All, I am in the process of getting my 30k done, and suprise I need new headers.. I am looking at the fabspeed headers as a replacement for the OEM's because of the $$$'s. Other recomendations are very welcome!! AND BEFORE YOU ASK NO I DIDN'T DO A SEARCH... I figure since CHAA is no longer around I can get away with just asking the question...
Your in luck.....If this will work (2.7) I have a set of factory Ansa headers, one is darn near brand new (2 months old)....David at Ricambi can confirm this..... In total I have two left hand headers (excellent shape/low miles) and one new right one.....PM me and we'll work it out... Not sure what year your car is.....
Not to scoop Jetfixr's sale...but if we get 4+ for Fabspeed we can get a reduced price. I'm in and want to order right now, send me a pm if you want to go this route.
pictures. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
nice. does the heat-wrap have a self-backed adhesive of some type, or is it just the wire that holds it in place? Vibrations would seem to let the wrap loosen and become displaced without some kind of glue. And would ceramic coating in conjunction with the wrap provide sufficient insualtion for the alt., wires, rubber, etc.? Hoping to do this upgrade in the next few months. Great pictures by the way!!!
I put Stebro on my car and it improved the sound 10 fold. Prior to that I was running factory headers, tubi exhaust and hyper flow cats.
This guy is saying what I have been saying for twenty years about header wrap after using it, I haven't said anything before, but I have built a few sets of headers for race cars, but more to the point I have spoken with many engine builders and they are all on the same page. http://www.centuryperformance.com/heatwraps.asp I have 321 stainless (304 is approaching its thermal limits in a 355 at full song) headers on my 355, unwraped, but with lots of thermal barrier covering wires, hoses, and alternator.
I do NOT claim to be any sort of material science major, but a cursory glance on the Internet (dangerous I know ), does not show a huge difference between 304 and 321. Definitely 321 appears superior, but is it that significant? Here is how the heat resistance of 321 is described: Good oxidation resistance in intermittent service to 900°C and in continuous service to 925°C. These grades perform well in the 425-900°C range, and particularly where subsequent aqueous corrosive conditions are present. Here is 304: Good oxidation resistance in intermittent service to 870°C and in continuous service to 925°C. Continuous use of 304 in the 425-860°C range is not recommended if subsequent aqueous corrosion resistance is important. The factory oem 355 exhaust manifolds are made from 409: Generally 409 is classified as resistant to scaling in intermittent service up to 815°C and up to 675°C in continuous service, but these temperatures are dependent upon the exact service environment Obviously your experience says differently, can you tell us more?
In a year or two there will be threads about how the aftermarket headers simply dont hold up. Research will show that header wrap was used and that will be the source of the problem not a quality issue with the headers. As the above link states, headers using wrap are only good for a short time. I usually was able to get a season out of them in a race application and when removed usually come off the engine in pieces. The ehxaust temps the race cars run are right on par with those in a well running 355 in spirited use. The temps quoted in the article are surface temps after the car returned to the pits, techs removed the hood..... running down the straight the exhaust temps well exceed 1000 degrees, with some of the sprint type engines I have built exceeding 1450 degrees sustained exhaust temps an inch from the head port. Throw in unburnt fuel due to cam overlap, poor compression, what ever, and one has a thermo reaction at the first bend that I suspect far exceeds the noted temps. There was a long thread some time back this summer where we (Bruce, Vern, myself...) were discussing all of the dynamics that are going on with the 355 engine and how it relates to the headers on these cars. I had an enormus amount of time invested in studies of these dynamics and how they related to the headers before I threw my hands up and decided to get back to work and try to make a living. When going the coating route, buy the highest temp coatings available on the market regardless of how it "looks" as the life of the engine relys on it. Dave
[So your saying 304 isn't good for the 355 exhaust???] I dont believe I said anything like that, I seriously doubt any 355 drivers here will exceed the thermal limits of 304. All of the headers I have built lately (last ten years or so) have been stepped, so I use 321 from the flange to the step, then 304 from there back. I do this because 321 is so damn expensive, and the choice in bends/sizes, is more limited. I always have HPC coat them inside and out.
I am a complete novice compared to you guys that have posted but I am really curious to know what otpimal header situation is: 1) Shielded (tubi, oem, etc..) (I have Tubi) 2) Naked (nothing at all but the metal) 3) Wrapped (as the attached pic is this thread shows) 4) Coated (jet hot, ceramic...etc...) I also assume that what else is downstream, (cats and exhaust), can have an effect on how well the engine pushes the exhaust gases through the whole system, and thus the heat stress on the headers. -Billy
First of all, this is only my opinion, others may differ. I believe (my opinion again) that the shielding is one of the causes of OEM header failure. So in order of preference it would be 1) Coated (jet hot, ceramic...etc.. 2) Naked (nothing at all but the metal 3) Shielded (tubi, oem, etc..) 4) Wrapped 3 and 4 are a toss up, much depends on the material used and gauge. I don't know, but I suspect Tubi uses a different material than Ferrari. It’s really important to realize that exhaust wrapping was never intended to shield other components; it was an attempt to keep exhaust temperatures as high as possible in the header system in order to promote higher velocity gas flow. As it turned out the cost in failed headers was exorbitant, so the practice has died out. I’m a great believer in shielding everything else in the engine compartment. The one great axiom in any endeavor like this is that everything is a compromise; you have to plan and act accordingly.
So the aftermarket headers are made from better material than stock!! Any recommendations for places to coat the headers? WOW!!! Never knew that ---I always thought the shielding was to keep the heat away from components---Learn something new everyday!! Thanks for the input guys!!
The longer I have my 355 and the more I read, the more I believe that removal of the Cats and bypass valve are a must. My 95 still has the original headers with over 36,000km on them. I believe the cats cause enough back pressure to cause a lot more heat in the headers therfore causing the errosion and calapse of the header material. Then there is also the engine fires and damage done by the clogging cats. I only run my cats for the testing every 2 years period.
Did you coat the inside of ur stock manifolds? If you didn't I would assume you wouldn't recommend it.
If they have been used it's all but impossible to get the inside clean enough for the ceramic to bond and still maintain wall thickness except on virgin metal. I've seen bead blasters eat right through tubes that were corroded on the inside.
