anything even sitting in my friends backyard for a year. So it wasn't driven much but started regularly , FWIW. I never used an exhaust gasket. I know it' s not just me, I've overheard guys at swapmeets talking about her too. Nice headers, though. I have to think *maybe* some negative reviews are colored by her special brand of customer service. EDIT: I just did a google for "donna" and "sanderson" and there's a lot of less than stellar reviews LOL Just do a control f find on the page and type in donna, it's good for a laugh
I think it is Donna that is giving her a bad name from what i read.. between her at***ude and people expecting custom one off sets to be perfect.. It seems most everyone here is happy with them. I feel a lot better after everyones input so far about them and will be ordering them first thing tomorrow.
The shop I worked for was/is a dealer. I sold dozens of sets. First hand experiences here. Caveat Emptor
This is what they sent me about a year ago. Please find attached the Data sheets for item# 7156 that you are looking for. This Item comes in Gallons and Quarts. Item# 7156G - There are (4) gallons per case at $130.15 per gallon. Single gallons are $194.41/ea. Item# 7156Q - There are (6) quarts per case at $38.24 per quart. Single quarts are $57.12 /ea. Both items are in stock. Quart and you can do a few sets of exhaust. A few years back I coated a buddies manifolds with this stuff. He was running dirt track modifieds and he loved it. Next thing I knew I was doing all the other guys' manifolds too for cases of beer! They all loved it.
This was attached in that same email too. STEEL IT High Temp Metallic Blend Coating #7156 STEEL IT High Temp Metallic Blend #7156 is a multi-metal pigmented modified silicone finish designed for use on smoke stacks, exhaust manifolds, boiler doors and other high temperature applications where surface temperatures normally or frequently exceed 300°F, to provide a unique combination of high temperature and corrosion resistance. Two coats, applied at 3 dry mils each, will provide a singular degree of protections against water, corrosion and high temperature. STEEL IT High Temp Metallic Blend #7156 air dries under ambient temperature conditions, and may so be placed into light-moderate duty service. STEEL IT High Temp #7156 will air dry to touch in approximately 1 hour, after which time it may be recoated. For optimum corrosion resistance, the dried films should be baked at 400°F for a minimum of 30 minutes. Baking of two and three coat applications may be carried out after all applications have been made and allowed to fully dry. STEEL IT High Temp Metallic Blend # 7156 is self priming. Other primers are neither required nor recommended, although all steel surfaces should be clean and free of all contamination. Surfaces should be dry and sandblasted to at least a commercial quality (SSPC SP 6). For all high temperature applications a white metal quality (SSPC SP 5) is recommended. An adequate cut anchor pattern of 1.5 – 2.5 mils is recommended for optimized adhesion under extreme conditions. Protects Steel from: High heat exposure, especially when also exposed to atmospheric environments. Uses: For Structural and Miscellaneous Steel Exposed to Temperatures up to 1200°F Boiler Doors, Manifolds, Headers and Exhausts Long term Atmospheric Service System Recommendations: General Use – Low to Moderate Temperature Service Range( 300 - 600°F) Mild Atmospheric Exposure 2 coats of STEEL IT #7156 for a total of 6 mils DFT (Dry Film Thickness) Heavy Duty Use - High Temp Service Range (600 - 1200°F) Long Term Atmospheric Service 3 coats of STEEL IT #7156 for a total of 9 mils DFT (Dry Film Thickness) STEEL IT High Temp Metallic Blend #7156 Stainless Steel Coatings, Inc. Page 2 of 3 Surface Preparation: General Use: Sandblast to at least a commercial grade blast (SSPC-SP-6) Heavy Duty Use: Sandblast to white metal (SSPC- SP-5). Cut or angular anchor pattern (1.5 – 2.5 mils deep) Film Thickness: General Use – 2 coats of 3 dry mils each (Total 6 mils DFT minimum). Heavy Duty Use – 3 coats of 3 dry mils each (Total 9 mils DFT minimum) Application: Spraying is the preferred application method. Conventional spray techniques employ a Binks #62 gun or equivalent with a 68PB Air Cap and a 66 Fluid Tip. Airless applications employ a DeVilbiss JGB – 501 airless gun or equivalent with a Fluid Tip Orifice of between 0.015" and 0.021". Pump Ratio should be at least 28:1. Other compatible combinations may work. Drying Time: Dry to Touch in about 1 hour. Allow 60 minutes between coats. Fully Dry in approximately 24 hours. When fully dry, bake at 400° F for 30 minutes (minimum) for full cure Where baking is not possible, the system will cure over time, with the heat of being in service. Coverage: Theoretical Coverage at 3 dry mils is 165 sq. ft. / gal. In practice these values will be reduced by loss factors. For Practical Coverage estimate at 125 square feet / gallon Thin and Clean Up: Thinning is not recommended - only when mandatory for ease of application. For clean up use Xylene or Hi-flash Naphtha STEEL IT High Temp Metallic Blend #7156 Stainless Steel Coatings, Inc. Page 3 of 3 Limitations: Apply only when surface temperatures are above 40° F Apply only when Relative Humidity is less than 86% Surface Temperature must be at least 5° F above Dew Point. Color: Metallic Gray Sheen: Very Low Gloss Total Solids: By weight: 51% By volume: 31% Weight per Gallon: 12.2 lbs. Shelf Life: 1 year V.O.C. 497 grams/liter (4.15 lbs / gal)
Buying headers coated is risky...headers usually require a little bit of m***aging to fit, and if they're coated then you have to damage the coating to make them fit. Daily driver, headers kinda down low on the engine, I'd just paint them.