dont do it!!! buy a set!! JJ... I had a good time making these up, about 5 hours in just the one side. Need to grind some of my ****py welds down and get some paint on them. Thinking about doing the fibergl*** wrap. anyone do this? I heard it rots the header out really quickly. can anything be done to slow/stop that from happening. I also ran into a guy that used a small peice of copper wire near the flange on his chromed headers, he said that the copper wire helps to stop the pipes from blueing...his still looked pretty new.
The header wraps cause rapid deterioration of the metal, killing the headers. OK for a race car, horrible for a street car. Every Header manufacturer I know of, including us, voids the warranty if wraps are used. They look pretty good by the way - was that a kit?
They look good man. If it had been 5hrs. and they looked like ****...well that would have ****ed, but even then its part of the learning process. What makes the wrap ruin the headers?
They look good if you ask me! I wouldn't mind giving that a shot one of these days...maybe on a straight 6 so I only have to build one! I know I'm lazy
This is correct to the best of my knowlege also. Some folks say if you get them ceramic coated it helps but if you go to that trouble what cover them up? The gain from keeping the heat inside the header is nothing you will feel in the seat of your pants. Oh I normally weld my tubes on th back side of the flange and then flatten the welds. I was told by a header guy that it makes for a better seal against the gasket. But I just think they look better that way. Not knocking yours they look fine, just info.
Finish the job by grinding the welds and either paint them or have them coated. Good work takes time. Nothing looks worse than headers wrapped in rags to my eye. I don't understand how that ever became popular.
Tommy An engineer decided that if you kept the heat inside the headers they would function better. Originally the wrap was marketed to the fellas that meause life in thousandths of a second and needed every advantage. Then someone saw it on their favorite race car and decided if it was good for them it must be the added advantage st the stop light or car show. It has no place on a trad car, unless you are building a car called the mummy return or something along those lines.
I did weld them up from the inside too, then ground them flat. getting that 15 degree angle on them was the hardest part. I actually made a wooden jig to hold the tubes in the correct location. my next step on these(and I admit I fugged up by not doing it first) is to fill the hole in the middle of where the 4 tubes go into the collector. I had a 1/2 socket in there with a big hose clamp around it to hold the tubes in place while I set the collector. Now I have to come up with an idea on how to make/insert/weld a piece into that. Rich
Well this isn't nice to say but I'm glad its you with that problem. (uh sorry about that) How long is that collector? You might have to do it with a stick welder or slice the collector (round part) off and weld it back on. The second solution is probably the most viable although I don't envy you and your grinder.
Damn.......Looks like they are coming out really nice.Even if wrap didn't destroy the pipe, why would you want to cover up your handy work?
it wont stop me by any means, I will throw a pic up of the final solution. My dad is usually a bit better than me if thinking out of the box, he/we will find a way...
Just 5 hours ? Don t complain . I made a 2x3 header for a inline 6 from scratch and no experience , it took me much more longer than just 5 hours ..
If you build your own you certainly ought to be able to repair them. I don`t particularly like the wraps but it keeps the engine heat from frying yourself especially in an open truck. My avatar is what I drive. PS I make large diameter collectors for the noise.
A better solution than filling that diamond shaped hole between the 4 tubes is to pinch the 4 tubes to a square corner/intersection...it makes a huge difference in how your cylinders scavenge each other's g***es and is easier than making a funky shaped filler piece to weld in...if you pinch them tight enough you can weld it in one + shaped bead and it's done...
hated to do it, but I ended up cutting the p***enger collector off and filling the hole in teh middle with some solid square stock, forming the tubes to it as best I could. I finished the drivers side too, looks good. I actually ended up shortening the tubes on the p***enger side when I put the collector back on to compensate for teh exhaust port location from p*** to driver side. look even as you look down on them, even though the p*** is actually shorter than the other side. didnt think if that when I started!!! I will post a pic of the completed install.
The Jalopy Journal
