Got some new goodies.....

[sherpagoodness]

so yea...some of the questions i may ask may have already been answered...but i just need some advice instead of searching thru other peoples s**t....

got some obx 4-2-1 headers (2 piece) this weekend during a trade. They are pretty clean but im gonna steel wool them and use that 1200* black ceramic paint. What are peoples experiences with painting aftermarket headers?
Also i was wondering should i go ahead and replace that gasket inbetween the 2 header pieces...if so where would i get a new one or is it acceptable to make a gasket, if so out of what gasket material.

all i have right now as far as exhaust is an axle back flowmaster. since ive got header now, im gonna drop some more cash on a high flow cat and go and have the everything put on at once and have my friend make me a mid pipe. What are peoples experiences with cats you can get on ebay? I really really would prefer something i can pass emissions with....Whats a good brand if the ebay ones are really just test pipes? Also...since im going to be painting the headers and my muffler is already painted black...could i paint the cat with high temp paint? I'm guessing no, because it would get too hot and not work correctly, but i would still paint the mid pipe and the new axle back part my friend is making.

break it down: 1. Good or bad to paint stainless steel headers?
2. where can you get a replacement gasket for obx headers (or how to make one)?
3.High Flow Cats? experiences, advice, recomendations.....
4.painting cat? will it work or not?

 

[eastcoastrsxs]

the paint will burn right off the header, it gets hotter than 1200 degrees, the gasket material u should be able to find at an auto parts store, sometimes they may have a gasket to fit (most are standard size) if not they usually have a cut to fit type gasket material, if not, just use the high temp mr gasket goop in the tube

 

[eastcoastrsxs]

o, and high flow cats are fine, as long as u dont mind ur car being alot louder, and not passing emmissions (if u have them) and the paint will burn off that too

 

[sherpagoodness]

well then...they make paint that is flame proof and resistant to 1500* what about that s**t?

 

[Mr. Lin]

Originally posted by sherpagoodness
well then...they make paint that is flame proof and resistant to 1500* what about that s**t?

I think you'd be safe with that...

 

[sherpagoodness]

so whats a good cat to go with....least expensive is what im looking for...but id really like to not have to swap it just to pass inspection

 

[Handlebars]

unless the stock one is fried, its not addng any restriction to an otherwise stock motor. even turbo motors see very little to no added hp with an aftermarket cat. only with very high hp applications are the stock cats worth replacing. save your money.

 

[sherpagoodness]

hey hey hey....so say my stock cat is fried...could you answer the question now? im not dropping oem prices for s**t...so aftermarket is the way to go.....

 

[Martin Racing Design]

cheapest cat = test pipe best performance too.. highly illegal -- $3000 fine.

Id go with a no-name brand cat to be honest. Like stated before, it isn't going to help much.

Oh and why paint the cat anyhow? Seems like a waste.

 

[91b18hatch]

^^^exactly, dont paint the cat unless you want to lie on the ground and show ppl ur sweet as painted cat. i have a test pipe and i havent had one problem with the law, but still, it is very annoying to be so loud.

 

[SiGuy]

yea i agree, dont paint it

 

[sherpagoodness]

ok...im leaving cat stock....im considering buying one of the 'high flows' off ebay or just a test pipe cuz i recently learned the county i live in is the only one for a couple hundred miles that actually does the dyno test....so i just need to drive a little ways towards austin and find a shop to do inspection. so you all need not worry i wont be painting that s**t. but i did paint the header and the look herra tight (used vht 1500* paint)....theyre gonna get put on tomorrow hopefully along with a custom 2.5" cat back with a custom resonator.....cant wait...let yall know how it goes but for now here are pics of my header.

 

[sherpagoodness]

primaries

 

[sherpagoodness]

b pipe

 

[Civlude]

I would replace your header gasket with one from Honda. Cant ever go wrong with OEM.

 

[sherpagoodness]

got it covered maigne

 

[sherpagoodness]

well.......after multiples cuts....a minor concussion....a broken stud...and a blister, i got the damn header on. First it came off very nicely...no problems there. Then once the header was out i tried to pull the O2 sensor...breaker bar....torch & breaker bar....O2 socket....O2 socket & torch...could not get it to come off for anything. So i bought a new O2 sensor....get home got it wired up cuz it was a universal and im putting the primaries on....got all the bolts finger tight, so i start torquing them from the center out...i got to the last bolt...the very very very last bolt and my dad barely even started to torque it and the stud snapped off....FAWKING NICE!!!!!! so after numerous trips to autozone and lowes for tools we got the old stud out, a new one in and got the manifold on!!!! yea!!!!! sounds nice and feels good i like it alot...hardly worth the trouble...but i like it alot.
when i hooked up the b pipe to the cat...i had to pull the cat to one side and like right around 1350 rpm i can hear something rattling which i am almost positive is a heatshield either on the cat or near the cat. My question is tomorrow when i go get my midpipe made how much heat shield can i have them cut off (b/c i have heard of people cutting their heatshields off cuz of rattling). Anyone who knows about this please post....thnx much

 

[sherpagoodness]

just the way it looks made it all worth it...but it sounds and feels great too

 

[sherpagoodness]

the paint seems to be holding up perfectly after 1 week....well see what the future holds. ive spilled stuff on them and it either burnt right off or dripped off and didnt leave any marks. the paint would be perfect except im pretty sure i knicked the primaries with the wrench i was using cuz i had to take them on and off so many times...so i will touch them up in the near future but all that black looks sweet to me, i love them.

 

[Mr. Lin]

That looks really good. Nice job man.