Chrome Hooker Sidepipes--any fans?
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Sep 2008
Posts: 454
Likes: 7
From: SB County CA
Chrome Hooker Sidepipes--any fans?
My Headers/sidetubes are supposed to ship in about 4 days. Here's the deal--I ordered chrome. Just thought stainless would look too racy and I'm going more for the classic street/muscle car look. For about a week, I've considered calling Jegs, cancelling the order, and buying stainless. From some pics, it looks like the appearance from the exterior is nearly the same with chrome/stainless. Is this true? Does the stainless discolor easily? What is the upkeep? Also, for the chrome haters, how bad is the rust problem that is so often mentioned. I've seen a few guys mention years of use without complaints and others hate them after a few months. Any chrome fans?
For what it's worth--I am going to wrap the primary tubes from flange until they begin to turn horizontal regardless of which I have--chrome or stainless.
I live in Tucson AZ and we all have chrome exhaust on our bikes--rust has never been as issue.
Thanks,
Rob
For what it's worth--I am going to wrap the primary tubes from flange until they begin to turn horizontal regardless of which I have--chrome or stainless.
I live in Tucson AZ and we all have chrome exhaust on our bikes--rust has never been as issue.
Thanks,
Rob
Race Director
Joined: May 2005
Posts: 10,674
Likes: 121
From: Millington Illinois
St. Jude Donor '08-'09
I like the look of chrome. After you install them wipe them down good with denatured alcohol. Any fingerprints will be there forever if you don't. I think the reason they blue is from the oil vapors in the engine compartment combined with the extreme heat. I have my third set of chrome. First set was on the car when I bought it and were old. No rust at all but were cleaned regularly and never seen the rain. Dried and wiped them down after washing with denatured alcohol. Second set had fingerprints and I ran them about a thousand miles and sold them. The car is going through a frame off so I bought new. This set will be right. If you dyno tune the engine before you install they will last a lot better. If you wrap them they will rust faster. Nothing looks as good as chrome.
Melting Slicks
Joined: May 2004
Posts: 2,732
Likes: 832
From: Gulf of America
2023 C7 of the Year Finalist - Unmodified
2018 C3 of Year Finalist
I'm on my second set of chrome Hooker sidepipes. I replaced the first set after the headers rusted thru (took many years). The chrome look great when polished. But my vette is a driver (done several Power Tours etc) and there is some light rust where the pipes join (this area gets sandblasted off the front tires). Stainless wasn't an option when I replaced the first set some 10 years ago. I would like to see a set of stainless Hookers upclose to see how they compare to chrome. I might go with stainless the next time especially if the shine is close to chrome. You would have an exhaust system that would last a lifetime.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 2,487
Likes: 1
From: Sydney
Stainless, stainless, stainless
The extra $$$ now is worth it, I have stainless on my car. I have seen A LOT of chrome sets on other vettes (everyone seems to baulk at the extra $500 or whatever it is for stainless), and yes the chrome are slightly shinier than stainless when they are new, but ONLY when they are new or meticulously looked after.
Plus I LOVE the bluing of the headers, it looks great.
To each their own but I wouldn't think about it for a second, stainless all the way.
Oh and if you can't already tell I am a stainless steel nut, if they made replacement bumpers for my '70 in stainless steel I would be all over them in a second regardless of cost.
The extra $$$ now is worth it, I have stainless on my car. I have seen A LOT of chrome sets on other vettes (everyone seems to baulk at the extra $500 or whatever it is for stainless), and yes the chrome are slightly shinier than stainless when they are new, but ONLY when they are new or meticulously looked after.
Plus I LOVE the bluing of the headers, it looks great.
To each their own but I wouldn't think about it for a second, stainless all the way.
Oh and if you can't already tell I am a stainless steel nut, if they made replacement bumpers for my '70 in stainless steel I would be all over them in a second regardless of cost.
Drifting
Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 1,874
Likes: 7
From: l In
Stainless, stainless, stainless
The extra $$$ now is worth it, I have stainless on my car. I have seen A LOT of chrome sets on other vettes (everyone seems to baulk at the extra $500 or whatever it is for stainless), and yes the chrome are slightly shinier than stainless when they are new, but ONLY when they are new or meticulously looked after.
Plus I LOVE the bluing of the headers, it looks great.
To each their own but I wouldn't think about it for a second, stainless all the way.
Oh and if you can't already tell I am a stainless steel nut, if they made replacement bumpers for my '70 in stainless steel I would be all over them in a second regardless of cost.
The extra $$$ now is worth it, I have stainless on my car. I have seen A LOT of chrome sets on other vettes (everyone seems to baulk at the extra $500 or whatever it is for stainless), and yes the chrome are slightly shinier than stainless when they are new, but ONLY when they are new or meticulously looked after.
Plus I LOVE the bluing of the headers, it looks great.
To each their own but I wouldn't think about it for a second, stainless all the way.
Oh and if you can't already tell I am a stainless steel nut, if they made replacement bumpers for my '70 in stainless steel I would be all over them in a second regardless of cost.
Drifting
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 1,683
Likes: 265
From: New York
I wondered about this too. I asked one of the technical Specialist at Summit named Norm at extension 6652. He has always seems to be right on with his advice. This is what he wrote in an email to me:
“Ceramic would be okay due to the fact that this engine is already broken in. The down side is that in two-three-or four years you would start to get tiny spots of rust and/or blotches through the ceramic. Even with the best care (cleaning-washing-drying) they will continue to progress. You can get a very good service life out of them though, and when it becomes too much (visually speaking) you could take them off, have them bead blasted in and out and send them to Jet-Hot for an internal and external coating. Ceramic coated pipes would be HOK-2224-1HKR (729.95) and ceramic coated side tubes are HOK-50735-1HKR (359.95).
Yes stainless steel are available. This would be the “hand polished” stainless, therefore 304-SS. Stainless pipes would be the HOK-2224-3HKR (999.95) and stainless side tubes would be HOK-50735-3HKR (425.95).
The most durable with a nice look would be a 409-series stainless and/or a ceramic coated 304. Unfortunately no one offers a 409-SS or a ceramic coated 304 for headers (pipes) and side tubes in regular off-the-shelf part numbers. 409 stainless is much more forgiving when it comes to thermal cycling and corrosion, however 409 does not lend itself to polishing. This stainless always looks dull and grey. One could purchase the 304-SS pipes and side tubes and subsequently send them to Jet-Hot for prep and internal and external coating – this may very well be the ultimate in longevity, looks and of course price.
All Hooker small block Chevy Corvette header/side pipe listings use the same primary tube and collector diameters. The primaries are 1 -7/8 inch OD. with the 4.0 inch OD. collector.”
“Ceramic would be okay due to the fact that this engine is already broken in. The down side is that in two-three-or four years you would start to get tiny spots of rust and/or blotches through the ceramic. Even with the best care (cleaning-washing-drying) they will continue to progress. You can get a very good service life out of them though, and when it becomes too much (visually speaking) you could take them off, have them bead blasted in and out and send them to Jet-Hot for an internal and external coating. Ceramic coated pipes would be HOK-2224-1HKR (729.95) and ceramic coated side tubes are HOK-50735-1HKR (359.95).
Yes stainless steel are available. This would be the “hand polished” stainless, therefore 304-SS. Stainless pipes would be the HOK-2224-3HKR (999.95) and stainless side tubes would be HOK-50735-3HKR (425.95).
The most durable with a nice look would be a 409-series stainless and/or a ceramic coated 304. Unfortunately no one offers a 409-SS or a ceramic coated 304 for headers (pipes) and side tubes in regular off-the-shelf part numbers. 409 stainless is much more forgiving when it comes to thermal cycling and corrosion, however 409 does not lend itself to polishing. This stainless always looks dull and grey. One could purchase the 304-SS pipes and side tubes and subsequently send them to Jet-Hot for prep and internal and external coating – this may very well be the ultimate in longevity, looks and of course price.
All Hooker small block Chevy Corvette header/side pipe listings use the same primary tube and collector diameters. The primaries are 1 -7/8 inch OD. with the 4.0 inch OD. collector.”
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Sep 2008
Posts: 454
Likes: 7
From: SB County CA
Something I forgot to mention is that I plan to use the drilled (bunch of round holes) heat shields. I read a post where polished stainless shields were installed over stainless pipes and the color diff was pretty noticable. Seems like chrome over chrome would look more 'like'.
I know that with factory bikes, you never run them until you've corrected the jetting. This is because the of requirements to be emissions compliant and the tuning is always very lean when new. Too much heat equals instant bluing. With that said, single wall will blue regardless, just not as bad. That's why Harley typically always uses double wall tubes. Not saying I agree or care, but that's what they do because most folks don't like them to look used.
The $ diff is insignificant. In person, how do the two compare? How does the stainless match to the other chrome trim on the car? Does stainless look 60s steet machine or 60s race car? Is the look even different enough to notice?
I know that with factory bikes, you never run them until you've corrected the jetting. This is because the of requirements to be emissions compliant and the tuning is always very lean when new. Too much heat equals instant bluing. With that said, single wall will blue regardless, just not as bad. That's why Harley typically always uses double wall tubes. Not saying I agree or care, but that's what they do because most folks don't like them to look used.
The $ diff is insignificant. In person, how do the two compare? How does the stainless match to the other chrome trim on the car? Does stainless look 60s steet machine or 60s race car? Is the look even different enough to notice?
Corvette Stories
The Best of Corvette for Corvette Enthusiasts
10 Most Common Corvette Problems of the Last 20 Years!
Joe Kucinski
5 MOST and 5 LEAST Popular Corvette Model Years in History!
Joe Kucinski
2027 Corvette Buyer's Guide: Everything You Need to Know!
Joe Kucinski
10 Things C8 Corvette Owners Hate (But Won't Tell You)
Joe Kucinski
10 Best Corvettes Coming to Barrett-Jackson Palm Beach 2026!
Brett Foote
Every Corvette Grand Sport Explained! (C2, C4, C6, C7, & C8)
Joe Kucinski
Grand Sport & Grand Sport X Launch Alongside All-New 535hp LS6 V8!
Michael S. Palmer
5 Reasons Bad Drivers Crash & 5 Ways to Avoid a Costly Mistake!
Joe Kucinski
7 Bolt-On Upgrades From Extreme Online Store to Level Up Your C6 Corvette
Pouria Savadkouei
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 8,295
Likes: 30
From: one night in Bangkok you are never lonely
Something I forgot to mention is that I plan to use the drilled (bunch of round holes) heat shields. I read a post where polished stainless shields were installed over stainless pipes and the color diff was pretty noticable. Seems like chrome over chrome would look more 'like'.
As others have posted STAINLESS is your friend
Last edited by Bangkok Dean; Dec 17, 2009 at 09:57 AM.
Racer
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 344
Likes: 0
From: Washington DC
Something I forgot to mention is that I plan to use the drilled (bunch of round holes) heat shields. I read a post where polished stainless shields were installed over stainless pipes and the color diff was pretty noticable. Seems like chrome over chrome would look more 'like'.
Race Director
Joined: Nov 2002
Posts: 12,142
Likes: 54
From: Taylor Michigan
Stainless, stainless, stainless
The extra $$$ now is worth it, I have stainless on my car. I have seen A LOT of chrome sets on other vettes (everyone seems to baulk at the extra $500 or whatever it is for stainless), and yes the chrome are slightly shinier than stainless when they are new, but ONLY when they are new or meticulously looked after.
Plus I LOVE the bluing of the headers, it looks great.
To each their own but I wouldn't think about it for a second, stainless all the way.
Oh and if you can't already tell I am a stainless steel nut, if they made replacement bumpers for my '70 in stainless steel I would be all over them in a second regardless of cost.
The extra $$$ now is worth it, I have stainless on my car. I have seen A LOT of chrome sets on other vettes (everyone seems to baulk at the extra $500 or whatever it is for stainless), and yes the chrome are slightly shinier than stainless when they are new, but ONLY when they are new or meticulously looked after.
Plus I LOVE the bluing of the headers, it looks great.
To each their own but I wouldn't think about it for a second, stainless all the way.
Oh and if you can't already tell I am a stainless steel nut, if they made replacement bumpers for my '70 in stainless steel I would be all over them in a second regardless of cost.
Racer
Joined: Nov 2009
Posts: 332
Likes: 1
From: Watkins Glen New York
I LOVE these pipes, and would do them in stainless in a second if the opportunity presents itself.
My car has single tube chrome side pipes with the perforated heat guards that look OK, but that 4 into 1 header looks great and I understand that they sound nice too.
One question though:
What about applications where a cat converter was original equipment? I have an '80 with the above mentioned pipes and no cats that somehow passed inspection recently.
My car has single tube chrome side pipes with the perforated heat guards that look OK, but that 4 into 1 header looks great and I understand that they sound nice too.
One question though:
What about applications where a cat converter was original equipment? I have an '80 with the above mentioned pipes and no cats that somehow passed inspection recently.
Melting Slicks
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 2,589
Likes: 403
From: Nashville TN
St. Jude Donor '09
Stainless, stainless, stainless
The extra $$$ now is worth it, I have stainless on my car. I have seen A LOT of chrome sets on other vettes (everyone seems to baulk at the extra $500 or whatever it is for stainless), and yes the chrome are slightly shinier than stainless when they are new, but ONLY when they are new or meticulously looked after.
Plus I LOVE the bluing of the headers, it looks great.
To each their own but I wouldn't think about it for a second, stainless all the way.
Oh and if you can't already tell I am a stainless steel nut, if they made replacement bumpers for my '70 in stainless steel I would be all over them in a second regardless of cost.
The extra $$$ now is worth it, I have stainless on my car. I have seen A LOT of chrome sets on other vettes (everyone seems to baulk at the extra $500 or whatever it is for stainless), and yes the chrome are slightly shinier than stainless when they are new, but ONLY when they are new or meticulously looked after.
Plus I LOVE the bluing of the headers, it looks great.
To each their own but I wouldn't think about it for a second, stainless all the way.
Oh and if you can't already tell I am a stainless steel nut, if they made replacement bumpers for my '70 in stainless steel I would be all over them in a second regardless of cost.
The SS headers will turn to a goldish/yellowish color from the heat only close to the head and look pretty "trick". I've taken mine off while rebuilding my topend. While they are off, I experimented with cleaning them. I found that using 0000 very fine steelwool make cleanup of the goldish/yellowish a breeze. Don't use the steelwool on the shields though, I think they are a bit softer and will scratch. I'm not trying to talk bad about the shields . . . they are high quality and complete the look of the pipes. Check out my garage pics to see what they look like.I almost bought the ceramic coated because I heard about rust problems with chrome. While on vacation I saw a chrome set and loved the superior shine. Once I saw the SS were only a little more than chrome, it was a no brainer. YOU WILL NOT BE DISSAPPOINTED.
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Sep 2008
Posts: 454
Likes: 7
From: SB County CA
Never realized that. No one lists them. Maybe just lagging the fight. I would expect the aftermarket to be a bit limited to corvette specific big-block items due to their value and a general reluctance to alter them far from original. I think your best bet is a call to Holley/Hooker. The XS-Power guys may be able as well.
Instructor
Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 106
Likes: 0
From: Brampton Ontario
Getting a set of Chrome Hookers Monday for the SB.
Plan to run a set of Dean's shields. And STS baffles.
Found these on Ebay http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...AQ:MOTORS:1123
Seems the Stainless BB pipes will be ready in a few months.
Will need a set when I swap out the SB>BB
Say any Forum discount on the Dean's Shields???
Plan to run a set of Dean's shields. And STS baffles.
Found these on Ebay http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...AQ:MOTORS:1123
Seems the Stainless BB pipes will be ready in a few months.
Will need a set when I swap out the SB>BB
Say any Forum discount on the Dean's Shields???
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 8,295
Likes: 30
From: one night in Bangkok you are never lonely
Getting a set of Chrome Hookers Monday for the SB.
Plan to run a set of Dean's shields. And STS baffles.
Found these on Ebay http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...AQ:MOTORS:1123
Seems the Stainless BB pipes will be ready in a few months.
Will need a set when I swap out the SB>BB
Say any Forum discount on the Dean's Shields???
Plan to run a set of Dean's shields. And STS baffles.
Found these on Ebay http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...AQ:MOTORS:1123
Seems the Stainless BB pipes will be ready in a few months.
Will need a set when I swap out the SB>BB
Say any Forum discount on the Dean's Shields???