McVette

I was talking with my mechanic friend about this exhaust leak i have and he of course suggested if i am going with headers to go with a coated header...car is not a DD and he said coated would be a better choice....just wondering if it would be worth while to spend the extra money?

BlackC3vette

I don't have headers on my 80 yet, but have headers on the current street rod. Having the old Sanderson headers coated reduced my under hood temps and greatly increase the looks. I don't have to worry about surface rust, pitting and touch up painting for the shows anymore.
The vette will get a coated set.

McVette

yea i am leaning toward the coated headers because of according to what he was telling me if car was a DD it would not matter as much....but since car would be sitting up several days between drives coated would be the way to go.....anyone have any suggestions?

vettehardt

Whatever coating you go with, make sure they are coated inside and out. If they aren't coated inside, what you mechanic is describing will still rust the pipes. A good ceramic coating will work. Jet hot seems to be one of the more popular brands.

Street Rat

I would definitely recommend coated headers. I've only had one set of them but they lasted forever.

BlowAMouse

x2 on the coating

here is another option

http://nitroplate.com/coatings/

glackore

Coated for sure. Jet Hot does the inside and out. Ceramic coated is the only way to go now-a-days!

Cruisin Davey G

About Ceramic Coated Headers. Let's put it to you this way & You can go from there.

I had a set of older Chrome Headers, which anyone who's had Chromed ones, knows that the chrome will burn off over time, change color if the motor runs too lean or too rich, & the older they get, they just plain start rusting out.

However, chrome headers are made of 14 ga steel & are more heavy duty than most average priced non chrome ones, which are most likely, 16 ga.

Well, with that said, I had those old chrome headers HPC Coated, inside outside, that's important, back in the 80's I have since taken them off of the car they were on & now they just hang in my basement. And, I gotta tell ya, they look as good as the day they were done. They were probably on the car, they were on, about 10 years, or better, then retired.

So, take it from that

Ceramic Coating probably won't look as nice & shiny as Chrome, But it will outlast Chrome 100 to 1.

If you're gonna drive your Vette Regularlly, coat your headers. Let the Show Guys & Trailer Queens have their Chrome !

Just my 2 pennies worth !

"Cruisin Davey G !"

cv67

Absolutely
You wouldnt believe how quick they cool off and you can get to your plugs without them burning your hands. Worth every dime.

Marlin

16??? 14?!?!?!

Try 18 gauge for most headers. The name brands are 16 and the eBay ones are 18 for the most part. If you have 14 gauge then those must be a real nice set.

Cruisin Davey G

Yep, You're Right. Most New Headers are thin.

Old School Headers from way back when, some were as thick as 14 ga & others were 16 ga.

The ones I had coated Were 14 ga, they are heavy buggers. And they were Chrome. Made by 'Eagle Header' [Now Defunct].

They're making them outta 18 ga, cause they're lighter. Remember, hearders are for racing & the lighter, the better.

Anyone know how thick sandersen headers are ? Those are probably the best ones around for the money, right now

"Cruisin Davey G !"

McVette

Ok could someone recommend me a set that would fit a 79 vette?...lol

Cruisin Davey G

Stay away from Hookers. They only ceramic coat the outsides. At least they did when I inquired about them, way back when.

Can't really recommend any one brand to ya.

You might wanna check out Summit's web site. They sell just about everything under the sun, when it comes to performance. Check out their line up of ceramic coated header manufactures. I've had nothing but good experiences with Summit Racing.


"Cruisin Davey G !"

McVette

Thanks i will check them out tonite....might post a link to 1 i find and get some feedback

paragonspirit

I have a set of Hooker Headers that were done by Jet-Hot, if I remember correctly, they were coated inside and out for the parts you could see, and that is what I had ordered. I got them through Jet-Hot in '02 or '03 for my then daily driver.

The upside, car with non-functional air conditioning went from impossible to survive in to just danged unpleasant.

The downside is if there are other issues, such as leaking oil or other nonsense, the headers will still get hot enough to burn that on, and then your pretty (relative to rusty old manifolds) ceramic headers are not so clean looking. I haven't made a dedicated attempt to get the gunk off, but simple green and a rag didn't make any impact at all. (Since the car is being rebuilt...pretty isn't so important right now).

SS

Cruisin Davey G

SS

Hooker Headers are good headers, it's worth what you did to have those ceramic coated, both inside outside.

The Best way to have a good set of Ceramic Coated Headers is to buy a set & then have them done by someone like Jet-Hot, or HPC Coatings. In the long run, It's well worth it to pay the extra

As for your ceramic coating getting oil & other 'gunk' on them.

I laugh at Simple Green, it's a waste of money, in my book !

You can use scotch brite pads on them [headers]. If it's an oil stain, use a little bit of pertoleum distillate along with the pad. The distillate will break down the oils & the pad will shine up the coating. Then you can just use some polish to finish them off. This is what I used on my Ceramic Coated headers. Anti-freeze will come off in pretty much the same way. Just use even pressure when using the pad & don't rub too hard. let the chemicals your using do the work. I've even been known to use rubbing compound & a buffer to clean up ceramic coatings.

The quicker you can get to the stains or 'gunk' that's on the headers, the better.

As for under carriage headers in C3 Corvettes. Yes, they're gonna get hot & your feet are gonna sweat. No doubt about it. Especially if you got an eariler C3, where the firewall & floorboards are fiberglass.

You can take steps to disipate some of the heat by putting down one of those aftermarket heat & sound barrier coatings or padding. Like Dyna-mat, or similiar.

Some of the Corvette Retail Shops offer heat & sound deadeners that can be used with their replacement carpets. Some of the stuff is inexpensive & others are not, so use common sense & the addage "You Get What You Pay For", in selecting a heat & sound deadener for your application.


"Cruisin Davey G !"

Vette5.5

I've bought some coated headers from Summit Racing before, and they are always shipped to me from Jet Hot coatings. It seems to be cheaper this way, and you could probably buy any header you want, and have the vender ship them to Jet Hot, on their way to you. Some guys prefer to test fit the raw headers first, if need to dented a bit, before getting them coated.

Cruisin Davey G

You bring up some good points here. That's Y I posted eariler it's better to by regular headers & have them coated. This way, you can see if they're gonna fit the car right B4 having them coated.

But, on the other hand, with all of the headers available out there 2day, headers should fit.

I just put a set of hooker side exhaust on my Vette. I have heard nightmares from people saying those headers fit like crap. And it's next to impossible to install them without a hoist.

That may be true, but in my case, I was able to install those header side exhaust in my garage & they went on the Vette like a glove.

Oh yeah, it helps to have an air management system that gets 10" of lift. Makes it real easy to do a lot of under carriage work

Anyway, they went on pretty easy & look 'bitichin'


"Cruisin Davey G !"

McVette

thanks guys for all the input.....I AM going to look at Summit tonite, I really can not believe Scotty P has not had some input in this.......LMFAO....J/K ya Scotty

scottyp99

Neither can I!! Must be getting old.......anyway, if money were no object, these are the headers I would choose:

http://www.stans-headers.com/tri_y.htm

#109Y

Definitely coat them, you will wonder how you used to live without them.


Keep the shiny side up!
Scott