We’re eager to just bolt on our new Dynatech stepped headers and make some noise! But wait…
Light is shining ever so brightly at the end of the tunnel. Our Camaro’s updated 406 is complete, installed and almost ready to fire. We’re eager to just bolt on our new Dynatech stepped headers and make some noise! But wait: though tempting, that would be a big mistake. The headers, in storage for well more than a year, have rusted a bit. Yes, certain grades of stainless steel can rust. Exhaust temps of 1300 degrees will only make the surface corrosion worse. And quite frankly, we’re not even sure if the Dynatech headers will fit our aftermarket tubular subframe and heavily modified steering. The engine is even raised slightly to improve rack position and, therefore, bump steer. Under these circumstances, a set of $1500-$2000 custom headers are usually in order.
We’re crossing our fingers that a pair of off-the-shelf Dynatech stepped 1-3/4” to 1-5/8” will fit or require only minor tweaking. To our amazement, the only interference is between the steering shaft and one of the primary tubes. Most headers would have interfered with the one-off steering shaft at the very least. These are the best fitting headers this car has ever experienced. Ground clearance is excellent, as well. That’s not advertorial, folks. After 25 years of cobbled together, leaky headers, the Camaro finally has pipes that are worthy of 500HP and 7000 rpm shifts. The flanges are thick and straight, welds are flawless, and the stepped 1-3/4” to 1-5/8” primaries broaden the power curve. Satisfied with the test-fit, we brought the headers to our local exhaust shop, Marty’s Mufflers, and had them weld in an oxygen sensor bung. Marty carefully dinged that one offending primary tube as well.
With headers this nice, we can’t just leave them uncoated. Corrosion isn’t the only concern. Ceramic coating serves as a heat barrier to help lower under-hood temps by a large margin. Surrounding components such as power steering and the master cylinder benefit directly from the lower temps. As we were heading north for an event, we made a decision to postpone the project by bringing our headers to Jet Hot Coating in Burlington, North Carolina. Our rusty stainless steel headers were cleaned, prepped and then ceramic-coated inside and out. Since it’s not cheap, we’ve always been curious about the Jet Hot process. Is this just a fancy paint job or is there real merit to the technology? Our conclusion is simple. Jet Hot is extremely thorough about their coating application process, but that alone does not justify the cost. The real distinction is the advanced ceramic materials. Ordinary hi-temp exhaust paint does not provide measurable thermal barrier protection an starts to deteriorate as soon as you turn the ignition key. True ceramic coating is engineered to last lifetime. We’re anxious to get our headers home and installed. During the downtime, piles of last-minute parts are en route from Summit Racing and Speedway Motors. We’re gearing up for one last push to completion.
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