Thanks. I did check it out. I haven't seen any posts that claim they perform any worse than slps, although I am certain there is a difference due to the lack of coating. As long as I'm not roasting plug wires I can live with it.

roasting plug wires?

Huh?

crappy uncoated headers can melt sparkplug wires or other parts (ac lines, etc) on some cars. Several people with B-bodies have this problem with uncoated headers.

Jet Hot Ceramic Coatings

I don't think uncoated headers are going to last long. They're gonna rust , leak, rattle, and not be something that belongs on a Riv.

The bargain headers could be a good deal if you can get the welds checked/redone and have them coated for a few hundred bucks.

the ebay headers are 321 stainless. They won't rust.

Agree with Jack.. I went with coated for corrosion resistance. But the coating does not keep much of the heat inside. They run MUCH hotter than the factory manifold... if you bump one with your hand, it's not ouch, it's instant 2nd or 3rd degree burn. Good thing is they cool down a lot faster.

I would take no chances with letting plug wires get close to any header, coated or not. They could melt, so secure them away at all costs!

Stainless, eh? Well, get the cheapies, look over the welds, and wrap 'em. Problem solved.

so do gtp and regal gs headers work? i figure obviously the engines are the same but is the body different? or is that mainly downpipe concerns

Any W-Body headers should work, but only the TOGs and SLPs have actually been fitted to a Riv as far as I know.

damn, BOTH companies selling the SLP knock-offs on ebay are no longer registered users. One had over 1000 tx and the other over 6k... I wonder what happened.

I guess that means no headers for the Riviera this summer:(

That sux :/

There's always medical testing if you want them bad enough

Well I finally caved and bought a set of SLP knock-off headers from ebay.

$222 shipped to me.

I guess we'll finally know if they fit on the riviera. I predict: shoddy build quality (p!$$ poor welds), much swearing during installation, clamps that don't actually seal if they are supplied at all and a 40% chance of missing parts. Lets see if they work $520 less well than the SLPs.

I am hoping underhood heat won't be an issue. 321 stainless radiates less heat than 409, but being uncoated I am crossing my fingers that I won't be frying spark plug wires.

I plan on removing the cat and editing out the DTC with the powrtuner.

I'll keep you guys posted.

Congrats. Maybe you'll be lucky and get what you've paid for. My guess is, they'll perform just as well as SLPs, question is how long? Are you thinking of getting them coated?

I doubt under-hood heat will be much worse than any other header. It's going to be hotter without the coating, even if the steel suggests it contains the heat better.

I still don't understand the fear of melting spark plug wires. If the jackets don't touch the header pipes, there's no problem. Headers give the wires a lot more room to live. I've never had a problem with mine.

In all honesty I can't imagine these being measurably different than the SLP's. I don't really care if they change colour or tarnish due to the heat, and being stainless, they aren't going to rust. The flanges are mild steel, so that would be the only problem area I would suspect. What is the flange made of on the SLP's?

My fear of melting plugs comes from the headers available on the LT1. A lot of people have fried wires on those. The difference between a ceramic coated and uncoated header is tremendous.

I'm not saying the 321 SS will rust, but I have to wonder what extreme temps will do to the steel from the inside. The inner coating is supposed to protect the steel from stress as well as contain the heat.

Read: http://www.viperclub.org/faq/techfaq.html#hedconcerns

(304 stainless has virtually the same properties as 321)