andy2986 Posted January 5, 2011 Share Posted January 5, 2011 Ive got a set of Headman headers on my V8. Boy oh boy oh boy do they get hot !!!! Im just about to spend a little time ( and money !!) sprucing the old bus up, just a few niggling jobs that ive left for a while one of which is sort out the exhaust, slight blow at the collectors & re-tighten the manifold bolts and so on. So...Is wrapping the exhaust in heat insulating stuff considered to be a good thing or a bad thing ??? your thoughts please... Andy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redneck Posted January 5, 2011 Share Posted January 5, 2011 Good for stopping your wiring melting, your starter motor failing and keeping the under bonnet temperature down. Bad for your exhaust rotting away quicker being as Headmans aren't made of the thickest steel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FridgeFreezer Posted January 5, 2011 Share Posted January 5, 2011 What redneck said - I removed my (wrapped) headers and put 3.9 cast manifolds back on, made b*gger all difference to performance but made the engine bay a nicer place. Exhaust wrap is glass fibre so like working with loft insulation (sticks in your skin) which makes spannering a pain, and it absorbs water & mud (lots of steam when off-road and mild steel headers will probably rot quicker). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andy2986 Posted January 5, 2011 Author Share Posted January 5, 2011 Cheers guy. I did wonder about the water side of things, wouldn't the heat from the headers dry out the wrap before it rusted anything? Andy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mad_pete Posted January 5, 2011 Share Posted January 5, 2011 Didn't I see thermal paint somewhere ? Same idea but with paint. Or am I making that up Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FridgeFreezer Posted January 5, 2011 Share Posted January 5, 2011 Andy - you'd think they would get hot enough, but mine would stay damp (doesn't help that mud sticks nicely to them as well). My headers were SS so not a biggie, just unpleasant to work on. Pete - there's all sorts of fancy coatings out there claiming all sorts of things. Then again, some claim with exhaust wrap you can hold the exhaust while it's running and from my experience that's a bit of a porky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andy2986 Posted January 5, 2011 Author Share Posted January 5, 2011 OK guess I will leave them naked, just have to be more careful when working on the engine when its hot !! Andy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redneck Posted January 5, 2011 Share Posted January 5, 2011 You might want to put an insulating blanket/shield around your starter if you leave them un-lagged, depending on clearance. You could also fabricate a shield for the top similar to what you get on cast manifolds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave W Posted January 5, 2011 Share Posted January 5, 2011 I just bought some wrap to put on mine, not for the headers, just trying to keep the heat down around the tailpipe where it passes very close to the rear winch. I notice on the pack it suggests "the wrap can be painted and sealed with exhaust paint" which might stop it getting full of mud/water. It also mentions you should wear gloves when handling it as the ceramic material can be an irritant. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andy2986 Posted January 5, 2011 Author Share Posted January 5, 2011 Its heat damage to the starter and to a lesser extent the steering gear that im worried about, plus keeping the under bonnet temp down a bit... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robhybrid Posted January 5, 2011 Share Posted January 5, 2011 I am sure at college years ago we managed to improve the performance of a test engine by wrapping the exhaust in thermal insulation wrap. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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