Are my Kooks headers supposed to rust like this?
TECH Addict
Joined: Dec 2001
Posts: 2,907
Likes: 1
From: Bergen County, NJ
Originally Posted by Shawn MacAnanny
Is there anyway to tell if they are stainless or mild steel? My mechanic bought and installed these but i KNOW i paid for stainless steel.
Another way is that magnets don't adhere real well to stainless as compared to steel I think your mechanic bought Kooks mild steel.
TECH Regular
Joined: Oct 2005
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Expanding on DADDY's comment: Low-grade stainless, like the 409 alloy favoured by car companies, gets "rusty-looking" after a while, but never really rots, and is mildly magnetic, i.e. a magnet will cling weakly. A 304 stainless, as used in virtually all aftermarket stainless headers, stays virtually unblemished and is completely non-magnetic*. *(I just tested a set of LGs and confirmed this.)
I'm sure Kooks has a different p.n. for stainless vs. mild; you should check what your mechanic ordered and if it was the stainless, talk to Kooks about the mix up.
I'm sure Kooks has a different p.n. for stainless vs. mild; you should check what your mechanic ordered and if it was the stainless, talk to Kooks about the mix up.
TECH Fanatic
Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 1,118
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From: TX
Originally Posted by Shawn MacAnanny
He says he bought stainless steel... Says Kooks only makes stainless steel. Says i must just have really salty air...
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TECH Enthusiast
Joined: Apr 2004
Posts: 749
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From: Chandler, Arizona
Originally Posted by LS1LUNATIC
type 304 stainless is the cheapest version of stainless, none the less, whatever happened to your headers.....I have no clue.....
Like the one guy said, Kooks has made mild steel headers in the past, I bet you have a set.
DO NOT USE STEEL WOOL on a stainless product.
lil pieces of the wool will be left behind in the metal, no matter how much you clean it.
over time, you will have lil dots of rust on the header.
not in the stainless tube, but on the surface from the wool left.
use bronze wool from a marine/boat shop.
it coest a bit more, but will not leave behind anything to annoy you down the road.
stainless has carbon makeup, so some grades can rust.
good luck.
lil pieces of the wool will be left behind in the metal, no matter how much you clean it.
over time, you will have lil dots of rust on the header.
not in the stainless tube, but on the surface from the wool left.
use bronze wool from a marine/boat shop.
it coest a bit more, but will not leave behind anything to annoy you down the road.
stainless has carbon makeup, so some grades can rust.
good luck.
Originally Posted by 2K2WS6TA
From the look of the bolts, it looks like long term salt water exposure
from the look of the bolts, there is something up with wherever it is you live. most header bolts are stainless steel also, so if they rust something is up. maybe look into ceramic coating for the headers.
My mechanic says he reused my stock bolts to mount the headers so thats why they are rusted. He insists he bought me stainless steel headers, but i've had a few problems with him and his 'distributor' so maybe he made a mistake and got the sent wrong ones or ordered the wrong ones. I showed him the pics, he said he didnt think it looked rusted, just a surface color. He said stainless does that and that mine are not rusted.... Also does anyone have a picture of their Kooks headers a few months later? Like what mine SHOULD look like?
Your mechanic boned you, plain and simple.
I've had a set of Kook's stainless headers on my T/A for almost a year, and they look just as good now as the day I pulled them from the box.
Either you got shipped mild steel headers by mistake, or your mechanic sadled you up and took you for a ride. Which ever one of those it is, I would be bullshit.
Also, stainless steel will have a rainbow pattern to it once it has been heat cycled enough. Did you happen to notice this pattern when the headers were new, i.e. before the rust started.
Shea
I've had a set of Kook's stainless headers on my T/A for almost a year, and they look just as good now as the day I pulled them from the box.
Either you got shipped mild steel headers by mistake, or your mechanic sadled you up and took you for a ride. Which ever one of those it is, I would be bullshit.
Also, stainless steel will have a rainbow pattern to it once it has been heat cycled enough. Did you happen to notice this pattern when the headers were new, i.e. before the rust started.
Shea
I remembered asking if they rainbow pattern would burn on and he said yeah but i never noticed it. I saw it on a Corvette at the Chevy show and thought it was the coolest thing but mine never did. Just figured it wasnt something that was going to happen to mine.
Does the Kooks badge havea serial number on it? Anyone know if i can tell from the numbers for sure they are not stainless? Those stainless works headers definately look 1,000 times better than mine.
Does the Kooks badge havea serial number on it? Anyone know if i can tell from the numbers for sure they are not stainless? Those stainless works headers definately look 1,000 times better than mine.
I agree, you're mechanic is feeding you a line of crap or is just plain ignorant. He might be right about the salty air though, is his shop close to you? He should be seeing the same problems on the cars he works on. Are other bolts and non painted steel items on your car rusting this bad? The header bolts rusted out quick and the spark plug tips have a corrosion look to them. Do you wash your engine in battery acid by chance? 
Notice how the header flange didn't rust, bet that is the good grade stainless. Here's a pic of my year old Stainless Works headers with stock 5 year old header bolts.
Notice how the header flange didn't rust, bet that is the good grade stainless. Here's a pic of my year old Stainless Works headers with stock 5 year old header bolts. Last edited by HavATampa; May 31, 2011 at 10:14 PM.
Ok here is a picture of where the headers meet the X pipe. You can definately tell they are a different material. They were supposed to both be stainless steel. I paid $1400 for them from my mechanic when they were on sale for like $1200 somewhere else. Im am definately pissed off. Maybe it wasnt his fault, maybe Kooks sent him the wrong ones but with the mistakes he's made with my car, he doesnt hold the highest reputation with me.
The spark plugs arent corroded, that's the dialectric gel combined with the 2084/1024 or something resolution picture i used to take a close pic. Haven't got a chance to ask him about it but i know the Borla straight pipes i have dont even have a spec of rust. On my X pipe you can see a few specs of what look like rust but im sure it will wipe right off or it may even be dirt. I can't really get under there to check, it jsut rained last night so im not trying to get all muddy.
I bet if i cleaned my headers with something they would look about like yours actually. I do think the picture coloring makes them look a little worse then they are but they are definately visibly rusted. I tried wiping it off with my hand but it's pitted in some places. Whats up with my X pipe being a different metal than the headers though?
Also he said he reused my factory bolts to bolt up the headers. The bolts im not concerned about becuase i must say there is not a single exhasut leak, but the rusting headers are a problem for me.
I bet if i cleaned my headers with something they would look about like yours actually. I do think the picture coloring makes them look a little worse then they are but they are definately visibly rusted. I tried wiping it off with my hand but it's pitted in some places. Whats up with my X pipe being a different metal than the headers though?
Also he said he reused my factory bolts to bolt up the headers. The bolts im not concerned about becuase i must say there is not a single exhasut leak, but the rusting headers are a problem for me.