I was looking at these headers on ebay today and was wondering if the coating they described would be ok for a car that will be driven during the winter in Illinois. I really dont want to have to replace the headers from rust related issues in a couple of years. Also, where would I purchase header bolts from? Thanks!

 

No those won't be fine especailly if you are driving your car in the winter. Those headers aren't coated they are just painted. Get the headers that are ceramic coated. It's well worth it like you said you don't want to have to replace from rusting.

 

The listing indicates they can be purchased with either a painted finish or a ceramic coating:
The ceramic coating does a lot more than prevent rust. It keeps heat in the exhaust gasses, increasing velocity for improved scavenging, and reducing the heat the ends up under your hood.

 

I have the Pacesetter headers with the ceramic coating. I live in IL and I do not drive the car at all in the snow or rain. After less then a year, their "armor coating" has already began to rust.

 

Is there any successful strategy for rust control on headers on cars driven in the winter? I've wondered about this for quite a while myself... stainless...?? ceramic-coated stainless...?? Mids instead of long tubes (less likely to get salt/crud splashed on them)... ?? anything...???

 

when u drive ceramic coated headers in the snow n such, just be sure to wash them off regularly

 

kinda like a boat after u take it in the ocean....get that damn salt off of those babys!

 

Tough to get a hose in there, and even tougher to wash them off when the outside temp is like 10°F, but I'll keep the suggestion in mind. Thanks!

So you don't think that mids would fare any better? They are further away from the road & salt... ??

 

Funny thing is, stainless steel doesn't hold up well to chlorides either (at least until you seriously increase the molybdenum content). The cholrides in salt cause pitting.

 

Thinking about this some more... I still have the factory original Y-pipe. After 11 Chicago winters (#12 to start soon), it's definitely rusty, but not rusted through. Will headers just get rusty (not pretty, but still work OK) or will they actually rust through? (I mean over a few year's time...??)

 

I see you have a 93 camaro... those headers are for an LS1

Best thing to do is have a jet coating and wrap the headers. A lot of guys don't like header wraps cause of various reasons like "it holds water to the header" which is BS cause the header boils off any water that touches or "header wraps attract dirt" which is only true if you have an off road rig with headers and wraps. IMO wraps not only protects the header but it also helps out a bit to keep heat in the pipe so it can be carried away from the motor.

 

I don't know about that... I think most header manufacturers say you void their warranty if you use header wrap... ?? I don't think it's supposed to be good for them...

 

Header wrap keeps the heat inside the wrap, meaning the mild steel tubing is running at the same temperature as the exhaust. This means the mild steel is at a temperature well beyond that at which it was designed to function, and it is severely weakend and embrittled. The welds crack. The tubes rust, not from retained moisture, but because the temperatures are so high the iron in the mild steel is combining with the oxygen in the air. The ceramic coating will solve the "rust" problem, but it will not solve the problem of the mild steel operating at too high a temperature. In effect, it is defeating the purpose of the inner cera-metallic coating, which helps reduce the external tube metal temperature.

"Racers" wrap headers, because they are considered "expendable".... burn up pa set in a season, and put a new set on for next season. Not necessarily a wise decision for a street car.

 

I would avoid the header wrap altogether, if the wrap becomes oil soaked from an engine leak, it could become a major fire hazard.

 

Any opinions, "rusty" vs. "rusted through"...???