HEADER WRAP AND HEAT PROTECTION
I certainly thought the stainless Kooks headers were pretty and didn't really want to do the wrap. The fact is that the headers are close to a lot of things and I felt better wrapping them. I invested quite a bit in heat shields, thermo insulation and conduit this month. There's a lot in the engine compartment in tight areas and it's probably better to be safe than sorry. Hopefully all this will help things last longer and keep the engine compartment and components from getting heat soaked.
Wrapping the headers isn't all that difficult but it does take time. Each tube on the Kooks headers took about 10 feet of wrap. The wrap is 2" impregnated glass cloth about .050 thick. It's pretty thick stuff and not exactly easy to get around the individual pipes. Starting at each end, I'd wrap one time around the tube and then simply wind 4-5 times to avoid having to wrap around the tube for each pass. With some patience, and a strong pull, it wasn't too bad. A screw driver and 1" putty knife helps with pushing the wrap between the tubes. After you get to the collectors, you begin wrapping all four tubes at once. I had Inconel safety wire and the stainless zip ties that came with the wrap. The Inconel safety wire can be purchased through aircraft hardware supply stores. It's typically used on turbine engines to secure nuts and bolts.
DEI glass reinforced tape works pretty well. Its a little expensive at about $15.00 for a 15 foot roll of 1-3/8". It sticks to itself relatively well and acts a bit like foil for conforming to things. It doesn't tear and seems like a good product for protecting against heat and chafing. I'm using it on the harness wiring close to the hot areas of the engine but don't rely on it exclusively. Wire routing is equally important and nothing should be in contact with the exhaust.
The above products from Thermo Tec are also good to protect your headers and fuel lines. The spray is used directly on the wrap after your done securing the header wrap to the tubes. It dries like paint and impregnates the cloth, helping secure it in place - similar to a cast. I had some extra and painted the outside of my BBQ grill. I used this on the Kooks exhaust headers below.
