Heat Wrap, good or bad?
 

i've been recently posting about some noise coming from my tirck-flos. Either it's a small header leak or lifters. Since i can't really tell which it is i've decided to go with header leak since it's cheaper to fix.
I also thought since i've got the headers diconnected i should wrap them with the heat wrap. Is the wrap an advantage or disadvantage? I have long tube headers and they get scorching under the floor board. That's one of the reasons i thought i'd do this. Any way! To wrap or not to wrap, That is the questions?

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90 LX 5.0 ,bored 302, MSD 6AL, Twisted Wedge TrickFlo HDs, World class T5, BBK fender cold air induct., 70mm TB,Edelbrock performer Intake, aluminum Drve shaft, 3.55 Gears, Long Tube Headers to Flowmasters.

I used it on my race Buick, and have mixed feelings. It took weeks before all of the fiberglass flakes were out of my clothes and hair and skin, etc., and it looked kinda hokey after a while. I also noticed no difference in performance. BUT it cooled the engine compartment quite a bit, and made life alot less painfull when performing underhood checks and adjustments on the fly. I never burned my hands on those headers again. By the time I installed it, I had a large front facing hood scoop, otherwise I probably would have noticed an improvement from the cooler intake air alone. I finally and permanantly removed it all after and because I did a very stupid thing. I was adjusting my valves with the engine running, and forgot to put on the oil deflectors. In no time, the wrap was soaked with oil. This sucked eggs, and stunk almost as bad, within minutes after starting the engine, and never went away. After 3 weeks of this, I just removed the wrap.

Take care,
-Chris

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Retired Moderator
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IT'S A BAD IDEA. Get the Ceramic coated/Jet-hot coated. On my S-10 headers, I kinda had the hook-up and got them done for free. I'm sure you could find someone like that, or at least a person that would do it for cheaper.

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-1989 GT, not stock.
-2000 Camaro SS-A4,
-1989 Chevy S-10, EX. Cab-383, RPM air-gap intake, demon carb., tubbed, trick flow TW heads, trick flow pistons, 6" rod's, etc... autometer phantom gauges, "built" 700R4, roll cage, lexan back window, corbeau seats, R.H.S. 5 harnesses, Fuel cell, convo pro wheels, 15x14's with 29x18.5 M/T'S on back, 15x4's on front, nitrous, 4 inch cowl hood, Ford 9", auburn Pro-series Posi, Pro-billet distributor, Sanderson Jet-hot coated headers, Custom radiator,

Heat wrap supposedly holds in so much heat that on mild steel headers they can get so hot they blow a hole in them. Thats what i've always heard anyway.

BTW, I think you will find you still have a ticking from your TFS heads.


We all do. http://www.mustangworks.com/msgboard/smile.gif

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1988 Mustang GT
12.34 @ 112.66 on motor
11.34 @ 125.06 on the sauce
1992 BadAzz Wrangler
1993 Explorer

See my car at: www.mustangworks.com/cgi-bin/moi-display.cgi?179

I used the wrap for a while on two different cars. They were both the same brand name headers. Only difference is that I ceramic coated the set for the fastback and for the torino just left them painted black. The torino headers began to leak from a hole they developed but the fastback ones were still good as new when I took them off. Go figure? I'd at least use it around the starter.

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67' Fastback-Mean Temper
67' Coupe Under Construction
70' Torino Cruiser
84' Svo Original

Yeah , that ticking can drive you crazy.....
I do need to replace the header gaskets still.
I'm going to talk to a guy that jet coats and see what he would charge. thanks for the tips on the heat wrap.

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90 LX 5.0 ,bored 302, MSD 6AL, Twisted Wedge TrickFlo HDs, World class T5, BBK fender cold air induct., 70mm TB,Edelbrock performer Intake, aluminum Drve shaft, 3.55 Gears, Long Tube Headers to Flowmasters.

Places usually charge around $180.

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-1989 GT, not stock.
-2000 Camaro SS-A4,
-1989 Chevy S-10, EX. Cab-383, RPM air-gap intake, demon carb., tubbed, trick flow TW heads, trick flow pistons, 6" rod's, etc... autometer phantom gauges, "built" 700R4, roll cage, lexan back window, corbeau seats, R.H.S. 5 harnesses, Fuel cell, convo pro wheels, 15x14's with 29x18.5 M/T'S on back, 15x4's on front, nitrous, 4 inch cowl hood, Ford 9", auburn Pro-series Posi, Pro-billet distributor, Sanderson Jet-hot coated headers, Custom radiator,

About header wrap, I would suggest against it. If moisture gets in there, it will eat at the headers, completely corroding them over time. This is what people have said of their personal experience. Someone had to end up buying a $1300 special-made (I don't remember what was special about it) header, after going through two or three of your average aftermarket headers.

I definitely wouldn't use them. It isn't worth the money and regardless of what the manufacturer says, they CAN catch on fire. I had to put a new brake line in, connected to my master cylinder and some brake fluid spilled on the one of the wraps, 20 miles down the road, I had a nice underhood fire that cost me alot of time and money. I vote for ceramic coating all the way.