[Jim Kaekel]

Here's my .02. Like everyone else, I had to buy new headers every five years or so due to rust. I got them coated every other year to try to keep them in good shape. By the time I took my mild steel custom headers ($800.00) and had them coated twice over the course of their lifetime, I realized I could have bought a set of stainless headers and be done with it. I've run the same set of stainless headers the last 5 years or so and they still look like new and do not need coating at all. To soften the initial hit, I just bought a set of custom stainless headers, less collectors, and used my mild steel headers for a season. The following year, I purchased a set of stainless collectors.