DIY Exhaust Header Heat Wrap

[jaebee]

Hey. So I recently purchased the weapon r street header, and decided that I did not want my engine bay to be scalding hot (due to SS header design and loss of heat shield) so I decided heat wrap was the way to go.

After doing some research I discovered that a lot of people had corrosion issues with SS headers due to the wrap's ability to trap moisture (I have not run across one case of a SS header failing due to heat wrap, only lower grade steel or ceramic fail).

To avoid this potential problem I also painted the header before and after the wrap with 1200 continuous heat paint.

here is the process.
first, tape up ALL openings on the header, especially the screw holes and O2 sensor hole.


Next, as per the directions on the can, I painted the entire header with 2 light coats, applied back to back within about 10 minutes, and then a 3rd, heavier coat. I then let the header dry for about 3 hours.

after the header was dry to the touch I proceeded with the wrapping process. I only needed 1"x25' to wrap this header, but it was a tight fit and it probably would have been easier with more. Anyways, start near the engine side and work your way down, being sure to have about 1/4" of overlap on each pass. To make for a tight fit, wetting the wrap is best. I used ss zip ties to secure the ends of the wrap, since they can withstand the engine bay temps. here is half of the header wrapped

and the entire header wrapped

due to the name plate on the weapon R header, and the way the tubes meet, i didnt quite cover ever square inch of the header, but that shouldnt really matter, especially since the header is already coated with the heat spray.

to avoid any potential corrosion or rust problems, I then used the rest of the can (about 2-3 relatively heavy coats) on the wrap itself. the wrap kind of absorbs the paint some, just be sure to give it a solid coating. also, make sure the wrap is completely dry before doing this or the paint wont adhere correctly. I used a hair dryer and about 30 min to dry out the wet wrap.

here is the header with wrap and coating



now just let it dry for another 3 hours or so before installing.
let the car idle for about 10 - 15 minutes to start the curing process. there is a decent amount of smoke, and i was worried that it was an exhaust leak at first, but this definately doesnt smell like exhaust, and will stop smoking after about 30 - 60 min of driving, and stop smelling after a day or two.

I cant say of there are any performance gains (if there are they are minimal) because I wrapped and installed this header all at once. BUT i can say that my engine bay is actually cooler than with the stock header/ heat shield, so the wrap is definately doing its job.

a very good diy install of a header on our car can be found here Honda-Tech.com: Honda Fit: 2007 Honda Fit Header Install

[Arisenfury]

Hmm, I've been tempted to do something like this ever since I got my weapon*r headers back in October, however I'm still unsure of how well they'll hold up to moisture in the long run. I'd be interested to see at how much cooler it's making the engine bay, if it's really significant it could be worth it even with the potential of losing the headers in a couple years.

[sam21]

that looks...horrible

[jaebee]

looks even worse since the wrap has cured, it cures a dark - burnt ish color, so ya, its ugly, BUT it has made my engine bay significatly cooler, especially my intake, coming from the stock setup.

i am not really worried about moisture due to coating it before and after the wrap, that should do a pretty good job at keeping any moisture out of the wrap, and at worst, off of the header itself (will be met by the first few layers of heat paint)

[Raaaaaaaaaay.]

Ekkkkk.... Yea, thats not too pretty.
Looks like you made a header out of paper mache.

*LAUGHS!!!!*

Should have just painted it black.

[Fa1]

I'd rather spend a little more and have it professionally coated. Not bad for a cheap diy though.

[petwhookie]

why red? shouldv done black or something

[FELIXY69]

YYYYY rEd???

[jaebee]

the car is red call it a bad deciscion if i ever re coat it i will do black

[Arisenfury]

I think people are mistaking the black dye on the header wrap as a bad paint job. Clearly if you look at the first picture the paint is even and clean. It only gets the black spots after the headwrap was put on as well as the paper towels getting it all over. Also the last picture the paint isn't even dry yet.

[jaebee]

ya, wet header wrap = a lot of black crap. btw WEAR GLOVES!!!!!! the wrap is usually a fiberglass composite, so gloves are a must. once dry the header looked nice red, but once cured it looks like poop. but are we going performance here or looks? i mean, who really looks at a header outside of a fully chromed engine? i will post a pic of what it looks like post curing, its not that bad, but definately uglier than just plain SS