I just put on a pair of headers and I've got to get my camaro to the muffler shop to put on the old flowmasters. Can I bend/distort my valves by running headers long enough to get it there? I don't have a welder so I can't put the pipes on myself.

 

You'll be fine with open headers. Just watch out for police, who may not care for the noise I did the same thing this past weekend with my car.

 

What Erik said.

The only time you need to worry about messing up your valves would be if you were running open heads. In other words no manifold or headers, just the exhaust dumping right out of the ports.

Open headers won't hurt a thing. The reason you can't run them is the noise, and the danger of CO asphyxiation.

 

worked ok for me, tested the cobra after installing the t-56..
couple of WOT runs down the street with just the headers didn't hurt it a bit..
~J