Exhaust header wrap

[84 C2B2]

Dr. Lee,

I've just installed a dual AMSOIL Bypass system on my 8.1/A truck. It was a little tight but with some different fittings and two trips to the local hose manu I got it to fit. I did have some heat shielding installed on the two hoses(orange covered fiberglass I believe). The bypass unit bolts to the frame and only has 2" of hose. No leaks so far.

My question comes in on this - the hoses run about 2-3 inches away from the exhaust downpipe. I'm concerned about excessive heat on the covering and the hoses. Exhaust header wrap was recommended but I've also heard that the wrap can heat up the pipe so much that it will damage the metal by too much heat for the steel and any water that gets on it can rust through after vehicle shutdown. Thanks for any help.

Jerry Giedeman

[CleviteKid]

I, too, have heard about exhaust header wraps being blamed for early corrosion of the headers.

So why not wrap the hoses instead? I think that aluminum flashing (thin sheet available in the roofing section at Home Depot) would be great for this. Several layers would suffice, since reflecting the heat away would make a big difference.

Dr. Lee :cool:

[Turbine Doc]

What I did to my crossover was sprayed it several times with hi temp paint before wrapping, then wrapped the crossover and sprayed the wrap with hi temp paint to the point if the wrap being saturated, been on 2 years that way zero corrosion from what I have seen so far. I like Docs idea of wrapping hose though.

[Bobbie Martin]

I used the header wrap in another vehicle and I was very disappointed with the results. While I was told you could grab the header while the engine was running, I noticed very little difference. The header pipe was still plenty hot! It sounds like you have Aeroquip Firesleeves. They should protect your hoses fine. Here is a link for the firesleeves. (http://www.racerpartswholesale.com/aero6.htm)

[Suburbanator]

One of the popular 4wheel drive mags recently did an article on header coatings i.e. wraps, and ceramic coating.They stated that wraps and exterior coating of the header traps so much heat inside it causes the breakdown of the metal molecules,resulting in premature failure of said part.

They also tested a new ceramic double coating process where the exterior and interior of the header were coated. What i found most interesting is that they had first hand photos of a infrared thermometer taking readings on a standard ceramic coated header and one of a double coated header. The temp of the single coat was 500 plus degrees and the double coated was exactly 201 degrees,with no threat of metal fatigue. Talk about seriously reducing under hood temps! :eek: