Perculation

[CaptainK]

I take on board what you are saying but at least the fuel will not be getting nearly as hot in the first place . The guy who prepares and builds the race cars where I rent storage for the C3 gave the length of the insulation he uses to me when I was doing a lot of work on the car a couple of years ago suggesting it would be a good idea . I have also always made a habit of opening the hood for a while to disipate heat build up after getting back from a quick blast or a long drive .

Apologies - my post above wasn't intended to claim I was an expert on insulating the fuel lines. It was just stuff I read on various websites about the pros and cons of doing so, so I could make a decision on whether or not to do it. In the end I had actually decided to wrap my fuel pipes too, but after my carb insulator solved my problems I decided not to risk provoking the wrath of the Gods

 

[CaptainK]

I must feel how hot the carb gets to the touch, you’d think it would have to feel untouchable to boil the fuel, not sure it is but will check next run out

From memory, my carb prior to the heat insulator was untouchable when it was still "percolating" and for a bit after. Granted it only did that for about 10 seconds after engine shutoff. So I had to jump out the car, turn it off, open the bonnet and then put my hand on it. Definitely a marked difference in carb temperature after the insulator was put in. If you have clearance on your car, you could go for a thicker insulator.

 

[Chuffer]

Apologies - my post above wasn't intended to claim I was an expert on insulating the fuel lines. It was just stuff I read on various websites about the pros and cons of doing so, so I could make a decision on whether or not to do it. In the end I had actually decided to wrap my fuel pipes too, but after my carb insulator solved my problems I decided not to risk provoking the wrath of the Gods

No apologies needed Captain , there are pros and cons on most things not to mention the many and varied opinions to be found on websites

 

[Roscobbc]

Look under the passenger side hood in the engine compartment of my car and there is a lot of header surface visible there - with 2 3/16" primaries - all equal length its a bit on the tight side - so no room for a/c - and yes it gets hot, very hot especially on summers days when caught in stationary traffic. its a bit like watching an old TV film shot in the Sahara desert - your vision of the line of cars in front is badly distorted........ in fact so hot that when you eventually move off the blast of heat coming through the 'ventilation' system and under the dash is enough to make your eyes water..........and yes, it does start to run very 'wooly' with the fuel no doubt close to its boiling point - you just pray that you don't stall the engine. - Once the car is moving again things quickly return to normal. Turning the engine off for a while in a traffic jam has to be carefully considered in case its reluctant to start again. Ceramic coated headers work well and don't just reduce underhood temperatures they are also quieter.

 

[CaptainK]

Talking of heat and headers etc - what is everyone's opinion on wrapping headers (with exhaust wrap stuff) in a C3 to try to keep temperatures down in the engine bay? Has anyone any experience of it, as its something else I was considering.

 

[Roscobbc]

Quickest method of causing headers to rust away.......

 

[Daytona Vette]

Talking of heat and headers etc - what is everyone's opinion on wrapping headers (with exhaust wrap stuff) in a C3 to try to keep temperatures down in the engine bay? Has anyone any experience of it, as its something else I was considering.

Ceramic Coat the Headers - If Chrome or Polished Ceramic Coat them on the inside, will also help stop the blueing

 

[Roscobbc]

Ceramic Coat the Headers - If Chrome or Polished Ceramic Coat them on the inside, will also help stop the blueing

100% correct Barry. Many quality header manufacturers give the option of ceramic coating - and yes it really does help protect against rust and insulates against heat and noise compared with un-coated. Not saying that you can rest your hand on the header surface (but you will be able to remove your hand rather than leave some of it on the header.....) Header wrap is reportedly an issue with infrequently used cars - the lagging absorbs condensation which conseqwuently rusts the surface of header if unused for a period). Seemingly also a problem with stainless steel exhaust systems too - the wrap causes the surface of the header to run hotter - an issue I understand (with stainless steel) that can create embrittlement and potential fractures.........

 

[CaptainK]

Yeah, I would have liked ceramic coating, but alas back when I had all the stuff done to my Vette a few years back I was a man of very low budget. I don't drive the car that often enough to worry too much about excess heat under the engine bay, but as exhaust wrapping is fairly cheap (as opposed to removing my not very old headers and replacing with shiny ceramic coated one), I thought I'd look into it. That's a good point about condensation on the wrap, I'd never thought about that.

 

[Chuffer]

Providing each trip out is at least 20 miles when you take the car out , I personally doubt there will and dampness left in the wrap . Certainly the short sections of exhaust that I have wrapped are VERY warm after a good run .

 

[Roscobbc]

Providing each trip out is at least 20 miles when you take the car out , I personally doubt there will and dampness left in the wrap . Certainly the short sections of exhaust that I have wrapped are VERY warm after a good run .

I'm with you on that Chuffer - mind you, much the same applies for any car started in a garage and not taken on a run - difference being that moisure is held within the exhaust system and will rot-out exhaust (if mild steel) from the inside. Always best to make sure ceramic coated headers are finished both internally and externally (Hooker ceramic coated are....)

 

[Chuffer]

I'm with you on that Chuffer - mind you, much the same applies for any car started in a garage and not taken on a run - difference being that moisure is held within the exhaust system and will rot-out exhaust (if mild steel) from the inside. Always best to make sure ceramic coated headers are finished both internally and externally (Hooker ceramic coated are....)

Go along with you on the internal and external coating Roscobb . And I am always banging on to people about how incredibly damaging short trips are for ICE vehicles . I appreciate that sometimes an occasional short trip is unavoidable , but never on a regular basis ! I wonder how many people get duped into thinking they have a blown head gasket because of all the Mayo in the rocker covers when really it`s all down to condensation from constant short journeys .