[Healeys] Hot Healeys

[Mr. Bill]

Hi Bob,

First, it's hard to tell from your email if you wrapped just the down 
pipes or the cast iron manifolds as well.  If you wrapped the manifolds, 
GET IT OFF NOW or you will have a major melt down!

If it was just the down pipes, I don't really know and perhaps others 
can advise.  I can tell you that I used header wrap on my daily driver 
240Z and it totally fried every weld in the headers.  I sounded like a 
"Midasize it" commercial!  Others on my Z List had the same experience.  
It seems to be good for the track, but not for something driven a lot.

Yes, there is a lot more heat coming out the pipe.  And depending on 
your mufflers, it will fry the guts out of them as well. 

YMMV But for such a cheap item, it cost me a hellova lot of time and $!

Bill Barnett
'53 BN1 two-owner
'72 240Z one-owner


Bob Spidell wrote:
> Yes, I know all our cars are "Hot!" (a la P. Hilton ;)
>
> But, I'm talking running temps here.  Although my BJ8 has a clean block, 
> good stock baffling, an Excel-cored radiator, RedLine Water Wetter and a 
> Texas Cooler fan I still get a temperature rise sitting idle on a hot 
> day (it'll creep up from 180F to 200F or higher in a few minutes).  
> Moving temp is under control, except when pulling a grade on a hot day.
>
> Anyway, last time I did muffler work I wrapped the downpipes with header 
> wrap (from good ol' JC Whitney).   The last couple days, we've had 
> record temps in the SF Bay Area, and I've been able to test this mod.  
> My "data" is empirical/observational at best, but it appears the wrap 
> helps keep the temps under control, especially sitting at idle.  It's 
> not a miracle fix, but seems to reduce hot idling temps by 5-10degF.  It 
> also appears that the gas exiting the muffler is hotter (measured by the 
> palm of my hand).  That's heat exiting at the rear instead of trapped in 
> the engine compartment.  Looks kinda cool, too.
>
> I agree with others that a flex fan is more effective than a Texas 
> Cooler-type fan, but I couldn't stand the noise at idle.
>
>
> bs