If anyone is considering buying headers for their LT1 engine from SLP, READ:

I have had SLP headers on my car for over 2 years now. I am on my 4th set of Ignition wires!! If your car is SHAKING, misfiring or just running like S**T, the headers are the problem! It took a mechanic that really knows performance parts and the LT1 engine to be able to tell me that SLP F'ed up on their design of these headers!!
The headers are cooking the 3rd boot from the front on the drivers side. (#5 ?)
I had a guy tell me that my optispark went, and it cost me about 1200 to get everything fixed.. When all along I was just running on 7 cylinders..
I had MSD ignition wires on there for about 9 months, and they seem to be the best bet.. I've had 3 other brands on there and one even had the Moroso boot sleeves on them, and they still burnt up!!
And OF course, SLP has "never heard of this problem" when i called...
If you have these headers, Don't go replacing the O2 sensors.. IT IS THE HEADERS, and the problem WILL NOT go away unless you take them off!!!

I have a set of MSD ignition (8.5mm)wires coming to me this week.. I am guessing that I will be ok for the next 6 or 7 months

Thanks for listening, anyone with this problem, let me know what you are doing to get rid of it!!
Grant

 

I feel your pain man. I have them on my 96 Z-28 but the trick is if you follow the stock routing and make sure they aren't too close to the primaries you'll be ok. When I first installed them I still had the stock plug wires in place never touched them and everything was fine and dandy. Then when I replaced the plugs/wires I went Over the Valve Cover style which sucked bad with the SLP's. Now I have the MSD's following the stock location and so far none have burned up (as far as I can tell).

 

Are your headers coated? If not that could be the prob. It would be good to hear from those that have coated headers.

 

I had the Taylor OVC wires with no problems. Plug access and stock wire routing suck with these headers, but people have been finding ways around it.

 

Don't say that. The UPS man dropped my new SLPs off a half hour ago.

Actually, I've worked with alot of headers over the years, I've seen tighter than these. The LT1 factory plug wires have metal caps that fit over selected spark plug boots, to reflect heat. Pretty sure #5 has a metal cap. I'm betting yours were discarded with the first set of replacement wires.
If you're having trouble frying the actual wires, contact Techflex, 970-352-2355 in Greely Colorado. Miracle product, a flexible hi-temp sleeve under $2 a foot. You can expand the sleeves to get em past your boots, but they still fit the wires very snugly.
I'm also wondering if your #5 cylinder has a lazy injector or something? If it runs lean, it runs extra hot. There's too many sets of those exact headers running around with no problems. Your experience is unique.
Also, if your valve cover is leaking, oils soaked boot + headers = cooked boot.
Good luck with it- Todd.

 

Were your wires touching the primaries? Just curious because it seems that if they weren't actually touching the wires, how could they get burned. Not trying to be a smart A, just have SLP shorties and need to know how that this could happen if they aren't touching.

 

My single cat SLP headers cooked one of my plug boots and it wasn't touching. It was extremely close though. The heat from the primary made the boot very brittle and it eventually began arcing. Now the wires were pretty cheap, I got them at Pep Boys, but since I had a lifetime warranty I just went in and got another wire.

When I did get the new wire, I wrapped the boot in some heat reflective tape, and it did not burn out again.

 

I'm sorry you are having problems with your SLP's. I'm sure its not SLP's fault that your mechanic misdiagnoised your problem. I'm also sure its not SLP's fault you paid someone 1200 to swap your opti for a job that costs about $225 in parts, a few hrs of time, and only simple hand tools. I've had my SLP's for years now with real problems with them. I did try running the metal boot covers on my Taylor wires and they all arched. I then went with MSD's and no metal boots and mine have been fine for 1.5 years.

 

LOL, yeah, its SLP's fault you dont know how to install plug wires without them being burned.

Headers get hot, its a fact of life, anything touching them will get burned, doesnt matter what kind of header it is.

 

I never had a problem with burning plug wires with my SLP headers. That can be a problem with any header, you must be careful while routing wires.

 

Enough said......

 

For those reading this with plain headers(SLPBOY?)-
Can you comment on how your UN-coated headers look after some use? I just got mine, and now I'm considering having them coated locally.
I know some grades of exhaust stainless can show rust, like the stuff Chevy used on B-body Impala SS. So if your headers look OK, or look like they got stored in the ocean, let me know! Thanks!

 

I have uncoated and they've been on my car for over 7 years. They are kind of brownish/grayish looking...but so far no problems with them. I do wish I would've gotten them coated though.

 

if i want to run headers, what should i get with an ORY and a random tech cat back w/ cutouts???

lt, shorty? which brands??

 

Mine are uncoated, I bought them used. I really wish I had them coated because while they don't like like total crap they do have some surface corrosion on them.