I am going to order new headers today and cannot afford ceramic coat. I did notice that TA only wants $25 to crome the headers. What is the opi nion on crome headers? (how can they crome anything for $25)
I bought a set of those headers in chrome recently, wasn't real happy with the chrome job, it looked dull and they don't polish out the marks their bender made in the tubes. The $25 is to make you not fell so bad when you take them to be re-chromed.
Had some on a GSX. Looked really nice for the first few minutes of running time. Have you investigated whether an industrial ceramic coater is near you. They are sometimes very cheap.
When I got my first set of M/T repros the chrome rusted while they were in my closet waiting to go on! I got them ceramic coated and they look great. I would get them done if/ when you can afford it. Adam.
I've had T/A's chrome headers on for 8 years and 10,000 miles now. They still appear acceptable (i.e., shiny, clean, not rusty). As i think we all know chrome does discolor in the really high heat areas but this is to be expected. On a stock headed buick engine the headers attach so low on the engine anyways there really is not all that much to see. I think most people don't even notice that my engine has headers.
After talking with the T/A people I went with the crome headers. They do not represent them as "show quality" The idea is to get a good protective surface at a resonable cost. I can still have them ceramic coated at a later date. I am mainly looking for a good fitting header with no leaks or holes.
Best for performance is the Jet-Hot or something similar. As with the chroming, it retains heat and will blue in time. Again it's application here. If you are building a weekend show & street car then by all means check out the chroming. If you are more to performance, then the coatings are hands down better, as it keeps the headers cooler, thus keeping the engine cooler. As with the types of chroming...sorry don't know. I am sure you can get top rate show chrome, but it may cost you, As with getting your TA headers chromed...well $25 isn't that bad for a basic dress-up. As with the affordability with the Jet Hot. Well you can always high heat paint the headers and save your extra cash and during the winter months pull the headers (when you get the extra cash) and mail them to Jet Hot (or what ever company you want) One other advise, save the header box, so you won't have the hassles of re-packaging them up. Oh by the way I had an old set of KB Headers (back from 1985) they just got blued and faded, the new engine has a set of Hookers that were jet coated back in 1991. It's about time for a new set, though these are still in decent shape as the coating helps protect from rust. Rick Martinez
My opinion: A coated header won't flow any better than a non-coated header. A coated header might keep slightly more heat inside when you are idling, but once you are moving there is so much air moving around the engine compartment that you won't be heating up the intake air worth a darn. A coating will still wear away eventually and rust though, although it will take a few extra years. A coating will not keep the header from being dented. Coating a header can cost just about as much as the headers themselves. Therefore, I consider it a waste of money (I've had 2 sets done). I would rather just buy a pair, and expect it to only last 5-7 years and then have to replace it with brand-new. Chroming seems cheap enough, and can keep nasty stuff (salt, water, oil, etc.) from directly contacting the header. My next set of headers will either be chromed (as long as it's cheap) or I'll just cover them in header paint. Heck, that stuff is wicked cheap, and can easily be touched up (not easy to "touch up" chrome or ceramic). -Bob Cunningham
Sorry Bob, Have to disagree with the heat issue, but do agree with the denting as that would also apply with chrome headers. Also agree that the chrome will last longer, as long as you keep the chrome headers fairly clean, but if they get a nasty scatch and not repaired they too will rust. Price wise you are on the mark. No one has ever said and I don't even think they advertise that the headers being coated will flow better. So coating vs. chrome, flowing has no relationship at all as both do nothing. It's only about the heat issue, and heat can rob you of HP. For example your idling at the track waiting and the temps are rising now your off in a very hot running car. Yeah it cools down some what down the quarter but if the engine is cooler off the line you'll have a better chance of no vapor lock and as your launch temps will be lower. I find I run my best times at 175 compared to 190 off the line. Now if its a busy track and your opponent is playing games you'll be sitting there idling or revving and waiting..getting hotter and hotter. The coating may not be the "answer all" but is definately helps in those situations. Like some guys go to great costs coating pistons, rockers, cams etc to reduce friction and heat, even the underside of intakes. Bob you know the deal, the faster we go the more money we spend and as we go faster the time improvements become smaller as the costs get higher. It boils down to our own budgets and we make the best of what we can spend. I wouldn't say it's a waste of money unless it's in a everyday driver where you can not reap the benifits. It would be like putting fully ported heads on an everyday driver with a full stock exhaust. I guess we are looking at it from two stand points. (boy I wish we had this internet info stuff way back then, when we used to do it the old try and fail method) Like I said, it's his application. If he likes to cruise go to shows and trying to keep things low budget, then the chroming is it. If he wants to spend most of the time at the track trying to go as fast as he can get it (within his budget) with some cruising and a few shows and is more into racing, then the coating is it, or otherwise the high heat paint for low budget. But for $25 bucks...that seems like a good deal and no hassels of painting if the application works for him. For a mainly street car with a tight budget, that would get my vote. I guess which ever way he turns at least we gave him the most of both worlds. That's what it's all about in the Buick Community, and that's why Buicks stand out on their own. Rick
One more reason to consider Jet-Hot is they have a one year warranty on the coating not coming off and a lifetime warranty against rust-through. I think their sterling coating looks just as good as chrome and definitely lasts longer. I also had a set of the chromed M/T repros and after a couple years they looked terrible. Every vehicle I have has something on it that's been Jet-Hotted. Good Luck with your project.
At the time I bought my headers from TA I couldn't afford Jet-Hot coating, and I DO NOT LIKE PAINTED HEADERS, WHICH BURNS OFF IMMEDIATELY THEN RUSTS!! I got the chrome, and me and EVERYONE ELSE who saw these thought the chrome job was OUTSTANDING! True, not "SHOW QUALITY", but if you need headers NOW and arn't rich, that $15-25 extra IS WELL WORTH IT!! Also, it will help preserve them until you could afford the $375 for Jet-Hot coating... If TA is still putting the same quality chrome that they were in 1996... I'd buy them again!! Disclaimer- I don't work for TA, but I would if I could. I havn't drove my Buick very much since 1998. I don't drive it during bad weather if at all possible either, to explain the exceptional condition after 7 years. There was discoloration after a couple of months, but I was WELL AWARE that this would happen, and accepted it. ALL of the headers I have ever seen in my life would be VERY RUSTY by now, possibly with HOLES!! Just my .02
That's why I went with JetHot. My buddy built my first set of headers for my racecar for $400.00 and we kept painting them. Eventually after a few years they rusted through ( a million little pinholes). If I had just spent the money on JetHot back then, I wouldn't have had to spend $1250.00 on a new set of custom headers (plus $250.00 for JetHot). They ARE nice...but for that price, they BETTER be!
Doug ---no one has made the point here about Jet Hot and the other type ceramic coatings.....I think the real reason they make the headers last is that THEY COAT THE INSIDE...which is a much harsher environment vs. the outside! I don't think it is worth getting them ceramic coated unless they are willing to clean and coat the INSIDE as well as the outside of the headers. Patton
