Write-Up: Wrapping Exhaust Headers

Yeah, I got the DynoMax Mega Clamp stainless "band" clamps from Jegs ($45), New gaskets ($15), 100' of 2" wrap plus ties ($45), and 2 cans of DEI Silcone High Temp Header (wrap) paint ($20). So basically I have right around $500 invested into the headers. Can't wait, shouldn't be long now

AA wrote:

There is a very real advantage thermodynamically - the exhaust will flow faster through a wrapped header.

You can get the same thermal efficiency with ceramic coating inside/out. It's $200 + shipping to have this done; SLPs come coated from the factory. When you add up the wrap, the installation kit, gasket, and the time invested, you end up paying just as much making SSACs perform like SLPs.

How much money are the SLP's.??

The SLP's are $699 and the installation kit is $89.99 which is a must for a proper install. I got lucky and picked up both for $400 cash local from someone virtually brand new! Deal of the year and he gave me O2 simulator with spark plug wire harnesses too.

Alright.....I suppose this would be a product update??? I had my car in the air today and did a little inspection. I have to say, the DEI Silicone Header wrap paint I used is absolutely amazing. It says it repels and resists pretty much every single fluid you can put on it, and they aren't lying. Here is a picture of it now. You can see that the end of the DP is rusty, but the wrap looks exactly as it did the day I put the headers on.......even with all the salt and road grime we have here in Michigan, it's managing to stay perfectly intact.....BTW the P/N for the paint is 010302

I've debated the idea of wrapping my SLP headers since the day I bought them. Back in 2005, the stainless headers (ceramic coated) were so beautiful, I really couldn't hide them, especially for what they cost buying new. Up to that point, they were the single biggest investment I'd made to the car.

Fast forward 7 years later. My headers have held up AMAZINGLY well. Soon after install, the primaries developed a nice dull sheen that, although not chrome looking, I still very much enjoyed every time I popped the hood. Even after all this time, they have changed very little. The only thing is a VERY slight coating if mild rust, which I understand is a protective barrier for this type of stainless, and won't spread or rust through. It's hard to see unless you look closely. There is a little more rust on the flanges, but you can't see those anyway. Welds are all sound. I really couldn't ask for a better product.

Recently, I had to pull the engine for a rebuild. I considered the opportunity to wrap for a few reasons:

1. In theory, wrapping insulates the primaries and crossover, keeping the heat inside the pipes. This helps the exhaust flow, thermodynamically speaking. It also helps decrease underhood heat, which I noticed immediately after installing had increased from installing the lighter, thinner walled headers. Benefits of cooling the engine bay include easier engine/trans cooling, and perhaps most importantly, lower IAT at idle.

2. Sound deadening. My SPL headers came with a single layer braided flex pipe in the downpipe area. It had a nasty reputation for allowing sound to escape in the form of a "tick". Wrapping the flex pipe made an IMMENSE difference in the sound! The tick all but went away. Using the same principles to wrap the rest of the system should lower the sound even more, hopefully returning to near OEM manifold levels. We'll see.

3. I am a sucker for looks, and when I see race cars and vintage cafe bikes with bad-ass looking exhaust wrap, it always made me drool a bit. In recent years, I've grown more fond of this look, especially with black and dark metallic colors. And since my headers are a little rusty and dull, I figure it's time for a change.

Here's my front header before the job:



Here's the wrap I chose. It's a kind of dark golden metallic color. I was going to do black, but this stuff just seemed to have the right look. 2" x 50 ft long roll was enough to do the front header + the crossover tube. Price: $42 at JEGG's. You can save a few bucks going with JEGGs brand, but they don't have this color.



Before wrapping, put on some gloves and wear some eye & breathing protection. This stuff is basically like fiber glass insulation, and you don't want it to be itching you inside or out!

There are different ideas on how to wrap. Thermotech says you soak the wrap in water, then wrap, then run the car to bake it on. An optional silicone spray paint is available for added durability. They suggest using stainless steel zip ties to secure the ends. I did it a little differently. Here's the end of the first primary. I am wrapping it DRY. At the end, applied a bit of high temp copper silicone to secure it to the primary. The idea is the wrap will hold itself together without needing a tie.



I pre-spooled a bunch of wrap around the primary (20-30 times) to avoid needing to pull 50' of material through every new turn. If you don't spool it first, you'll be taking a while to feed it through each time.



Beginning progress...



First primary done!



Cut the end and feed it between two primaries. Pull hard and it will stay put.



Here's the 2nd primary done using the same steps as the first. I secured the end of the first wrap by pulling the 2nd wrap between the two primaries good and tight.





3rd primary done. Instead of cutting it, I pulled it between primaries to secure the 2nd wrap, then continued on to wrap the collector. This gets tricky, and some water could help here to get it to flex a little, but I didn't need to wet it.



At the end I folded the wrap to half width and secured with a tie.



Finished front header.





The crossover pipe was almost too easy. There was just enough material left to finish it. Will post pics of the crossover and rear header later on!

That looks really nice! I really like the wrapped look, and your choice of wrap looks great! I'm really interested to hear how you liked them wrapped!

I have witnessed a few Turbo Buick with wrapped headers and downpipes that have rusted out. Most of these cars were from the rust belt but never the less there was rust where normally there is not.

I don't doubt it. I would ask those few Turbo Buick owners if theirs were mild steel, or if they had the Jet coating done. I know there are varying opinions on whether or not it will rot, crack, or otherwise damage the headers, so I want to try and see. I feel the inside/outside ceramic coating will help protect the metal from cracking, and on the back header, I might coat exposed parts with silicone to keep out the elements.

I wrapped the braided flexpipe for the last 7 years, changed it out a couple of times, since it gets a lot of exposure from the winter elements. It's surprisingly clean, almost like the wrap was protecting it. This durability experiment was one of the reasons I felt comfortable wrapping the rest.

My exhaust manifold cracked while i had them wrapped.I dont know if its from the age of the manis or that theyre plain steel and cast iron 7 couldnt handle the heat stress,dont know. But they did and now I only have the crossover wrapped.Actually they cracked twice while wrapped.unwrapped so far so good.
I dont know anything about the relation between a wrap and SS headers so I cant say if this only happens to the cheap stuff..

Guess we'll find out - I've been warned! I've gotten a lot of years of solid performance from this set. I would hate to wrap a new set and have them fail, so this seems like the right time to try it.

You got it! While i had them on, there was a noticable increase in performance.Its hard to explain but the engine seemed to behave while the headers were wrapped.power output was consistent. when you think about it you got so many cooling influences slowing down the gasses.the rad air blowing over the fronts while the rears are bolted on back there just getting baked.Then the air rushing over them at speed...exhaust gasses really get a workout with all the cooling anf heating going on.

Aaron, That looks great! The only wrap that I had ever seen before this was white and looked like
an plaster cast on the headers... I thought that was all their was, so I've never looked into this
maybe next year Ill get to do headers and keep this in mind. that really looks awesome

Glenn, they make a nice black color wrap, too. Check it out. Be sure and check this thread before you decide to wrap yours - make sure mine aren't rusting away or cracking to pieces!

They look good. Like a Mad Max mod
If the goal is to reduce engine bay temps, should work.
Do you have benchmark temp for underhood?

I don't have a way to measure underhood temps, but any improvement is welcome. I'm actually more interested in lowering the sound level from the engine bay.

There will be a noticable temp drop when you open the hood after a drive.You wont get that blast of heat that makes you wonder if on a hot day your engine is about to explode.

robotennis61 wrote:

There will be a noticable temp drop when you open the hood after a drive.You wont get that blast of heat that makes you wonder if on a hot day your engine is about to explode.

It will be 110 today so it is always like an oven if you open the hood.

On hot vegas days and opening the hood,It was totally bearable.I could poke my head under the hood and root around with little discomfort.
the first time the mani cracked,its super noticeable because the soot from the exhaust marks the spot,I unwrapped the mani,made the repair,but good luck trying to salvage the wrap.when theyre on there for awhile they fall aprt.
SS has to be more resistant. the oem manis are stupid cheap.makes me mad.

AA wrote:

Glenn, they make a nice black color wrap, too. Check it out. Be sure and check this thread before you decide to wrap yours - make sure mine aren't rusting away or cracking to pieces!

Well I wont be doing this until next year so Ill definitely keep my eyes on how yours is doing!

Rears are done. Since the engine was out, this was my chance. Can't remove them because the collector and flex pipe are one piece, which is welded to the rest of the exhaust, so I had to do the job on the car from in the engine bay! Ultimate test of patience, but after a couple hours a good result:



Can't really explain how to do it, but if you start near the flange and use a tie to secure it to a primary, then work your way back and jump over to the next one, work back out to the flange - that worked for me. Then I did the 3rd primary and worked it into the collector, wrapped between any gaps, then down around the O2 sensor and back to one of the primaries. Secured with a tie. I wasn't taking any chances with securing the back. Used probably 5 or 6 ties. Don't want it to ever come undone.

they look awsome.Despite your wearing gloves I bet you have the itchies ?

Those look great AA! I'm considering wrapping the heat shield on my crossover to help keep the throttle body cooler. Is there a spray or something that you can put on before the wrap to help keep it from rusting?

They make a silicone spray, but it goes on after to add strength to the wrap. Sometimes exhaust parts rust from the inside - condensation collects from moisture in the air & the combustion process. Taking short trips can escalate the problem.

I wouldn't wrap an unprotected set of headers, or mild steel types, but with ceramic coated stainless, it's worth a try in my case.

Dang, I guess i'll just have to make a heat shield for the throttle body with some reflective wrap.

Just a follow-up - got the headers installed last weekend. Before starting the engine, I soaked all the wrap with a garden hose from the top and bottom. Took a 20 mile drive to heat them up, letting the water steam off. Under hood the exhaust is now a bit quieter!

I don't have a way to measure and compare, but it does seem a bit cooler under the hood now. After a 30 mile drive, I touched the wrap with a finger - it was hot, but it didn't burn me. Before I tried that with bare headers and got an instant branding.

So far I'm up to 150 miles on the wrapped headers with no cracks or leaks yet; the wrap seems to have hardened in place, and still looks exactly like it did new. I'll give an update after 1000 miles, or if anything happens.