I have Jet Hot headers on my 2001 LS1. Even though I occasionally drive the car and they are advertised to prevent this very problem, they have accumulated some rust over the past three years I have had them on the car. They have gotten grungy specifically around the collector area and one of the ends of the Y-Pipe is a solid brown color. Not what I was expecting for the money I paid.

I have been looking for ways to tackle this rust, and while going through my collection of solvents, epoxies, paint, etc. I stumbled across some naval jelly. Apparently this stuff is THE THING to use to kill rust. However, I'm concerned that this will eat my header coating also, which kinda defeats the purpose of having the coating in the first place.

My buddy always suggests that I need to take the headers off and send them in for warranty work. Good advice except for the fact that these are LT headers and it took a miracle to get them on to begin with, so there is no way in hell I am taking them off for warranty work. Not happening. I just need to get the rust off so what would I be looking at?

Would naval jelly work or will it fry my headers?

 

Why would someone make jelly to put in your navel?

 

It should be fine, I used Naval Jelly before. On my 79 I had a chip in the paint and water made it rust. I applied the Jelly to it and then you let it sit and wipe it away. It didnt harm the surrounding paint. But it made the metal silver again so I then applied touch up paint.

I also have the same Headers on my LS1 and are a lil brown now. I was just going to use a polish/wax and use some steel wool with it and clean them up that way...

 

hell if i know about the navel jelly...that is a new one on me...

 

Chances are what you are explaining is not rust but burnt on debris from the road. The coating on most headers today is very good and doesn't flake easily, Jet Hots are among the better coated headers. It happens to them all. I'd verify it is actually rust first.

 

it should not hurt. I have used it before on chrome bumpers with no problem

 

i thought they had a lifetime warranty against this.........

 

Must be I'm the only one who has never heard of Naval Jelly?

 

It's a jellied form of phosizing. (spelling incorrect) Phosphoric acid is used in various treatments that can be painted on iron or steel to kill rust and even bond the existing rust back to metal. Commonly used to treat rusted metal before painting again.

 

Thats just the problem. It's LT headers on an fbody. Once their on, they are not coming back off. Its just too much of a PITA.

 

yeah but once you do it a few times it goes on and off like buddda

i think the biggest problem is the down time if its your daily driver

 

I have some Navel Jelly, but never used it cause when you read the back it is suppose to **** up about everything I could have used it for

 

Well, quick update. It was a cold and lonely saturday night so I decided to try it out in the garage. I propped up the car and used a jar of the stuff and the rust came off like butter. It was really amazing. I just swabbed the stuff on with a foam painters brush, waited about two minutes and then washed the stuff off with a squirt bottle full of soap and water. Alot of the surface rust came off with the first past and I followed it up with some stainless steel wipes.

Doesn't look 100% new but I would say its about a 90% improvement.

 

Good deal man.