Mostly looking to eliminate the air tubes from the smog pump on an old 350 chevy. I know headers are prone to leaking and I'm not really looking for huge power gains. There are several choices on ebay for less than $100 that seem to be decently designed, and I will be making my own complete exhaust system from the collectors back. I've read and searched and just want to get a feel for everyones opinion. Thanks!
I have bought two now to fit QR25 Nissans, and the $100 Chinese stainless ones are fine. Good fit, no leaks, heavy. Probably the most commonly searched Japanese car header in the world, because of the catalytic converter issue, so I think they build an awful lot of them. The one I bought for the SR20 in my B13 was pretty good, but the fit wasn't great for the emissions stuff. Welds and flanges and stuff were all pretty darn good.
Ive used foxbody mustang, mazda protege, honda civic and s10 headers from ebay.
Throw away all the hardware and gaskets they give you, expect to do a little bit of tweaking at holes for mounting or EGR hookups or in one case been to the header a little bit so it doesn't hit the automatic transmission. I have never had any fail, though they all shared the above issues. They also rust as they are not true stainless.
Plan on ceramic coating them for any sort of longevity.
You may want to take belt sander or a piece of glass and some sand paper to the flanges to get them reasonably flat before fitting them with gaskets or having them coated.
In reply to Stefan :
Rust is not really an issue where I live. I even toy with the idea of using header wrap.
I've never installed headers that didn't have some fitment issues, and I'm not at all above clearancing with a BFH.
The stainless $125 Chinese headers are of a much better quality than the $350 mild steel patriots that I got for the Molvo.
I am putting my faith in "Remflex" header gaskets and "Ramplock" header bolts to keep the leaks at bay.
In reply to barefootskater :
Yeah, I live in the PNW, things don't rust here, that isn't the only issue with longevity. Headers wear out eventually, especially if they are of a lesser quality material, just their nature compared to cast iron manifolds (which can work just as well as a header, but they often weigh more, which is a negative in most cases.)
Headers work better when coated, you get more heat held in the exhaust so it moves more quickly, it also transfers less heat to the engine bay and surrounding items and the heat doesn't damage the metal quite as quickly.
Header wrap holds water collected from the air close to the exhaust and promotes rust, it also wears out the header more quickly since it holds heat against the unprotected inside of the tubes.
Used a raceland header on a 1.8 NA miata. Fit well and has no leaks 2 years later.
I have burned through a header using wrap. Not rusted, burned. I wouldn't bother to do it again.
I probably also wouldn't buy an eBay header, because I'm one of those people who have designed real, legit products and had them ripped off by the likes of OBX and sold on eBay. If you buy a cheap knockoff of a product, you are helping ensure that less and less development will be done. Nobody wins a race to the bottom, not even the customers in the long run.
In reply to barefootskater :
I'm not sure what vehicle you're installing them on, but I bought a $70 set of stainless "block hugger" eBay headers that the listing stated fit my 85 Vette. They didn't, at least not unless I wanted to remove the A/C condenser.
It's been my experience that properly designed, fabricated, and installed headers do not leak. At least mine don't. They leak when you use flanges that are way too thin, but I don't see that very often anymore. I got my headers from Summit. Their prices are cheap enough, it's difficult to justify an EBay purchase for something like that. I know Summit will be there to solve a problem, if one should ocurr.
I would just look for the thickest flanges and go from there. I know in the world of 4 cylinder headers i would typically like to see a beefy cast flange with the tubes welded to it rather than the typical <~3/8" steel plate flange you see on a typical SBC header, but i dont know if that exists cheaply in the SBC world.
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