Long Tube Headers

[Rusman]

I was talking with Fred last night about why my car is not in racing condition. It's because the trans is wasted (second gear=useless). I have a used 3550, but am waiting on a set of long tube headers before I swap everything out.

I decided on Mac headers awhile ago due to the fact that they are the only ones that offer the EGR port. I want to stay emissions legal, so the EGR port is necessary. Fred asked why I didn't just have one welded on to a set of better headers (BBK) since Mac are pretty crappy. This is what I wanted to do originally, but I was told by BBK that the coating would be damaged on that tube due to the welding and would lessen the effectiveness of the coating. They do not offer non-coated headers, so I settled on Mac.

My question is this: If I were to go with BBKs and have the EGR port welded on, how will that effect the headers' life-expectancy due to the coating being melted off? Fred and I thought I could send it to JetHot after the tube is welded on, but I don't know how it will come out with a coating on top of another coating. I will call tomorrow and ask, though.

[Shaggy]

I would do one of 2 things one not worry about how long they will last because i have as well as manty other ran just painted headers for years without haveing to replace them or if you insist on having coated headers than I would buy them uncoated weld the bung on then send them off to be coated once it was doen so I would incurr the charge of coating twice.

[red95gts]

Hey Rusty,

Kind of off-topic a little, but I just got done installing a motor in a 94 GT and the owner had bought some MAC long-tubes.

They definitely had the EGR port, but there was no way in hell the factory EGR tube was going to reach the port on the header (#1 tube!). From the looks of it, the MACs would require some fabrication anyway. He wanted to block all that shit off anyway, so we just plugged both ends with a 5/8" brass end cap from the plumbing section at Lowe's. Makes plug access a heck of a lot easier! :)

The other thing (and this may hold true with the BBKs as well) is the dipstick for the 94-95 WILL NOT fit...haha. I've bent that f'ing thing every which way you could imagine and it will not seat into the block! LOL Try and track down a Fox-body dipstick or take a look at the Lokar piece from Summit (about $26 I think).

As far as coatings, I'd have the bung welded onto the BBKs and then hit it with some Por-15 (http://www.por15.com)

Good Luck!

[Rusman]

Shaggy: I can't get any cheap headers uncoated. I'd have to go with some custom made ones and those are ~600 :(.

Darrell: Thanks! If I'm going to have to do some custom work anyway, why not do it on a better set of headers?

So, it looks like the decision has been made. <dell dude>Dude! I'm gettin a set of BBK headers!</dell dude>

Fred, fire up that welder! :)