My procedure costs nothing and took 5 minutes and I have twenty bucks more than you right now. 
Heat Riser Problem..
Safety Car
Joined: Jul 1999
Posts: 3,559
Likes: 207
From: Olathe KS
IMO none.
It will not take longer to warm up either. All a properly operating heat riser does is send
more heat under the carburetor to assist earlier vaporization in cold weather. The engine
warms up at the same rate.
With today's fuels, I believe the heat riser is unnecessary, and I took the blocking plate
out of my heat riser about 15 years ago. I also blocked off the intake manifold ports that
send hot exhaust to the base of the carb.
My car starts and runs fine even in single digit cold weather in Illinois, Wisconsin,
Colorado, and Montana, and I have the choke in my carburetor disconnected.
It will not take longer to warm up either. All a properly operating heat riser does is send
more heat under the carburetor to assist earlier vaporization in cold weather. The engine
warms up at the same rate.
With today's fuels, I believe the heat riser is unnecessary, and I took the blocking plate
out of my heat riser about 15 years ago. I also blocked off the intake manifold ports that
send hot exhaust to the base of the carb.
My car starts and runs fine even in single digit cold weather in Illinois, Wisconsin,
Colorado, and Montana, and I have the choke in my carburetor disconnected.
I think today's high quality premium fuels (particularly winter blends) vaporize and start more easily by nature, than fuels from back in the day, even with lower octane (read more volatile).
Race Director
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 17,683
Likes: 3,678
From: Central Arkansas
I would wire it open or remove it - it's been so long since I've messed with one of these that I had forgot about muffler life until reading the above posts. It used to be common to go through several sets of passenger side mufflers and pipes before the driver side rusted out.
Safety Car
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 4,968
Likes: 529
From: Witness Protection Program Somewhere, USA
2026 Restomod of the Year Finalist
Race Director
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 19,777
Likes: 4,592
From: Canada's capital
2020 Corvette of the Year Finalist (appearance mods)
C1 of Year Finalist (appearance mods) 2019
Everytime I check under the hood, I give it 2 or 3 manual cycles and have never had a problem with it in 25 years.
Team Owner
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 38,897
Likes: 1,926
From: Washington Michigan
Melting Slicks
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 2,730
Likes: 92
From: Lakeland FL
The biggest effect I believe you'll see is much longer right side muffler and exhaust system life, especially if you do very much short trip driving. Lots of us have already wired the heat riser valve open permanently. Or, replace it with the spacer used on FI cars . . .
Racer
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 398
Likes: 0
Update
http://www.etvette.com/heatrisers.htm
Make sure all call as the email address is not correct on his site. Nice guy too BTW..
Make sure all call as the email address is not correct on his site. Nice guy too BTW..
I second the nice guy and great service. Website email is old....East Tennesse Vette.....current email jacketvette@gmail.com , his name is Jack, he knows exhaust, one man operation that is never too busy to answer a question or talk cars....I like that!
http://www.etvette.com/index.html
Keith
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