Inliners International Forums General Discussion Engines Driving With Open Headers

I just installed a set of Fentons on my stock 235 and I need to get the truck to the muffler shop. Will I hurt anything if I drive about 5 miles with nothing but the headers?

Are the Fenton headers short Like Tom Langdons Cast exhaust Or are they longer More like a Tube Header? If they are more like a long tube header No you wouldn't hurt anything. But if short More like a stock exhaust. It is Possable to burn a exhaust valve But Not likely in 5miles. So maybe the biggest issue you may have to worry about is getting pulled over an give-in a ticket For no mufflers. food for thought & Hope this helps
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They're short. I haven't tried to start the truck to see how bad it sounds.

I've heard of damaging the exhaust valves before, but in the case I heard it was somebody running an engine without exhaust manifolds. How exactly does running without the rest of the exhaust endanger anything? I'm not sure I understand what's going on here.

It will be loud with only the fentons on and no pipes. Recommend that you go to pepboys or similar and get some short pipes with a flange. cut them as necessary add some flex pipes to each with whatever mufflers you will be using. Bolt them up in the front and wire them up in the rear and then drive down. Depending upon how you have your oil filter set-up you may scorch that also without pipes of some type. You'll need pipes on it anyway to get it tuned-up before it goes to the muffler shop.

Dear Jerry;

Make an appointment at the Muffler Shop & just start it & go making the least noise possible.

Not a problem at all.

The only way you could hurt the engine is if it were ran for an hour at freeway speed. Then the damage would occur when/if it were allowed to cool off rapidly.

Five miles @ 30 MPH is minutes.

Good luck, John M....

Call the shop and ask if they have free towing service to PAYING customers. Most Respectable (wanting your business) shops offer this service.

I ran open exhaust for years on my old British motorcycles,never had any valve problems.I suppose if you run a stock unmuffled engine at full load for an hour without proper jetting you may have a problem.I think this is a tale from the old days when engines had poor valve materials.
On racing inline engines,a crossover isn't needed,but street use is different,low speed driveability is all important.
The best way to test a theory is to do it for yourself.