Sanderson PowerCaps (Pair)

Why Use PowerCaps?

For those looking at the Sanderson Lakes-style Limefire and Jayster outside chassis headers for their street rod, here is a tech tip that might prevent grief, frustration, and damage!

You may already know that Sanderson lakes-style headers are available with or without connections for an under-chassis exhaust system. Since the original design, Sanderson has offered the option of a throaty open exhaust or a quiet and capped lakes-style header using an under-chassis system.

We have found that there is not much of an issue with stock or mild street rod engines if the installer follows standard installation instructions. However, on applications making decent horsepower, it is possible to damage the header or header coating near the end of the collector where the under-chassis adapter connection is located. The cause of this problem is the turbulence created by the limited distance of dead space just after the under-chassis connection and the end cap on the header (when the header is capped and exhaust gasses are routed through an under-chassis exhaust system). The turbulence in this area causes the EGTs (Exhaust Gas Temperatures) to rise dramatically. In some applications, this could cause the EGTs to exceed the thermal capacity of the header coating—causing finish damage and discoloration. This problem occurs on high-power engines and engines regularly operating at higher RPMs, including applications that regularly experience extended highway driving or on lower-geared vehicles.

The solution is relatively simple but adds cost to the header purchase. We designed a component called the “PowerCap” to solve this issue. The PowerCap slides into the collector tube and smoothly redirects exhaust gas flow from the collector tube into the under-chassis exhaust tubing. The PowerCap bolts securely into your header at the end cap flange, removing the collector horn’s turbulence area. Improved power and torque are additional benefits by improving airflow into the under-chassis exhaust. Although the PowerCaps are recommended for higher horsepower applications, they also benefit all applications using the under-chassis exhaust connection.

PowerCaps capture hidden horsepower on applications using under-chassis exhaust connections. Under-chassis adapters allow you to run a quieter under-chassis exhaust system, and adding the PowerCaps increases power and extends the life of your headers.