355 header replacement

Are you referring to the headers from NAPerformance?

 

Tom, I have the original set of headers from NAPerformance/Kevin. I could not be happier and they are beautifully made. I don't know where you are, but if you are in SoCal then you are welcome to come out and see them. I cannot recommend them highly enough, and Kevin is a great guy to deal with.

Dave

 

Tom,

The headers come ceramic coated mandatory and heat-wrap can be added for an extra $60. NAPerformance is based in Oklahoma but the manifolds are made in Southern California. The reason being all the fabricators around here I tried sitting down talking with did not have the knowledge or experience needed for these manifolds. I talked to 18 different fabricators, only 4 of them being local, before I could find one that could meet my needs. I would like for him to be a bit quicker at times but I don't mind waiting 2-3 weeks for quality and support that others couldn't offer.

There's currently many people on the forums running them and NAPerformance is in the final stage of releasing a header rebuild in the states for everyone who finds it an inconvenience to send their headers to the U.K.

You can buy the headers direct from NAPerformance or from any authorized dealers like Ferrari of Central Florida or Ricambi America. They also come with a lifetime warranty.

Regards,
Kevin

 

Tom,

No probs with heat. Mine have the wrapping only - If I get the chance, I will have the ceramic coating done since it looks cool! In reality, I'll never have the time to do this so they can stay as they are.

Power is up by 5% according to the before and after dyno, but my 355 already had a tubi and K&N filters, so differences in these items may yield a different increase in performance.

Sound is a little more mellow at idle and low rpm, but the same at high rpm/full throttle. The biggest improvement I noticed however was the smoothness of the engine and it's willingness to rev. (If you can imagine a 355 being more willing to rev than standard....) This is a really subjective observation I know, but the engine just feels and sounds "sweeter" than before.

Dave

 

I have the Jet coated headers from NAperformance and could not be happier! The quality is very good and performance is awesome. Plus the fitment was very good from what my mechanics told me! Highly recommended for the price. But just make sure you have them Jet coated, and it would probably not be a bad idea to get a challenge grill especially if you have a capristo or tubi exhaust!

gordon

 

I had QV London rebuild my 98 spider headers about a year ago and have had no further problems. They did professional work with good turnaround time. A little hard to get them by e-mail, but they always answered the phone.

 

+1

Mine have been great.

With the weak dollar against the Pound, the cost was $2,100 USD...Still not bad.

 

Wow that ALOT cheaper than the NA ones, and I've never heard of the QV ones failing. I understand they usually have some stock they will send you and than you can return your old ones after installation too.

 

I personnally changed my headers and had QV London do the repair work over a year ago. I also assisted on 3 other F355s shortly after that and they were all repaired by QV London for about $2100. They replace all the exhaust tubes with thicker more pure stainless tubes. The thing I like about their approach is they preserve the stainless heat shield covers and insulation so that the engine bay looks original when you look in.

I'm sure the other product is fine also at $4K but I put the extra money in Hyperflow Cats.

 

Do you have a write-up on the removal/installation procedure?

 

The difference is 1200, unless of course you have NAPerformance rebuild the existing ones you have for $1985, which is cheaper than QV. Not to take anything away from QV, but NA is a sponsor here, and I have had excellent service from Kevin. In my case, he put HIS money where his mouth is, and that to me is gold. There are other sponsors here who from personal experience are awesome also.

Dave

 

Please see the old thread 355 Header source. I like Metaclcraft Industries. Pricy but very high quality.

 

I understand some people don't care for the extra horsepower or any of that stuff. We lost a large % of sales to header rebuilds because some people were just trying to spend as little money as possible while taking care of the problem efficiently.

http://store.yahoo.com/nonturbo/naf3mare.html

Is our header rebuild service for the F355 at $1,985.00. I have not posted anything yet but probably will tonight or tommorow. We will kick it off with an even further discount to ferrarichat members.

There are a few advantages to getting yours rebuilt through us.

- You don't have to send your to a foreign country, you can do it in the states.

- You're going with a ferrarichat sponsor

- It's cheaper once you consider shipping/custom fees/etc.

There are also a few disadvantages. Some of our competitors have been doing this forever and have a reputation we won't be able to touch for years. Our manifolds right now are probably the top selling ones in the industry. Our rebuild service is new and unheard of.

 

Some things you might want to consider also,
QV does stock some finished headers and will ship them and wait for you to return your old ones, so you dont have to tie up a lift for 2 weeks waiting for the originals to be rebuilt.
Are the rebuilds going to be jet coated?
Will the way you rebuild now be able to reinstall the heat sheilds?
Do you know how much the shipping both ways (say 700miles) on a set of headers is?
How much is the Fchat member discount?

 

(1) You can place a deposit that will be returned once we get your old manifolds back or you can just send us yours to rebuild. Some people prefer getting theirs rebuilt as opposed to receiving another set of used headers. It's all up to you.

(2) The rebuilds will not be jet coated unless requested, we will fit the factory heatshields back onto there so there really isn't much reason for the jet coating unless you want it to reduce temprature even further.

(3) It depends on where you're located but I'd figure $30 shipping is typical and then insurance which is fairly cheap so figure $35.00 each way.

(4) Ferrarichat.com member discount has not been worked yet, assume around a 15-20% savings and I will post something in the F355 section as soon as I've decided what I want to do.

If you have any other questions feel free to post them or call us at 405-410-8149 or send me an email at 405-410-8149

Take Care,
Kevin

 

Here is the thread describing the problem: http://70.85.40.84/~ferrari/forum/showthread.php?t=17439&page=3&highlight=manifold+cracks

Hee is the procedure - PM me if you have questions:
1. Jack the car up so the lift doesn't interfere with aft belly pan and aero fairing removal.
2. Drain the oil out of the engine and the oil tank.
3. Remove both rear tires
4. Remove rear wheel well covers (phillips screwdriver) Not scary
5. Remove wire from the oil tank. (at bottom)
6. Disconnect flare nut at the oil tank between the engine and the tank. This is the hardest part of the job in my view. You have to protect your right rear fender with soft blankets and lay on the fender to reach this nut with two open end wrenches (one to trap the tank fitting and one to loosten the flare nut). I had to buy one of those cheap sets of open end wrenches made in China ($100) which had sizes ranging from 1" to 2" by 1/16ths. I forget which ones I used where but you'll figure it out.
7. You will also have to disconnect the flare nut facing forward at the bottom of the tank that is visible from the wheel well.
8. Remove all other lines from the tank.
9. Remove the two bolts holding the tank to the frame (the tank is sitting on a rounded pin in a grommet at the bottom.
10. The tank is now ready to be removed, but you need to protect the air intake plenum from being scratched so cover it with a rang and some duct tape. The tank is trapped by a diagonal brace in the frame. You will need to move it toward the engine and rotate it once it is free from the frame to remove it out the top of the engine bay.
11. You will need to remove the heat shields and brackets over the inboard CV boots. Also disconnect the flare nut at center of the manifold which supplies cooling air.
12. You will need several 13mm wrenches to remove the exhaust clamps and the most critical wrench is 13mm Snap-On wrench "FHOM13A" This is the wrench that will get to every nut holding the manifold.
13. Too make the job easier you may want to loosten the clamps on both sides of the Cats so they can disengage the manifold. You dont have to remove the Cats unless you are replacing them.
14. Removal of the manifolds is a Rubics cube, but the first move is to move it down and aft with the tailstock over the inboard CV boot. You then rotate as required to get the forward portion past the cooling fans.

That's removal - on reinstallation - install new gaskets. I use bobby pins to hold the gaskets in place which I'm jockeying the new manifold into place. I engage all lugs and put a couple of turns on a few nut before I remove the Bobby Pins. Otherwise reverse the process. I you are replacing the Cats at the same time, You will need to unplug the wire harnesses for each O2 sensor and the temp sensors. DO NOT twist the wires of the O2 sensors while you are unscrewing them. The other suggestion is if the Cats are out, I remover the transaxle mounting bolts and put 3/8 inch of washers at the bottom by the head of the bolt so the bolt end does not protrude into the bottom of the Cat causing a possible interference (Ferrari made those bolts too long by 3/8")

PM me if you have questions.