Best shorty headers
Thread Starter
Melting Slicks
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 2,388
Likes: 42
From: Murrysville PA
Best shorty headers
Well I've put on 23 miles on my 89 since this time last year. I'm thinking I'm going to take off the TPIS long tubes and install a set of shorty headers and cats from an LT1 car since I am running the Corsa LT1 style exhaust now. I have the long tubes with bullet cats on the end currently and custom pipes that fit to the Corsa pipes. I get a lot of under hood heat to the point where it ruined the paint on the hood and melted some wire shielding. I'm always afraid something is going to catch on fire.
Who makes a good shorty header? I want a good quality one.
Thanks
Who makes a good shorty header? I want a good quality one.
Thanks
Team Owner
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 81,241
Likes: 3,063
From: altered state
St. Jude Donor '05
Quality? Dougs makes a real nice LT1 shorty...get the smog tubes if you use them and adapt them to your L98 nice setup. Id never go back to another brand again after using these I was impressed.
Wasnt thrilled with the Hookers (not bad though), the BBK shorty didnt fit it hit the ac box and needed imo too much to work but plenty of guys use both and like them.
Wasnt thrilled with the Hookers (not bad though), the BBK shorty didnt fit it hit the ac box and needed imo too much to work but plenty of guys use both and like them.
Race Director
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 11,672
Likes: 20
From: Lake Wylie SC
I'm running a set of Hooker shorties with the Jett hot Sterling ceramic coating. They still look new after 6 years or so. Fit was perfect, just had to shorten the AIR pipe on my 92 LT1. They sound great thru my modified stock exhaust with muffler e-lims. I bought them directly from JettHot. Compared to the old cast manifolds, the heat was really reduced under the hood. You might want to check your timing if the heat is that hot under the hood.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Nov 2009
Posts: 6,882
Likes: 235
From: Bangkok, Thailand
I wouldn't assume that the cats are the problem.
Pick up a hand-held infra red thermometer and see what the temps are. Sounds like you may be running too lean, or the cam could also be off a tooth (or the valves could be adjusted incorrectly) causing raw fuel to pass through the chamber and burn in the headers.
The amount of heat you're describing is not normal and I seriously doubt it would change just because you change the type of header.
Pick up a hand-held infra red thermometer and see what the temps are. Sounds like you may be running too lean, or the cam could also be off a tooth (or the valves could be adjusted incorrectly) causing raw fuel to pass through the chamber and burn in the headers.
The amount of heat you're describing is not normal and I seriously doubt it would change just because you change the type of header.
Thread Starter
Melting Slicks
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 2,388
Likes: 42
From: Murrysville PA
I can do that. What should the temps be? I do my own scanning and tuning and its not lean. It was hot under the hood even before I had the solid cam in. I've had long tubes on this car for the last 10 years or so.
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Instructor
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 154
Likes: 3
From: San Diego CA
I am running SLP shorties, and like them. I would say SLP, Lingenfelter (if you can find them), and JBA.
I would see if your heat issue might be something other than the long tubes before swapping them out though.
I would see if your heat issue might be something other than the long tubes before swapping them out though.
Burning Brakes
Joined: May 2009
Posts: 1,014
Likes: 7
From: Ft Wayne IN
SLP and LPE are no longer avalable, JBA thinks there's are made of GOLD, great quality and one of the only stainless shorties. Doug's are a quality piece and have spacers for the motor braces and longer primaries with 16 guage steel, hooker uses 18 on most of there headers.
Safety Car
Joined: Nov 2008
Posts: 4,328
Likes: 15
From: Jacksonville FL
I cant imagine the LTH's generating that much heat, enough to bubble paint or melt wiring without some other problems mentioned above. Although it will be a PITA at this point, try some header wrap. Its seriously tough with the headers installed Since you would be taking them off and installing another set it would be no more work just to take em off to wrap them. The wrap should reduce the heat considerably. It would be a lot cheaper than buying another set of headers. The wrap does have some issues with moisture and if you got salt in them it would be a killer.
Thread Starter
Melting Slicks
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 2,388
Likes: 42
From: Murrysville PA
It's not that bad. The paint didn't bubble it is just dulled on the hood but the car is 20+ years old. The wires really didn't melt, it was more the the plastic casing that the wires are in.
I'm getting the clutch slave cylinder replaced right now and the guy can't get it bled right (I didn't feel like doing it myself). I test drove it yesterday and just decided I'm done putting money in it. I've lost the desire to turn wrenches like I used to. I'm kind of sorry I went with the solid cam because its just a little too much to enjoy the car on the street. It lost most of its low speed smoothness. Putting the Super Ram back on in lieu of the single plane Jeb Burnett intake might fix some of that but again I have no desire.
I think it might be time to sell it and get something newer.
I'm getting the clutch slave cylinder replaced right now and the guy can't get it bled right (I didn't feel like doing it myself). I test drove it yesterday and just decided I'm done putting money in it. I've lost the desire to turn wrenches like I used to. I'm kind of sorry I went with the solid cam because its just a little too much to enjoy the car on the street. It lost most of its low speed smoothness. Putting the Super Ram back on in lieu of the single plane Jeb Burnett intake might fix some of that but again I have no desire.
I think it might be time to sell it and get something newer.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 2,616
Likes: 111
It's not that bad. The paint didn't bubble it is just dulled on the hood but the car is 20+ years old. The wires really didn't melt, it was more the the plastic casing that the wires are in.
I'm getting the clutch slave cylinder replaced right now and the guy can't get it bled right (I didn't feel like doing it myself). I test drove it yesterday and just decided I'm done putting money in it. I've lost the desire to turn wrenches like I used to. I'm kind of sorry I went with the solid cam because its just a little too much to enjoy the car on the street. It lost most of its low speed smoothness. Putting the Super Ram back on in lieu of the single plane Jeb Burnett intake might fix some of that but again I have no desire.
I think it might be time to sell it and get something newer.
I'm getting the clutch slave cylinder replaced right now and the guy can't get it bled right (I didn't feel like doing it myself). I test drove it yesterday and just decided I'm done putting money in it. I've lost the desire to turn wrenches like I used to. I'm kind of sorry I went with the solid cam because its just a little too much to enjoy the car on the street. It lost most of its low speed smoothness. Putting the Super Ram back on in lieu of the single plane Jeb Burnett intake might fix some of that but again I have no desire.
I think it might be time to sell it and get something newer.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Feb 2000
Posts: 9,715
Likes: 27
From: Kempner Texas
I ran TPIS long tubes on a 415 CID engine I installed in my 86 Vette with a PCMFORLESS PROM tune and didn't have the under-hood heating problems you've experienced. All I did was wrap the driver's side collector and rearward tubes as a precaution against heating the oil filter and install a $7.00 IIRC solenoid heat shield on the starter solenoid (AutoZone).
Never had a hood paint or wiring issue though. So I'm thinking timing and/or fuel, even though you're convinced yours are right.
I do recall that while setting the initial timing a taking my time about it, the headers did turn a beautiful orange/red until I locked down the distributor and plugged in the by-pass connector/cleared the code. Once the ECM took over the timing the pretty color went away and all returned to normal.
Jake
Never had a hood paint or wiring issue though. So I'm thinking timing and/or fuel, even though you're convinced yours are right.
I do recall that while setting the initial timing a taking my time about it, the headers did turn a beautiful orange/red until I locked down the distributor and plugged in the by-pass connector/cleared the code. Once the ECM took over the timing the pretty color went away and all returned to normal.
Jake
