Slip fit collectors & ceramic coatings

Rick Parker · #1 (**permalink**) 05-18-2002, 02:15 AM

The exaust collectors on my installation are a slip fit on the primary tubes. Currently they take a little massaging to get on when being installed. I am concerned that when a ceramic/Jet Hot or other similar type of heat barrier coating is applied to them will they be impossible to install because of the tighter anticipated fit between the collector and the individual tubes. Has this been a problem for those of you that have this type of fitament. Does the application of the coating create a problem or do they "Not coat" the part of each primary pipe that actually fits in the collector. How have you delt with it?

Thanks

Rick..........

Roscoe · #2 (**permalink**) 05-18-2002, 04:56 AM

Rick,
I also have slip fit pipes. I made a slit in each pipe for compression and used stainless band clamps to finish the job.
Clamps available from JC Whitney, Jegs or Summit.

Roscoe

Bob Putnam · #3 (**permalink**) 05-18-2002, 05:49 AM

If your pipes are tight now, either have the coating people "mask off" the mating areas or clean them off yourself. With our pipes, we can leave the coating on the primary pipes (most of the time) but we have to clean out the inside of the side pipes with a barrel sander.

Mr.Fixit · #4 (**permalink**) 05-18-2002, 08:54 PM

I've had to remove ceramic coating from the first 1" of primary pipes before. Leave a little bit to shove into the junction so it looks unmolested.

renaissance man · #5 (**permalink**) 05-20-2002, 06:50 AM

Roscoe,

Do you recall if all of your headers were of equal length? What I mean is looking at the end where they fit into the sidepipe, are they all exactly the same length?

I've noticed on mine that 2 of the four on each side are about 3/8" to 1/2" longer. I'm thinking this is not giving me the best seating causing air to get back into the system causing backfire.

Regards,

Roscoe · #6 (**permalink**) 05-20-2002, 07:30 AM

Ren,
I recall that my header pipes are pretty much even. The clamps I used are like 4" and are very thin stainless. They actually shaped themselves to the pipes. I get no backfires at all.

I did get some backfires and found I lost a header bolt. I now use a set of stainless header bolts that are drilled for safety wire. Those header bolts with the 'u' clips would not fit.

By the way, if you sent me an email recently, it came in all garbaged up...please resend.

Roscoe

renaissance man · #7 (**permalink**) 05-20-2002, 07:50 AM

Thanks Roscoe,

My emails are as follows:

home: renaissance.man@cox-internet.com
work: osmard@netsolve.com

I'm currently at work...can't you tell?

I'm going to wrap my headers as well and got a new set of "Earl's" Metal gaskets. I found one of the old gaskets had a tear in the bottom of it and you could see the soot on the engine where pressure was being lost. I'm going to cut the pipes even to ensure a proper fit too. Someone also said I may want to put some RTV on my finger and reach down into the sidepipe collector and place a bead there so when the headers are inserted it adds another seal.

Regards,

cobra427mnsi · #8 (**permalink**) 05-20-2002, 08:03 AM

Ren:

I would think twice about wrapping your headers. I wrapped a set of 351 ceramic coated headers and they lasted about a year. The wrapping allows the metal in the headers to heat up too much. The heat eventually destroys the headers. I think there is a thread on this forum that discusses this very problem.

Paul

Roscoe · #9 (**permalink**) 05-20-2002, 09:47 AM

Paul,
I don't believe that it is the heat that gets the headers I believe it is the moisture absorbed by the wrap. I was advised to spray the wrap with high temp paint like VHT and that will prevent the moisture from attacking the pipes. Also inferior grade steel and thin wall steel will cut down on the longevity of your pipes. Heat will definately attack inferior or thin wall.
Roscoe

cobra427mnsi · #10 (**permalink**) 05-20-2002, 10:22 AM

Roscoe

You may be correct. I don't know for sure, I was only going by what others have stated about wrapping headers. I hope it works out for you because the idea of wrapped headers (getting as much heat out of the engine bay as possible) is a good one.
Thanks for your response.

Paul

renaissance man · #11 (**permalink**) 05-20-2002, 10:31 AM

I actually bought the "silver silicon" spray that DEI sells specifically for the header wrap.

Roscoe · #12 (**permalink**) 05-20-2002, 10:34 AM

Ren,
I've used that also. I think it is the same stuff as VHT.
Roscoe

Mr.Fixit · #13 (**permalink**) 05-23-2002, 05:23 PM

Header wrap can destroy headers. I have seen, on my buddy's low 11 second montecarlo, the headers "blow out" on the outside of the first turn of the primary pipe. Meaning, now there's a 1" hole in the primary pipe where no such hole was before. They weren't the best headers in the world though, thin flanges and poor chassis fit. He won't wrap his new ones though.