finally getting around to installing full length ceramic headers and true duals on the '81. will modify the crossmember to run left exhaust under driver side. what have you found that works best for heat protection and where to get it ? thanks, Rich

 

I am going to wrap mine from the header back to the mufflers with 2" header wrap, will keep the heat in the pipe and out the back instead of on my butt

 

Yeah, but header wrap has a tendancy to quickly rust headers. If you've got the budget, send them off to get ceramic coated.

 

I wrapped my ceramic coated headers with 2 inch wrap and the pipes all the way back to the mufflers. Before the wrap, I painted the pipes with VHT high heat paint for some rust protection. The wrap reduced my interior temps substantially and eliminated the vapor lock I was getting. Since this photo, I painted over the wrap with silicone silver paint to protect the wrap from water. I was planning on attending a cruise on a day rain was forecast. So far I don't see any sign of rust developing as a result of the wrap. Be warned, it took me five rolls of wrap to do the headers all the way back and four cans of silicone paint and two cans of VHT silver. In all the wrap and paint and s/s tie wraps, I'd estimate I have about $250 into materials, so it isn't cheap. BTW, you can get s/s tie wraps at Harbor Freight for $4.98 a bag of 25. None of the s/s ties hold very well, but with a slip joint plier and a flat screw driver, you can tighten the tie and bend it over to lock. That technique worked well for me.
[IMG][/IMG]

 

Read the fine print under most header and pipe ads: wrapping headers voids the warrantee.

Besides, you don't need to wrap ceramic headers or the pipes on your '81. Ceramic headers keep my engine compartment a LOT cooler then my previous block hugger headers. The cross-member mod I made this summer works GREAT with no floor pan heat problem.

Here are a few pics that show what worked for my '80. I can give you more details if you want them. (I previously posted the steps I took too.)

 

No need to wrap ceramic headers. But if you want to eliminate some heat from the pipes, I recently saw a good looking product in the JEGS catalog- a long strip of aluminized heat shield with clips. That might work real well for you.

 

Aluminum faced ceramic cloth that has an adhesive backing, works good.

http://store.summitracing.com/partde...5&autoview=sku

 

thanks guys. I am using the pics from MN80VETTE for my crossmember mod. terrrific detail. I think the alum shielding suggested by RIJVETTES and shafrs3 is the way to go for me. it looks easy to install and will save my butt this summer.

 

Here are a few more details of my cross member mod:
I drew a full-width circle on a piece of 1x4 pine (3 1/2" width) and cut off one end to make a rigid pattern for the cutout.

I used the pine board and a can of spray primer to mark each side of the cross member. I just eyed the spot I thought would leave an adequate gap between pipe and floor pan yet clear the trans mount.

I measured the distance from a fixed "ground" reference (the cross-ramp platform on my lift in my case) to make sure the edges of the front and rear cuts were level.

I used masking tape from the bottom of the front painted semicircle rearward to make sure the cutout was going to be straight back - parallel to the center line.

Once I had the cutout marked with primer, I used a small air-power cutoff wheel to cut the cross member and smoothed the edges.

I treated all the surface rust inside the cross member while I had an access hole. The whole process took about an hour.

The exhaust guy took a piece of 3 1/2" diameter exhaust pipe, sliced it down the middle, held it in the cutout to trace the cross member onto the pipe section, cut the pipe to fit the cutout, welded the pipe section into the cross member, and primed and painted it with semi-gloss high temp (1200 deg) paint.

The exhaust guy did an excellent job of tucking the pipe into the cutout. The driver's side pipe is at the same height as the pass side pipe. He said that the pipes were easy to bend for the rest of the job because the angle of the bends from the cross member back were pretty low.

I hope your true dual project goes as well as mine did. You're going to love the sound and notice a nice performance improvement on your butt-o-meter.