Well, thats my question. I'm going to install headers on my car and I'm going to drive to the exhaust shop to get the Y-pipe done. The shop is only like 5 miles away.

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88 Formula 350
Upper and Lower SuperRam, 1000 CFM Accel Throttle Body, ZZ4 cam, 24# Motorsport Injectors, Larger Gutted Mass Sensor, Homemade Cold Air induction, Custom Burned PROM, MSD 6a box, MSD Distributor, Accel SuperCoil, Taylor 8mm wires, TB Bypass, B&M shift Kit, 160* Thermostat, Flowmaster Muffler

Headers in the mail soon to be installed

 

I've heard if you run it that way a long time its bad for valves or somethign, but 5 miles i don't think will be a problem. I know a guy who ran his TA for like a week or 2 after he dropped in the new vortech 350 and its fine.

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88 Camaro (The mighty LO3 SC!)
305TBI/700R4/2.73/123,XXX miles
14" Open Element and Flowmaster 80 seires

Next up: headers and gears

 

i just did exactly what your asking about, and as long as no wires are gonna get melted, you will be fine.just make sure that everythign is out of the way.

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87 IROC-z 305 TPI
Borg Warner T-5 fresh rebuild
10-bolt 3.73 Richmond gears rebuilt GM posi,
formerly BW 9-bolt w/3.45 gears(broke it)
Ported Plenum and Runners Homemade AFPR
ACCEL 8.8 wires, High output coil,and cap & rotor
Bosch platinum + 4 plugs
Ram Air w/ K&N filters,
MAF sensor screens removed, TB coolant bypass
Polyurethane tranny and torque arm mounts
No Cat, Dynomax Headers & catback w/custom tips
K&N oil filter,Mobil 1 synth,Factory Oil Cooler, Futura GLS Super Sport tires 265/50/15 rear and 235/60/15 front mounted on 86 monte carlo SS rims.

406 siamesed TPI in progress

 

i drove mine 7 miles to work and 7 miles back, not to mention around the block a few times. i asked a guy from a machine shop and all he said was if u can avoid a ticket. i've heard u can burn valves if u have a lean mixture. 5 miles should be alright go for it.

 

If you have a good scavenging header then you shouldn't have a problem messing up any valves. Having cold air hit hot valves has a bad effect on them.

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White 92 RS,388 cu.in.N/A
3.73 gears,auburn posi
Best 60 ft : 1.97
Best 1/4 : 12.679
Steve Spohn
Rear Suspension
Autometer guages
Extremely Loud Stereo !
Driven Daily
installed motor with AFR's and my Hooker L/T's
Kansas F-Body Association Member

 

I've heard that having open headers will bend valves because there's no backpressure on them to hold them in place or something like that. Not sure exactly how it goes, but it makes a little sense to me...

 

it's referred to as "warping the valves" and as someone above stated, its when the valves are constantly heated and then cooled, thus warping the valves. I don't think youll hhave any problems with long tube headers, but shorties might be a little different.....I'm not positive, but I'd research more before you warp a valve....not fun. good luck

 

I don't get it... how would having open headers allow the valves to be cooled? I thought only air goes OUT of the headers, and that it would be impossible for air to go in through the headers (assuming the car is running.)

 

This is what was explained to me. When the car is shut off cold air goes up the pipes causeing the vavle warping.

 

It does make sense now, if you think of a day at the track, you have the car on, do a run, and you shut it off to let it cool down. Repeat this 6 or 7 (or however many runs you do) times. I guess that is what's gonna cause the valves to get hot and quickly cool down. But doing it only once or twice I don't think would be a problem.

 

What a load of BULL! What do you think hits the intake valves constantly ? That's right! COLD INTAKE AIR and HOT EXHAUST GASES!

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1992 Z28 5.7 TPI

ZZ4 longblock
Harland Sharp roller rockers
Accel base and SLP siamesed runners,
52MM SLP Throttle Body
Hooker Headers & Flowmaster catback
MSD6A ignition
aluminum driveshaft
World Class 5-speed

 

Gee we have a bright one here!!! Yeah cold air does go past the intake valve, but hot gases do not pass it!!! It only gets hot on the bottom. Were talking about the whole valve here not just the bottom. When the exh. valve opens HOT gases pass over the entire valve surface, cooling that surface too quickly will possibly cause warping??? Are you learning anything yet?????????? If the headers aren't scavenging the gases out cold air can be circulated back up a pipe, coolong the hot valve. OK I'm done

------------------
White 92 RS,388 cu.in.N/A
3.73 gears,auburn posi
Best 60 ft : 1.97
Best 1/4 : 12.679
Steve Spohn
Rear Suspension
Autometer guages
Extremely Loud Stereo !
Driven Daily
installed motor with AFR's and my Hooker L/T's
Kansas F-Body Association Member

 

the change in temp going from hot to cold like that will have the same effect as taking a pizza pan out of the oven and sticking it under cold water, it will warp the shape, in this case the valves will get the damage.

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86 berlinetta
350cui w/.30 over
.526 hilift cam
hooker supercomps
3" duals
edelbrock streetmaster
holley 750 dp
bad asshauler

 

If you go to a drag race "pro" you'll see as soon as they shut down there engines they cap there exaust. There pipes are only about two feet long, but its always better to be safe.

 

You should be fine with long tubes, or with shorties if you have extension pipes on them (mine do, they dump right in front of where the cat goes).

 

I found out I can just go to my friend's exhaust shop and work on it there, so I won't end up driving it anywhere w/the open headers. Thanks a lot to everyone who helped.

------------------
88 Formula 350
Upper and Lower SuperRam, 1000 CFM Accel Throttle Body, ZZ4 cam, 24# Motorsport Injectors, Larger Gutted Mass Sensor, Homemade Cold Air induction, Custom Burned PROM, MSD 6a box, MSD Distributor, Accel SuperCoil, Taylor 8mm wires, TB Bypass, B&M shift Kit, 160* Thermostat, Flowmaster Muffler

Headers in the mail soon to be installed