After about 3 years of my A'PEXi GT header being exposed to the elements I'm finally going to wrap them. What is the proper way?

Cleaning them with metal cleaner.
Painting with high temp paint (1200 degrees plus). Several coats.
then wrapping them

Anything else I need to know? I would like to prevent rust of course and keep the engine bay temperatures down.

 

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Anything else I need to know? I would like to prevent rust of course and keep the engine bay temperatures down.</TD></TR></TABLE>

I think you'll find that: header wrap = causing rust and not preventing it. In addition to holding heat in on the metal to let it deteriorate the metal faster, most agree that wrap holds condensation moisture after cooling off on the exposed metal longer to casue more rust than it would stay there on it's own without wrap.

As many have said, header wrap was invented by header companioes to sell more headers. I would never consider touching the stuff. If you really want to keep temps down, get a header coating.

 

Header Coating

 

go here: http://www.jet-hot.com/

great product and service, decent prices. my header looks no different now than it did when I put it on the car 2 years ago.

 

Header Wrap

 

Well I have a friend who recommended painting the header with a high temperature paint and then wrapping it. He has had his DC Sports header like that for 4 years and no problems.

 

Wrap Away!...and become one of numerous stories of premature header failures.
Do a search.

Theory is that the wrapped steel retains too much heat, becomes brittle and breaks; and/or moisture is held against the steel when parked and the steel rusts away.

 

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Do a search.
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here's one I recall: https://honda-tech.com/zerothread?id=454373

 

If you were being REALLY scientific, you MIGHT use header wrap to raise the EGT to change the effective tuned length of a non-adjustable header. You could tell everybody that THAT's why you want to wrap your header.

Scott, who likes science fiction...you can see alot of it on cars.

 

Hmmm... I wonder what effect cracks and rust holes have on tuned length?

 

increases it towards infinity? but at least, it's louder...