Quote:
Originally Posted by Metaldoc
I used my manifolds but ceramic sprayed and baked in a cheap used oven, headers are too expensive usually leak.
|
I did the same process on some Hedman hedders about 12 years ago. I airbrushed-on some black ceramic stuff from Eastwood and baked them in my Mom's ex-Hotpoint oven. [After she got a new one.] 500* for 2 hours, IIRC.
I bought my Hedmans in 1999. for my then-new Mr Goodwrench 350 in a '71 K/1500 Jimmy. Just lately, I noticed a hole in the drivers side downtubes, just above the collector, caused by the lower clutch push rod's interference. I will have to pull the LH hedder, ding in the interference area and have a buddy weld on a patch. Yeah, yeah, I know "Rams Horns would never do that, Bla Bla Bla."
The rams horns the PO put on the former SBC were mismatched. One had a bigger casting and holes for the A.I.R. system, the other side was skinnier and pre-Emissions era. No way they flowed equally. Headers was an easier way to go.
On the 292 L6 in my '69 C/10 Stepside, I put Clifford Research long tube headers, a 390 CFM 4 Bbl Holley and an Offy intake. The stock cast iron intake/exhaust system was a lot of inefficient extra weight, and could only work with a single Rochester Monojet. I did that mod in 1978. That 292 ran 250,000 miles until I pulled it in 2002. I rebuilt the OEM 292 [which I'd saved in crates] and had my machinist hot tank and bead blast the Offy and Clifford headers. The Holley was toast after 25 years, so I got an Edelbrock 500 CFM AFB clone. The headers and the intake came out looking new. I repainted the headers with VHT in Cast Iron Grey. The intake is natural aluminum.
That combo is still rocking the ''new'' [2005] 292 in the Stepside now.
[But I do live in Arizona.]
For my money, headers are a lot lighter than the cast iron, give better low-end torque, and just sound b!tchen. But it's a free country.