Header Finish

Johnshipiii

New member
Just got this bad boy from Reds headers for my ‘46 226. Opinions on best way to finish it? ( Without breaking the bank).
BUBBA?!?!?!?? Lol
 

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Ceramic’s and thanks to site member 65Coupe who posted this a little while back. Looks promising I can tell you the header paints of old don’t last was constantly repairing my headers. Looks like it’s worth a try. Best of luck

 
They look like very nice workmanship nice smooth bends, they should really help the six‘s breathing.
 
Thanks for your opinion. Getting a lot of negative feedback on some other forums.
I find that very strange that your getting a lot of negative feedback, I wonder what are they basing their opinions on? These will be a very good improvement together with a good exhaust system over the stock log exhaust manifold and will also look great on your car. Let alone that isn’t anyone else that is making headers for the 226 Flathead Sixes, so then your into getting a custom made set.

I ran into some people (I called them the purists) when I started in the car hobby in 1963 and restored my first car a 1928 Model A. It was a numbers matching car that I searched until i found the few missing original parts that had been changed out over it’s lifetime, it was a trophy winner for awhile in the mid to late1960’s. After finishing the A I then built a 27 T Bucket hot rod and would sometimes drive that to some of the model A club meets and tours. I would get comments of how come I cut up that nice model T. Thing is what I started with was an old race car body that was already cut up I restored it back enough to be to used again on the street. Funny thing is that many of the club members had model a tour cars (Modded) that they built to drive, with hydraulic brakes, later 39 transmissions, and Model B or C engines or A engines that were modded some even used the much later OHV 4 engines out of tractors for a bit more power your basic early hot rod of corse the body’s still looked all stock.

Certainly they are not basing it on any proven header design principles? These are a well proven design based on the old tried and true Tri Y headers. This design did and still does work very well on a street driven cars making lots of great bottom end torque that’s always important on street cars, think of the original 1965 and 1966 Shelby GT 350 Mustangs.

It can’t be based on pipe flow technology as all the pipes are sized quite well. If it’s because they aren’t equal length that would really only be important in getting every last bit of horsepower out of the engine maybe worth it on an all out race car build were you are reving the engine to higher RPM’s. I can tell you from my experiences that making a set of one off equal length headers that fit in your car with a 226 six would get very expensive. Best of luck
 
As always, thanks for your input. You’ll be hearing from me, more and more as this project progresses. A lot of guys were ragging on the welds. I would like to have seen them welded all the way around at the flange, but they are also welded on the inside. I may hit them at the flange. I think maybe they could have been cleaned up a little, but all in all, like them. Like you said, they’re the only place making them as well. You’ll always find haters, especially on social media.
 
Usually most headers aren’t even welded on out side of the flange only at the rear, but it would be easy enough to fill in the welds as you want them to look. Be that as it may it wouldn’t take very much time to also clean up any of the welds before you sand them and prep for the coating. There isn’t anything that’s been made that can’t be detailed to improve its looks even more. I stopped building any show cars and trucks long ago yet still I can’t help myself in trying to make them look nice as I can within my budget.

Yes there are lots of haters on the social sites you'd think it’s somehow effecting their life by what you do to your own car or any kind of project I am not on much of anything now for many years except this site for that very reason too. But were is their build at?
 
If you want to check it for scavenging blow down one primary pipe with an air compressor and see if the other two pipes will hold paper to them.
Do that for all three primary pipes in a set.

Any thing is better than the log exhaust manifold.
 
What i see is a high quality header built by someone who cares... I totally back up what bubba is telling you. Yes the Tri Y header design is the best, until you get up to a high RPM Race engine... I really hate social media, and many other forums. People who have never even picked up a wrench, so quick to judge anything that comes by them... Back in the day, when guys i knew would get a new set of Headers. They would run them down to the local plating shop, have them dipped in the nickel tank. They would have a dull shine, and kept them from getting rusty. And it didnt cost much.
 
Just got this bad boy from Reds headers for my ‘46 226. Opinions on best way to finish it? ( Without breaking the bank).
BUBBA?!?!?!?? Lol
I have used high heat powdercoat on my harley pipes and did same on the shorty headers . Budget is real tight. Works and lasts a lot longer than rattlecan paint. I got a small powder gun and a old oven. My bike lasted more decade got heat wrap over pipes . What do they charge ceramic coating these days ?
 
Ceramic’s and thanks to site member 65Coupe who posted this a little while back. Looks promising I can tell you the header paints of old don’t last was constantly repairing my headers. Looks like it’s worth a try. Best of luck

Im a poor SOB. I got a eastwood home powdercoat gun a big old house oven. I have powdercoated high heat black or the silver (pewter) color. Hell it last years if done correct dirt cheap too. 20yrs own gun so paid self long ago.
 
I find that very interesting, and i will try it when the need comes up.... I have used the POR15 rust paint alot, great stuff. But it is not like normal paint, so follow the directions to a tee. Also when you go to put the lid back on, put some plastic wrap between the lid and the can. Otherwise you wont get it back off again... Im sure they use some strange alien tech. in their products.
 
maybe this ?

when I was doing up my old Volvo , I went to the "old ford center" they sold me some "stainless steel paint."
the stuff isn't' shiny at all it is a dull grey but seemed to match a lot of the original paints.

the way it works, first it has to be clean so acid etch or sandblast. I sandblasted mine. usually they just run the engine get it hot and that cures it. it smokes a lot and stinks. my manifold is a casting not steel pipe.

the can had a lot of warnings about health and safety. I wanted to harden it before installation I wrapped it with tin foil and stuck it in my barbecue. the paint bubbled so I acid etched it.

on my second attempt I used the oven when no one was home and I dont know if I'd recommend that . it would be good to use an oven that wasnt; used for food. maybe one that's used and on it's way tot he dump.

I did my ashtray , rocker cover etc. after 20 years it flaked off a bit on the manifold but stuck good everywhere else. the manifold sees severe temp changes.. the tin parts came out nice.

If you have used cold galvanizing paint it loks similar. I liked it because it looks stock. I still have a part can of it , it is thick and you paint-it on with a brush. It may be hard to find and may be outlawed now by EPA - or something.

the stuff I had was called "stainless steel paint" and I dont remember any mention of porcelain. I can get a pic of the old can if you want.
it's thick and made to go on thick with a brush and I think only one coat.

I wonder how copper or brass or nickle plating would look? it would have a neat appearance perhaps? chrome works but it's so common. you could probably do copper at home.
 
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