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Thinking of getting long tube headers but not sure if I should spend the extra for ceramic coating or not, its for a LT1 and I have got to have them installed so money is a concern. I don't wont the engine compartment to get too hot to cause damage either. Thank you for your comments.

 

Do the coated if you can afford it. You don't want to have regrets after the install. It really does help keep the heat down.

 

Definitely go with coated headers. Painted headers will rust over time. Also headers that have a thermal coating will typically have thicker wall tube. Heddman has thermal coated headers that are 14 gauge tube while their painted header is only 18 gauge.

 

http://www.swaintech.com/store.asp?pid=10969

 

http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c4-t...the-money.html

 

Absolutely especially in a heat soaked compartment like the C4

 

As per American Racing Headers , SS headers do not need to be coated on a near stock C4, only on a high output racing engine.

 

I'm guessing they don't know the C4 engine compartment very well then, but I would coat mine if I were to put headers on, and mine's just a stock L98

 

Coated headers run hot as hell. Uncoated I don't even want to think about it.

 

OBX stainless

 

Short of wrapping you won't affect the temps in the engine compartment !
There is enough air movement to not do any dammage !

You should do a wrap on your starter for longer life !

I run TPIS longtubes but any with thick flanges that don't warp are good.
Yeah and they are powder coated with built 383 LT 4 and I have made long trips with no issues !
Also if you order your headers make sure they have the correct Oxygen sensor bungs !

 

More importantly, IF you read the posts in my link, you would see "Weav's Vet" installed stainless headers w/o any interior heat issue. It's also the case that stainless headers handle heat better than steel. (I still think coated would be the coolest though.)

I like what I've seen with the OBX option. Very nice workmanship for the price. The only thing yet to see is the longterm quality....

Per another poster in my linked thread:
For $500, I'd still give them a try. We don't know anything about the percentage of nickel in the OBX stuff, so they may not last "forever". OTOH, You could always pull them if/when you started to see signs of rust. And, have Jet-Hot coat them (in and out).

Or, if cabin heat was too much, pull and coat them.

Or, if you didn't like the result for some other reason, resell them to the CF.

Kinda seems like a no-lose situation to me.

 

Coated headers WILL keep the engine compartment nice and cool. Uncoated will raise the temp A LOT. If you run it hard (like you SHOULD BE DOING!!! Comeon, it's a Corvette...) then the compartment will get very hot. So hot, that uncoated headers may actually start to glow red. I've seen it at the drag strips.... scary stuff.

Cheap solution? You can get the uncoated headers, and keep the engine compartment at a reasonable temp.... I know a lot of people are going to yell and scream, but you can put some heat wrap on. It is NOT as efficient as ceramic coating, but it WILL help for a fraction of the cost. Here is an example.

 

Seems like Jet-Hot told me they pointed a laser gun at their ext/int coated headers and get something really low -- like 250 degrees. Can't remember the temp, but I was skeptical. (Look on Jet-Hot's website)

I've also read where coated header owners have noticed their Jet-Hot in/out coated headers get cool to the touch before their plenum. Never tried it myself.

The big objection for heat wrap (that I know of) is if you start leaking oil past a gasket. That can soak the heat wrap and have heard stories of fire as a result.

 

I am thinking of getting OBX headers (half the price of others), through research I have found out that putting on a wrap is old school and the problems they can cause are not worth it, they can hold in moisture , hide problems and when they go sticking to the headers is a real problem.

 

My advice from my experience with long tubes is: don't worry about spending couple hundreds extra to get the coated ones, the damage that could happen from the extra heat will make u loose more money and make u wish if u had gone the coated route!! I have hooker super competion Long tubes, ceramic coated, one day with the hood closed I was trying to scan it with tunerpro rt in my drive way, I was steping on the gas to get diffrient rpm readings for like 15 min, my engine was oil leaky at that time, the high heat from the headers made the stupid plastic shrink around the oil pan sensor wire melt making it drip on the header Colector and the small fire became big because of the high heat under the closed hood and the oil that was covering the engine!! I was lucky that I didn't burn inside my car and was able to put the fire down using a water hose! I almost cried that day, it took me 2 weeks to replace all the melted wires and wrap them with high temp tape and replace the melted sensors and take down the headers and wrap them so this would never happen again!! I was surprised that after I got done it started from the first crank!!! I was afraid of more damage to the main harness but I got really lucky!!! Now imagin what could happen with uncoated headers which are known by overheating the engine compartment !!!! Sorry guys for the long story but it really hurts me every time I remmeber how my under hood looked after the fire!!!

 

Got a price from a place 5 minutes away for Cerakote Cromex multi-step process both inside and outside for $225, so about $775 for OBX coated headers WOW thats about half the price of the others. Got a price of $300 to $400 for installation.I think I just picked out my Christmas present.

 

I've had a set of Hooker's Jet Hott ceramic coated shortie headers on for about 7 years now and they still look great. My engine compartment is much cooler without those cast iron manifolds that hold heat. During my upgrade to the engine I'll be going to a set of EM long tubes that are coated. It's the only way to go, coated. Keep saving until you can afford them.