Topic: 70 428 cj heat riser

[Cobrajt1]

I am making the assumption that the wrap on my heat riser is something that has been added by a previous owner and not a dealer or factory, but I wanted to ask the question and verify? Who ever did it really took their time and even added wrap along the seams on each side prior to applying the wrap on the outside. I have owned the car for 30+ years and it has never came loose. My plan is to remove but I wanted to see if anybody else has run across this.

[J_Speegle]

Never seen one coated like that on a 70

[ExportMach]

Seeing this part reminds me of a funny story about my dad and a mutual friend who I will call Tom. In the 1980's we met Tom and were impressed with his knowledge of 428CJ minutia. He seemed to be an expert who always had the correct answer. One day, Tom and my dad went to the local salvage yard to scrounge for unclaimed 428 treasure and the found a CJ oil pan laying on the ground and an S tube (like yours) in a disassembled car. They bought both of these items for $10 bucks total. When they got to Toms place they decided to clean the pieces and repaint them Ford corporate blue. Upon inspection they noticed there was a 'dent' in the S tube. They very carefully 'un-dented' it and applied the paint. When they tried to install the S tube on Tom's mostly original '69 Big block Mach they discovered that the 'dent' was supposed to be there to clear some other piece . . . probably a valve cover and that they had ruined a perfectly good part without knowing it. They could have kept their fubar to themselves but they couldnt help themselves and at the next local Mustang club meeting they ratted each other out. We laughed at that debacle for years and years.

[Brian Conway]

To answer your question; No.  Never seen anything like that on any car.  In fact having a hard time trying to fiqure the purpose ?  Mechanically I see no useful function.  May be hiding some awful rust/corrosion and the wrap is the only thing holding it together ?  Brian

[Cobrajt1]

I went ahead and took the wrap off anticipating exactly what you described. I was actually very pleased. As a matter of fact, it looked brand new. Paint still had some shine to it and no rust at all.

[Bob Gaines]

To answer your question; No.  Never seen anything like that on any car.  In fact having a hard time trying to fiqure the purpose ?  Mechanically I see no useful function.  May be hiding some awful rust/corrosion and the wrap is the only thing holding it together ?  Brian

That appears very much like the insulating wrap used on headers. The purpose on exhaust headers is to keep the heat on the inside and not radiating out for better inside exhaust flow and also too insulate heat prone items like starters from damage.  I think the purpose in this case whether realistic expectations or not (don't think so) was meant to keep the heat inside the heat riser or so they thought .  They probably thought it would work better. The reality is it would never get hot enough to make a difference.  At least that is the way it appears to me. I have never seen another like it. Unless on headers  .

[Mike_B_SVT]

Hmm... did the car come from a cold climate?  Maybe they added the wrap thinking that the car would warm up faster?