Best practices for keeping heat in header pipes?

My logic for wanting to keep the heat from escaping the pipe is that if the heat can't get out then it won't radiate to other things around it. Yes, I plan to use heat shields where there is space for them to be mounted with an air gap so the shield can be effective. Here's some pics showing areas where I think it's too tight for a heat shield to be used.

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About 3/8" gap between header and shifter housing on transaxle. Yes, this is a transverse mounted engine so the transaxle is parallel to the engine near bottom of the V.

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Header passes within about 1/2" from oil pan.

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Starter solenoid within 1/2" of header.

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On the other side of header from the starter, coolant pipes/hoses are 3/4" from header.

As you can see, the headers are already built (so utilizing smaller tubes isn't an option) and the header tubes were sized by professionals at Burns Stainless to maximize exhaust flow. Hopefully these examples show why I'm looking for the best options to keep the heat within the pipes.
have a look under the bonnet of amg 6.3 twin turbo to see how they coop with heat in limited spaces , or Bugatti Aveyron.... quit impressive
 

Markus

SPRF40
Lifetime Supporter
There is also:

From an OEM standpoint check out the following - just as reference for technologie:

Those follow the same principle (from what I can tell) like https://headershield.com/ see post #4 from Joel K.
 

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Joel K

Supporter
I would like to find the dimpled aluminum sheet heat shield like OEM’s use to form around components

Mishimoto makes nice aluminum dimpled/embossed material that is cost effective…

McMasterCarr sells embossed stainless sheets of various thicknesses.

On my build I am using embossed stainless sheets covered with ceramic made by Zircotec in the UK.

They actually can form this material around exhaust components, but haven’t found a similar product near in the US. Perhaps one could order the embossed stainless from McMasterCarr. Shape it, then send it off to Swain for white lightening.

Here is a link to my build, Post #475 and you can see the Zircoflex material I used to protect the shifter cables and a few wire harnesses branches for the engine knock and cam sensors…

Scott used Zircotec to coat his headers and could speak for the anticipated heat reduction he expects. Check out Scott’s post #837. The exhaust with the coating came out amazing…
 

Randy Folsom

Supporter
That is certainly a difficult problem with such close spacing. I used some material to cover the rear firewall of my race car that might work for you. It is a high- temperature woven ceramic fabric with an aluminum foil coating bonded to it. If you install it with the metal side toward the headers, even if the fabric side touches a critical component, the heat transfer will be much reduced because of the low thermal conductivity of the fabric.

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Can you provide a brand name or link?
 

Brian Kissel

Staff member
Admin
Lifetime Supporter
I was just reading this on the Jet Hot 2500 series coating.

I've heard Swaintech is the way to go?

Swaintech does have a great product. They offer one coating type. It's comparable to Jet-Hot's 2500 offering. This level of coating is the most expensive on the market, and is only appropriate for about 10% of customers. That's why Jet-Hot provides 3 different coating offerings, not one. So you'll get a more custom coating to fit your parts and never overpay. Additionally, Swaintech only comes in one color. Jet-Hot offer over 65 color choices. Why sacrifice looks for performance when you can have both? Looking for something that's truly one-of-a-kind? Jet-Hot's coatings specialists can even handle your custom design requests. Make your next project extraordinary.

Regards Brian
 

Darius Rudis

Supporter

Randy Folsom

Supporter
My interior floor/walls is covered in Super Sonic Acoustical Mat.
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The firewall (between gas pedal and radiator) is getting covered with Aluminized Heat Barrier sheets:
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The looong radiator coolant pipes are getting wrapped in ThermoTech Tape:
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Clamshell above the bundle-of-snakes and mufflers is getting https://www.summitracing.com/parts/dei-010393
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Thx much. Very helpful. I had not thought about heat from the radiator. I think I will put radiant barrier on the outside of the front of the foot box and the aluminized heat barrier on the inside.
 

Markus

SPRF40
Lifetime Supporter
There is also:

From an OEM standpoint check out the following - just as reference for technologie:

Those follow the same principle (from what I can tell) like https://headershield.com/ see post #4 from Joel K.
Found these:
 
Thanks much for the information posted so far...this is exactly what I was looking for when starting this thread. Hopefully this information is also useful for others as they sort through the similar situations in their project cars.

There is one related question that I'm still seeking an answer to. Assuming the right type of insulating heat shield is used to keep the heat inside a 304SS exhaust pipe, will there be a detrimental side effect to the structural integrity of the exhaust pipe itself? If so, will the 304 SS pipe be weakened/compromised quickly or will the affects take place over a long period of time? If the 304SS pipe will be compromised, is there a practical way to mitigate or slow down the damage? I'm worried that the pipe may reach a heat level that stresses the base metal causing it to deform or deteriorate.

I ask this set of questions because I've already invested a bunch of time and money in fabricating the custom headers and exhaust for my Miura project. I'd like the exhaust system to last many, many years and not be something I'd need to replace in the near future. So any reasonable measures/steps I can take now to ensure exhaust system longevity, I would like to take while the parts are all still new and fresh.
 

Darius Rudis

Supporter
Here is before I wrapped the headers (Swain-coated inside/out) and the Y-pipe. Before, the paint literally burned off the floor. Ran it wrapped like that for 6 years, and never noticed any ill effect on headers, nor exhaust. This was on my 427cid turbo 850rwhp application. IMOHO, if it not plain steel headers, then you can wrap without worries.
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I just got a quote from these guys for two down pipes. Very pricey, but supposedly more effective than ceramic…


I have decided to go the Header Shield route as the primary heat control technique for the Coyote headers in my Miura project. After weighing out all the options brought up in this thread (thanks again guys for all the great info), it felt like the only viable approach with a realistic chance of keeping the heat away from critical engine components and more importantly, my backside. Yes, it's expensive ($1,500 a header in this case) but it appears to be the only option with a 60% reduction in heat escape. Special thanks to Joel K for pointing it out as I hadn't heard of Header Shield prior to this thread. I'll post pictures of the insulated headers once they are returned in about 6 weeks or so.

As the secondary technique for heat control, I'm planning to do a multi-layer heat barrier on the engine bay firewall. Bottom layer is Lizard Skin spray-on sound control, second layer is Lizard Skin spray-on ceramic insulation, and top layer is DEI stick-on Floor and Tunnel Shield. I anticipate these layers will form a 3/8" heat and sound barrier between the engine and the cockpit. The firewall is 1/4" aluminum which in and of itself provides almost no barrier to heat and sound.

A question for those with experience for the Lizard Skin products (especially for sound and heat products used in tandem), did you find these products worked as advertised? What techniques did you find to work best for application? For example, did you mask off fasteners (bolt heads, screw heads, etc.) or did you remove them? Does the Lizard Skin form a "sealing surface" if applied between overlapping panels or should the overlaps be masked and sealed with something like silicone during later assembly? I haven't used spray-on sound or heat products before and have borrowed the special paint gun to apply. Before spraying this stuff all over everything, I'd like to get some tips and hopefully minimize the learning curve.
 

Chris Kouba

Supporter
Joel,

I used Lizard Skin heat control on my camper project and loved it. Dramatic reduction in thermal conductivity for the skin of the camper shell. I know you're talking about an entirely different used case but I have been very impressed with it in the 20 to 110 degree range.

I'll PM you my number if you'd like to chat about it.

Chris
 

Randy Folsom

Supporter
I just finished coating the floor of a Jeep with Lizard Skin using the sprayer that came with the kit. The finished texture is not at all smooth. Not sure if a layer of DEI insulation would stick very well.
 
I just finished coating the floor of a Jeep with Lizard Skin using the sprayer that came with the kit. The finished texture is not at all smooth. Not sure if a layer of DEI insulation would stick very well.

Yes, the surface is far from smooth. I've been sanding down the high spots with 40 grit paper today and it's a bit like sanding on rubber sheet. But the high spots are coming down and I think it will be smooth enough to hold the stick-on insulation. Time will tell ... :rolleyes:
 
As a follow-up, here's some pictures of the headers, etc. as they came back from Header Shield.

Before:
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After:
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The embossed stainless steel layer is resistance welded (similar to a spot weld but done in a continuous manner) to the headers, collectors, and exhaust pipe. The SS layer is composed of many pieces snugly fitting over the curved surfaces that are resistance welded to each other. There is a layer of thin insulation material under the SS outer coating. The shielding adds some size to the parts but really not that much.

The people at Header Shield were great to work with. They were helpful in giving a quote prior to starting the work, a good projection for how long it would take, and packaged the parts well for return shipment. Their quality of workmanship appears to be top notch.

I can't report on how well it works yet as the exhaust still needs to be installed back in the car prior to engine startup. In addition, there's still some wiring and plumbing work before initial engine startup. I'll try to remember to give an update once the engine is running but that may be a while given I anticipate little time available for my Miura project for a while.
 
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