Ever start an engine without headers ??

[Double Venom]

No down sides!?

There are some good points here, burning valves is almost a promise, warping a valve stem falls right in line. Damaging the car? Well not likely but entirely possible!

I really like the comment about "hearing" a problem, i.e.; rockers not set right, collapsed lifter, bad bearing, timing to far advanced/retarded, and the llst goes on and on

Especially new motors need at least 21 inches of exhaust on all ports to keep from damaging the engine. Just an ol' tuners 2-cents worth!

DV

[jwd]

Originally Posted by Double Venom

No down sides!?

There are some good points here, burning valves is almost a promise, warping a valve stem falls right in line. Damaging the car? Well not likely but entirely possible!

I really like the comment about "hearing" a problem, i.e.; rockers not set right, collapsed lifter, bad bearing, timing to far advanced/retarded, and the llst goes on and on

Especially new motors need at least 21 inches of exhaust on all ports to keep from damaging the engine. Just an ol' tuners 2-cents worth!

DV

The old "burnt valve" scare is an old wives tale from the model T days. I don't buy it and never have. Neither do most builders. Drag racers don't have a problem with burnt valves and they run them as hard as possible and then just shut em off.
My comment about hearing a problem was referring to a rod, piston or wrist pin knocking, which you can hear just fine, not a lifter ticking.
I wasn't thinking about the OP having the body mounted though. I definately wouldn't do it with a fiberglass body that close to the exhaust ports.

Jim

[tcrist]

Originally Posted by jwd

The old "burnt valve" scare is an old wives tale from the model T days. I don't buy it and never have. Neither do most builders. Drag racers don't have a problem with burnt valves and they run them as hard as possible and then just shut em off.
My comment about hearing a problem was referring to a rod, piston or wrist pin knocking, which you can hear just fine, not a lifter ticking.
I wasn't thinking about the OP having the body mounted though. I definately wouldn't do it with a fiberglass body that close to the exhaust ports.

Jim

Drag racers run headers. They dont just run them without any exhaust on them. That is what the orgional poster was talking about.

Terry

[Excaliber]

Well it appears that old wives tale about the "need for backpressure" is still alive and well. You need backpressure on your exhaust like a muffler needs a new bearing...

[puppster]

Muffler bearings? Are they expensive? That takes me bake a long way, we had a good friend in high school convinced he needed new muffler bearings. Seriously, I originally posted that I had heard that you could do damage by running no exhaust headers, but I don't really know. However I do know that if you have a refrigerator on your front porch, you can run an engine without headers. Remember I have done this before, but we did have to mow around car when we cut the grass.

[cobraviper_99]

My car has an aluminum body. The inner fender area was getting a tad warm.