The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Engine Shop Anyone disappointed with dynomax headers?

Hello,
I just got my order today for new headers. I am just a bit disappointed...

1) The box was damaged, opened, and restrapped. (Probably not the manufacuter's fault, most likely that brown van company that shipped it.)

2) The header already has rust on it down where the pipes collect.

3) The paint job is all full of drips and very uneven

4) It looks like the header was boxed while still wet, as the cardboard is stuck to header and paint is on the box. (Shows bare metal in places.)

5) The flanges are full of burrs and nastyness that I would assume should have been ground off before sending to me

6) The gaskets were floating loose in box and have been bent up under the weight/shifting of the headers

I am not at all happy with this result. I called Summit and they are going to send replacement and the guy said he was suprised to hear a complaint about dynomax, but this is some shoddy work.

Dave

Well all I can say is I ordered from summit and never had a problem. 4.3 v6 chevy intake with carb. 91 pontiac firebird cat convert and dyno exhaust. oil pan for 305 pontiac all came goood condition and had to be cut from boxes. notta damage and in good condition. all parts fit good too. Was worried about the tiwan oil pan but it fit and no oil leaks so far. Gotta be someone dropped the box off a three story bldg. or dropped a couple cement blocks on it. Summit will make it good.

jbennett
40 burb

Could I have a web site for summit J?

i bought a set of edelbrock headers for a camaro about five years ago.they came with a note that the paint on them was just for shipping.i was ******.350 dollars for headers and then i had to get them sandblasted so i could repaint them.

Ok...it took me a few minutes to get my webpage re-registered last night...so here are some pics.

Is this normal? I have never ordered stuff like this, but I would not expect them to be in this bad of shape...

www.voiceinthewild.com/pages/exhaust.html

Summit has already agreed to replace this part, but I am wondering if the next one will be any better.

Guys, loyalty is a great characteristic. I buy from many vendors but the first place I consider and look for those parts is American Classic. They sponsor this site and I would suggest if you can find the part and the price and the quality completive at American Classic, buy it there, if not, anywhere else.
My 3.5 cents...

The paint flies off the second you start the engine anyway, so that is a non-issue. Burrs & such are just signs of poor quality control.I quit buying cheap headers a long time ago-Hookers are the only brand I buy. Brian.

YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR, PAINTEDE HEADERS WILL BE BARE AS SOON AS YOU GET THEM HOT ANYWAY.

In years gone by there were cyclone,doug thorley,black jack to name a few under 100 bucks. First take Acatone and wipe the paint off,
should take about 15 min. But a can of VHT hi temp header paint and FOLLOW THE DIRECTIONS!
Ive been pleased with the results.
If you use cast iron manifolds,use the Nu-Cast
hi temp VHT #sp-998 it works Great!
Wick

"Every hour you spend Fishing adds A day to your Life"

I think I'd send them back up and demand a refund, plus shipping cost. There really is no excuse for poor workmanship like that, regardless of what happens to the paint when you fire up the engine. You paid for new headers, not something that looks like it was pulled from a wrecking yard.

I have had good luck with Plasti-Kote Hi-Temp paint for headers. They claim it's good to 1500F. As Wick said, be sure to follow the directions and heat cure the paint.
DON'T mess with the inside of the header flange. That roughness that you're worried about will help the gasket seal and keep it from moving around.

250/292 heads came with two locating pins. One on each end. Inboard of each of those is a threaded stud with a fine thread nut. All the other manifold fasteners were bolts. The pins are threaded in and can be removed. Replace those and all the bolts with studs. Your head may not have the studs, because the head rebuilders like to take them out and not replace. Of the original clamps, some are long and some short. With the Clifford intake, I used six short clamps and a total of eight studs.
The header flanges are not very thick and will warp easily and leak. DO NOT OVER TIGHTEN THE NUTS.

Most people here will tell you to get a Felpro header gasket. I recommend the cheapest one piece header gasket you can find. Just like the ones you have pictured. I tried a $30 felpro and it lasted one week. What ever gasket you choose, do NOT over tighten it. It will leak for sure.
Holding the two header pieces, the gasket, and the intake against the engine and starting the bolts is a juggling act. The studs make the assembly very easy and helps with the gasket sealing.

The box and gaskets should not have been damaged, but I don't see a problem with the rest of it. If you had put out the money for ceramic coated and got that quality of finish then I could see your dissatisfaction.

I have tried that site a couple of times at the begining, but I actually find very little there for my '65. The do not have any exhaust for the 292.

Yelling....(caps locks)...but anyway to me $180 is not cheap. I am not sure why people are thinking I am going on the cheap. I understand that there are differences between cast iron and tubes...but these were basically the same as the others and if they are all the same design...not sure how paying Hedman is different than paying Dynomax or Pacesetter.

This is more like what I was feeling when I pulled the parts out of the box. I didn't pay for secondhand...I didn't go to a junkyard or ebay. I ordered new.

I will wait to see what they send me next. The problem is that I did not buy this truck to spend many hundreds of dollars on it...I was told it was a working truck and it did when I test drove it. I just want to get it working again. $300 for a new manifold is not in my budget...if that is cheap so be it.

Dave