PDR on a stainless header?
01-13-2016, 04:01 PM
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PDR on a stainless header?
Hey 804 -
I've got a stainless header for my S2000 that has 3 dents in the middle two primaries that I'd like to have taken out. Anyone know if these can be corrected by a PDR person? I've seen a few 'home' methods that may work -
- plug all the openings, fill the header with water and freeze it (repeat a few times)
- plug all the openings, pump the header with air and then slowly heat the dents up outside inwards
- weld/dent puller and have at it
Any thoughts?
I've got a stainless header for my S2000 that has 3 dents in the middle two primaries that I'd like to have taken out. Anyone know if these can be corrected by a PDR person? I've seen a few 'home' methods that may work -
- plug all the openings, fill the header with water and freeze it (repeat a few times)
- plug all the openings, pump the header with air and then slowly heat the dents up outside inwards
- weld/dent puller and have at it
Any thoughts?
01-16-2016, 06:11 PM
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Re: PDR on a stainless header?
Maybe your just as fucked as before, now more of us know. Bitch at the dummy who dented the header.
Who went full potato and mashed it on the 1st place? May we know how to put on header w/o denting them.
Who went full potato and mashed it on the 1st place? May we know how to put on header w/o denting them.
01-16-2016, 06:27 PM
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Re: PDR on a stainless header?
2. Header was purchased with the damage already on it.
I'm trying to get opinions on if it's repairable and/or if people have experience with removing dents from stainless.
Did you help with either of these items? (Hint: No)
01-17-2016, 04:09 PM
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Re: PDR on a stainless header?
Some thoughts on this:
If it's uncoated stainless steel, paintless dent removal has nothing to do with it...
Frozen: Depending on the wall thickness of the tubing, you may do more damage than good and may split the tubing (everywhere). You might also not be able to control the direction of expansion enough to do any good in the first place, and you may damage any slip joints, etc..
Heated: Sounds wonderfully dangerous. Put the header under pressure, then locally heat the metal to the bottom of the liquid temperature range, and try to balloon it back out in exactly the right area without heating it too much and blowing it out under pressure, spraying yourself with metal fragments in the process. I really wouldn't recommend doing this method.
Pull 'em out: This is the least dangerous and the most controlled, if it works. You can tack weld pins/clips/loops to it wherever you want, and still heat it if you need some extra help. This method will work best if there aren't sharp creases at the edges of the dents. Fixturing the header to be pulled on will take some minor creativity. If the wall thickness is of any appreciable thickness, it's going to take a lot of force to pull them out. This isn't a sheet metal body panel.
Other suggestions: If the dents are really bad/creased, or the header is mangled, it might be worthwhile to cut out the damaged section (if it's only on one side of the tube) and weld a patch panel over it.
I'm assuming this is the normal style of dents caused by a lowered car smacking the header into the ground?
If it's uncoated stainless steel, paintless dent removal has nothing to do with it...
Frozen: Depending on the wall thickness of the tubing, you may do more damage than good and may split the tubing (everywhere). You might also not be able to control the direction of expansion enough to do any good in the first place, and you may damage any slip joints, etc..
Heated: Sounds wonderfully dangerous. Put the header under pressure, then locally heat the metal to the bottom of the liquid temperature range, and try to balloon it back out in exactly the right area without heating it too much and blowing it out under pressure, spraying yourself with metal fragments in the process. I really wouldn't recommend doing this method.
Pull 'em out: This is the least dangerous and the most controlled, if it works. You can tack weld pins/clips/loops to it wherever you want, and still heat it if you need some extra help. This method will work best if there aren't sharp creases at the edges of the dents. Fixturing the header to be pulled on will take some minor creativity. If the wall thickness is of any appreciable thickness, it's going to take a lot of force to pull them out. This isn't a sheet metal body panel.
Other suggestions: If the dents are really bad/creased, or the header is mangled, it might be worthwhile to cut out the damaged section (if it's only on one side of the tube) and weld a patch panel over it.
I'm assuming this is the normal style of dents caused by a lowered car smacking the header into the ground?
Last edited by Fabrik8; 01-17-2016 at 04:13 PM.
01-17-2016, 04:53 PM
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Re: PDR on a stainless header?
Some thoughts on this:
If it's uncoated stainless steel, paintless dent removal has nothing to do with it...
Frozen: Depending on the wall thickness of the tubing, you may do more damage than good and may split the tubing (everywhere). You might also not be able to control the direction of expansion enough to do any good in the first place, and you may damage any slip joints, etc..
Heated: Sounds wonderfully dangerous. Put the header under pressure, then locally heat the metal to the bottom of the liquid temperature range, and try to balloon it back out in exactly the right area without heating it too much and blowing it out under pressure, spraying yourself with metal fragments in the process. I really wouldn't recommend doing this method.
Pull 'em out: This is the least dangerous and the most controlled, if it works. You can tack weld pins/clips/loops to it wherever you want, and still heat it if you need some extra help. This method will work best if there aren't sharp creases at the edges of the dents. Fixturing the header to be pulled on will take some minor creativity. If the wall thickness is of any appreciable thickness, it's going to take a lot of force to pull them out. This isn't a sheet metal body panel.
Other suggestions: If the dents are really bad/creased, or the header is mangled, it might be worthwhile to cut out the damaged section (if it's only on one side of the tube) and weld a patch panel over it.
I'm assuming this is the normal style of dents caused by a lowered car smacking the header into the ground?
If it's uncoated stainless steel, paintless dent removal has nothing to do with it...
Frozen: Depending on the wall thickness of the tubing, you may do more damage than good and may split the tubing (everywhere). You might also not be able to control the direction of expansion enough to do any good in the first place, and you may damage any slip joints, etc..
Heated: Sounds wonderfully dangerous. Put the header under pressure, then locally heat the metal to the bottom of the liquid temperature range, and try to balloon it back out in exactly the right area without heating it too much and blowing it out under pressure, spraying yourself with metal fragments in the process. I really wouldn't recommend doing this method.
Pull 'em out: This is the least dangerous and the most controlled, if it works. You can tack weld pins/clips/loops to it wherever you want, and still heat it if you need some extra help. This method will work best if there aren't sharp creases at the edges of the dents. Fixturing the header to be pulled on will take some minor creativity. If the wall thickness is of any appreciable thickness, it's going to take a lot of force to pull them out. This isn't a sheet metal body panel.
Other suggestions: If the dents are really bad/creased, or the header is mangled, it might be worthwhile to cut out the damaged section (if it's only on one side of the tube) and weld a patch panel over it.
I'm assuming this is the normal style of dents caused by a lowered car smacking the header into the ground?
I've been doing some reading on the freezing process and it seems to be pretty straight forward. The method relies on water freezing and expanding consistently so when it hits the dent on the circular tube it pushes it back out.
The heating definitely seems like the more dangerous of the options, apparently once the metal starts moving it moves quick so you have to be super careful.
Pulling them seems like a sold option, I've seen suggestions of drilling a small hole and then pulling up through the tube, but not sure how well it'd work.
And not the type of dents you get from being slammed. Honestly not sure how the other owner managed to get them.
01-17-2016, 06:48 PM
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Re: PDR on a stainless header?
You can seriously buy an $80 eBay header, it fits perfect and flows just fine, several of my friends, my self included all run them and even auto x without any issues
Seems to be less trouble and effort then all that work for some dents
Seems to be less trouble and effort then all that work for some dents
01-17-2016, 07:44 PM
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Re: PDR on a stainless header?
It's a J's Racing Header for the S2000. The OEM header flows incredibly well and few aftermarket ones flow better. J's is one of the ones that does better. If I was just modding for the sake of modding, sure, I'd buy one of the PLM headers and call it a day. I'm modding in an effort to actually gain something.