Inline Six Intake/Exhaust Question.

Hope you can help me out with a few basic questions about a new Clifford intake and header set I just bought.

1. The inside of the intake is pretty rough from the casting and media blasting. Would it make a big difference if I spent the next few weeks sanding and polishing as much of it I can get to?

2. What's the best header paint you've used? Brush on or spray on?

3. Header heat wraps, yes/no, maybe so?

 

leave the rough stuff in the intake. it will help because the intake has a too large plenum area. send the headers out to be jet hot or simular coating applied. all paints will burn off, wraps will cause the pipes to fail. tom

 

I have a roll of header wrap that I have not installed because it seamed like I might be asking for trouble. I'm thinking that the wrap might:
1. hold in moisture causing the pipes to rust out.
2. absorb gas (from the always leaky rochesters) or oil and catch fire.

Tom, has that been your experience?

I have used barbeque black hi-temp paint on exhaust mainifolds with fairly good results.

Tomcat

 

wrapping the headers Over time will rot out Or Burn out due to the trapped heat & moister. So it would bein your better interest in Having them coated inside and Out.

 

Yep, I agree...Hi-temp BBQ grill paint from the hardware store for the headers, and leave the intake rough.

 

Hi temp./low tech barbecue paint inside and out it is then! I guess there's no need for any fancy shmancy (and expensive!) hi tech header paint from the auto parts store! I'll leave the header wrap alone too as I've heard alot of mixed feelings about those. I'm ***uming the rough surface inside the intake is good for slowing down and evening out the fuel flow since the plenum is so big. Very good, thanks alot for all your reponses.

 

Yeah, on a (comparitively) low po engine, it's better to leave the casting rough, that way the fuel doesn't "pool" in the corners and crevices like if it were smooth, it tries to stay (somewhat) atomized...

Jay

 

I bought a rather pricey spray can of "High-Temperature" paint from Eastwood's several years ago. The can had a paper label stuck to it, that had the Eastwood logo, and what it was... Out of curiosity, and sheer boredom, oneday I peeled the label off...guess what was underneath?...

 

No way! Sometimes it's hard not to feel like you're being ripped off at every turn. One must stay on their toes! What's good for the barbie is good for the headers.

 

The rough texture of the intake helps the air to tumble and swirl, helping keep the fuel mixed with the air.

 

That's what I love about the HAMB, I can ask a question and get some damn straight answers to even the simplest things before I go out and ruin something or spend way too much money on re-labeled barbeque grill paint! Thanks all.

 

One trick I did on my 69 SS BB nova once the header paint burned off I coated the headers with ****** fluid fired up the motor till the smoke stopped Wait till thing cooled back down recoated then fired it up again. The Pipes never rusted after that and I had them on the car for 10 yrs. (this was with Used fluid ) why waste the good stuff.
( at that time it was a 50 yr old neighbor who told me about that trick. back in the early 70s)

 

Hey Twisted6, was that automatic trans fluid you used? I'd never heard of such a thing, but hell, if it works.....

 

Yes Old ATF in my case back then it was Dextron It gave the tubes a funny blueish look but they never rusted. I have no clue as to what it realy did but hey at that time i didn't care and they didn't rot out.

 

I was told the same thing in the 70s by a guy with a stout rep as a circle track racer and fabricator. Never had enough ambition to try it though....