just bought a tube header..

[twenty5psi]

and was wondering what i can do to prevent cracking?..i was thinking of getting it ceramic coated but maybe you guys have a few good ideas..the car is a daily driver too..any suggestions..thanx
chris

 

[gritsak]

theres not too much you can do to prevent cracking...cracks usually form on tubular headers do to poor design, material used, or types of welds....you can try and brace the manifold to the block somehow to help it support the weight

 

[twenty5psi]

yeah it has a full brace to support the turbo and downpipe so i guess thats a start..ive just heard alot of things about getting them ceramic coated..

 

[rubbersidedown]

as far as i know, the main use, if not the only use for ceramic coating, is to keep the the heat in the exhaust gas in the header from transferring into the engine bay. That and it increases exhaust effencieny and whatnot a little. I'm just kinda piecing this together from what i've read though.

 

[awd4bangr]

Thin walled tubing used on most of the DSM headers tends to split at the seams and welds. In most cases the wire or filler rod is a different grade of metal than the actual tube. When it goes through the repeated heat cycles the weld and the tube expand at different rates causing the cracking.

When you ceramic coat the entire component it helps to keep the material temperature lower and stable so the expansion isn't as drastic and ultimately reducing your chances of cracking. It's still possible but not as common.

 

[larryd]

What manifold did you get?

 

[twenty5psi]

http://www.gopartstrader.com/cgi-bi...8228&image=88228.jpg&session=3e7e84a73ddf8b65

its a t3 style header with a brace and laser cut flanges..im going to proceed with my build up off the car until i get everything i want to go along with this(vpc,external gate and a agp l2r or a FP green) any suggestions?..

 

[BoostinAWD]

How about wrapping the manfold with header wrap
Retains the heat so there wont be such a drastic change in temps all the time. Smooth and uniform increase and decrease.

Here is some pics of mine

 

[BoostinAWD]

Another

 

[BoostinAWD]

woops

 

[RedlinedTSi]

Hey Boostin I notice you have a couple of studs missing on the manifold to head. Do you have any exhaust leaks?

 

[BoostinAWD]

They're fixed now, 3 broke had the machine shop tap them out. To tell you the truth I think they broke them while rebuilding my head
Oh btw that isnt my motor, for some reason my studs broke in the same places though. Wonder why.

 

[BoostinAWD]

Better pic

 

[RipperXX]

didn't read the thread to see if someone has already said this but you can insulate it.. that will keep it from cooling off so quick so it will be a somewhat controled expantion/contraction.. although it will heat up faster..

 

[greyforestgst]

Originally posted by BoostinAWD
Better pic

i would not do this
ive heard horror stories about too high egts causing bad cracking from doing so on tubular manis

definately brace it to hold the turbo better, and try to keep the egts down

 

[DSMJim]

Ceramic coating will do wonders for the manifold to make it last longer. We ceramic coat even cast manifolds to help them last. That manifold with either last or not depending on what it's made from. If it's thinwall 304 then it's gonna crack very quickly espically if they weld with 304 rod with is usually the case. It needs to be fairly thick, and welded with 316 minimum for it to even last 1 year.

 

[JayHass]

you guys are funny sometimes.

Thermal wrapping ***GREATLY*** shortens the lifespan of headers and manifolds. It will turn your tubular header into dust quicker than you can believe.

The best thing you can do for longevity is brace it well.

 

[twenty5psi]

yeah ive heard horror stories about wrapping the mani too..i will be going with a ceramic coating..does anyone know if i get the mani ceramic coated with a few layers instead of one if itll last longer?..thanx
chris

 

[DSMu4ia]

Originally posted by twenty5psi
http://www.gopartstrader.com/cgi-bi...8228&image=88228.jpg&session=3e7e84a73ddf8b65

its a t3 style header with a brace and laser cut flanges..im going to proceed with my build up off the car until i get everything i want to go along with this(vpc,external gate and a agp l2r or a FP green) any suggestions?..

No suggestions, but a comment..


How you gonna get that AGP or FP turbo to bolt on?

 

[awd4bangr]

Originally posted by twenty5psi
yeah ive heard horror stories about wrapping the mani too..i will be going with a ceramic coating..does anyone know if i get the mani ceramic coated with a few layers instead of one if itll last longer?..thanx
chris

Ceramics are very thin coatings, typically applied at .0003" to .0015" thickness. If you get it on thick it will not last at all, expect failure within 2-3 months or sooner. If it's prepped correctly and applied correctly it should last 10 years on a daily driven vehicle.

 

[JET]

Bracing is actually one of the biggest things that crack the headers. You need a thick walled tubing and it should be in T321 stainless. Noone is using T321 though. T304 low carbon works pretty well too, but is at its upper limit of heat. Don't wrap them, that will create more problems than good. The header should be stress relieved several times during the manufacturing, but I don't know of anyone doing this.

 

[twenty5psi]

well i havnt decided on a turbo yet and what i meant by the l2r is that id like to get a t3/t4 turbo along the lines of the l2r..sorry for the confusion..thanx for all the suggestions everyone..

 

[DSMu4ia]

Originally posted by twenty5psi
well i havnt decided on a turbo yet and what i meant by the l2r is that id like to get a t3/t4 turbo along the lines of the l2r..sorry for the confusion..thanx for all the suggestions everyone..

Oh ok, just didn't want to see someone buying parts that will be un-necessary.

AGP offers a garrett version of the L2r that will bolt right up to the manifold btw.

 

[twenty5psi]

Originally posted by DSMu4ia


Oh ok, just didn't want to see someone buying parts that will be un-necessary.

AGP offers a garrett version of the L2r that will bolt right up to the manifold btw.

thanx..i didnt know agp did that but ill check it out when i go to buy one..but before that i need a HG....22 lbs of boost on my stock sidemount and racing on the highway blew mine..

 

[greyforestgst]

Originally posted by JayHass
you guys are funny sometimes.

Thermal wrapping ***GREATLY*** shortens the lifespan of headers and manifolds. It will turn your tubular header into dust quicker than you can believe.

The best thing you can do for longevity is brace it well.

i thought i said that

oh well jay hass restating something i said has to mean im at least on the right track