Knock-Off Headers (Pace Setter, Autochrome, Chinese, eBay, etc.)

I saw these from Regalgs.org. According to the thread they are made in China and are made of 321 stainless steel ( better material then what the SLP headers are made of) Also looks like it has a 3 inch downpipe, AT $299.99 plus shipping this beats the pacesetter headers in price.

link to the thread at Regalgs.org

http://www.regalgs.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=39751

I am actually thinking of picking these up instead of pacesetters

wow, thats awesome. wish i was still getting a p/a to replace my riv and gp.

I'm always torn about these things. It's like shopping at Wal-Mart. You know they force pricing and profits down for others, and drive small-town stores out of business, but what choice do you have when they sell the $h!† SO friggin cheap? I don't like to buy knock-offs when all the R&D was paid for by somebody else. I'm not saying you should always buy from the first vendor to come out with something (no Powerlog knockoffs yet!) but I hate buying from manufacturers like this because the steal the heart out of the already troubled aftermarket parts industry.

Are they ceramic coated inside/out? That's a big reason I went with the SLPs.

And I agree with deek 100% about buying chinese stuff.

http://www.clubgp.com/newforum/tm.asp?m=3590375&p=2&tmode=1&smode=1
Thread on clubgp.

https://s149.photobucket.com/albums/s55/tasogs/
Other pics some one posted

Good news for the consumer.

An auction I was watching for used -and quite so- slp headers just finished at $460 + 125 for shipping... absolutely nuts!

I'm seriously considering getting a pair of those $249 ebay slp rip-offs and spending the difference on a pwrtuner... with that and a set of eibach springs I'll finally be able to stop modding (the riv).

sorry to disapoint anyone who thought I got an actual pair of headers...

Hey, do what you got to do. I think the PowrTuner is a better investment anyway. What about Pace-Setters? Not a bad deal if they fit. If not, you can put them on ebay and get most of it back!

Although the pacesetters look nice, I'm terrified of corrosion! I do, after all, live in central Quebec.
I like that the knock offs are 321 stainless, which radiates less heat than mild steel. I know they got some flack for shady welds, but for 249 + 90 for an install kit, it is quite tempting.

Yes, that does sound pretty good for the money. Go for it, man. I'm sure others here would like to know if they will fit.

Id get the cheap headers and the power tuner.

Dont for get to save money for the install. Unless they make a riv specific set you will need some minor exhaust work done.

yeah, my plan was to install the headers and have an exhaust shop finish off the exhaust. Drive it around with the cam loping

I have an nice set of 2.5" stainless magnaflows lying around as well as a pair of 2.5 super turbos. I think I will be using the magnaflows as the super turbos' case seems too long for the riviera. I was hoping I'd find a way to rig a set of mufflers AND a pair of dynomax resonators/tips that I had leftover from my roadmaster exaust project, but there isn't much room under the riv, especially not to have resonators downstream of the mufflers I paid 1cent each for these on ebay (instead of 88.99) so if I can avoid buying more parts, I will!

The super turbos are Borlas? The borlas sound awesome on these engines. Quiet untill you floor it.

no dynomax super turbos.

Check clubgp, there have been some unhappy customers abut those headers.

I am purchasing pacesetter headers in a couple of weeks so we'll see in a few wekks if i will work on our cars.

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:(