How To Get them TIGHTER & Prevent Exhaust Wrap from Unravelling! Stainless Steel Zip Tie Tech Tip 32
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 10 ก.พ. 2025
- So you spent ages neatly wrapping your exhaust manifold and got to the final step - securing it to the pipe with some stainless steel zip ties. This is the easiest part of the install right?? Think again! As it turns out a lot of these stainless steel zip ties do not grip the pipe tight enough to hold the wrap permanently in place, allowing it to unravel further down the line. Thankfully there is a solution the this phenomenon which I'm going to go through in this video. Use this tactic to get them gripped up tight, ensuring your exhaust wrap will not move.
The exhaust manifold in this video is off my 2001 Mazda MX5 - the latest Fast Rust project car. Fun & reliable daily driver is my goal for this iconic sports car. If you want to follow along with my 'Miata Journey’, check out this playlist: • Mazda MX5 / MIATA - ...
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Been wrenching on cars and what not for 10 years plus. Never thought of this. Great idea. I always put tension on the zip tie, then, pinged the open end of the ball bearing housing so that is forces the ball bearing deeper and wedges a dent into the zip tie under north it. It’s been quite effective. But there’s a thousand ways to skin a cat and this is a great video.
Another tip wet exhaust wrap beforehand then wrap exhaust as tight as possible and use said s/s ties then when exhaust gets hot moisture evaporates from wrap and pulls itself tighter to the exhaust system and makes it look even more neater
Yes, 100% always dip in a bucket of water first;') Good tip..
@@MM4F nooooo. Not when its titanium/lava heat wrap like this is. You dont wet it, it does nothing for it.
@@jordanwasley5388 it’s not for shaping the tape, the wet helps with adding friction to the wrap.
@@MM4F fibreglass wrap you do but the titanium wrap doesn't need water at all
@@jordanwasley5388don't know if you noticed but the wrap is outside and will get wet
Excellent tip. Every day is a school day.
Great tip 👍all i do is bend the retaining lug that stops the ball bearing falling out forward so there's almost no movement left for it to roll back! Does the same job but no need for the small screwdriver 😉
That is very sensible! Will try that next time, thanks for the tip 👍🏻
I have the small screwdriver and hardly ever find anything to use it on .... I think I'll try it. But, I think I will roll the needle nose pliers down while against the catch to really get a bite on the strap.
@@stephboeker7835 Yes. Much more pulling force by rolling the needle nose pliers.
I would also first fasten the zip tie around the pipe loosely so that I don't have to hold the item to be wrapped in place while trying to thread the tie into the lug.
Here’s a Tech tip for you boys and girls when dealing with fiberglass wrap wear gloves or you’ll be itchy the whole day
Wish I knew the extent of this itchiness/soreness yesterday! 😂 It's so annoying...
Not with the newer titanium wrap. Did my bike a few times. Never itches. Once the wrap breaks down and falls apart after a year or so, thats when it may start to bother you. Not new tho. Never does. Unless you got cheap knockoff titanium wrap. 🤗
Track then if you have to lift weights makes it a interesting lift 😂😂😂
But if you forgot, talcum powder does wonders.
Oh yeah. Surprised this bloke didn't oblige
Thank you! I'm installing this titanium wrap right now with some metal black zip ties I got from amazon and this method worked perfectly.
Stainless steel ONLY!!! NO METAL zip ties as the heart from the exhaust expands and contracts
Great tip, many thanks. I'll try to tighten all the ties I fitted yesterday!
Like a man that knows what he is doing!
Fantastic video thank you for the knowledge grenade.
I have another tip. They make perforated stainless cable ties. They are more expensive than the other ones, but you dont have to worry about the loosening of the clamp like regular SS cable ties.
Probably helps if you have the end you pull facing straight up, that way the bb is always at the bottom instead of rolling to one end. They really need to design better ones
heck of a deal bud, ive wasted many ties not knowing this, thanks
When doing my turbo manifold I used the method of pulling tight cut off the end to leave about 6-8mm then pull and fold with a pair of pliers twice, gets rid of the sharp edge and leaves it nice and tight
I tried this method first and it still wouldn't work for me. Who knows. I dont think all these zip ties are made equal, & I did buy a pretty cheap set to be fair.
Never would have thought this,thank you!
Saved me from buying the steel tie tool for a single job. Thank you!
What a nice looking dog and well behaved.
I bought a bag of steel ties. It came with a 3" 1/4" drive extension. It had a slot in the end. Place tie in the slot and tighten with a ratchet. It gets incredibly tight.
I think I will make me such a tool
There is a tool i have where the tie fits into, you twist the tie under amd it gets super tight, then move the ball over and then i even bend the tiny snipped end backwards also. 🤗
Thanks for the help. I will be redoing the ties on my wrap real soon.
Thanks bro. Finally a solution. Works perfectly!
Awesome video I was just going to attempt to do my down pipe wrap tomorrow
Thanks for the demo video and passing that knowledge on to me.
That’s perfect! I’m trying to get my ZX2 headers to stop vibrating, I also have a small leak, want to wrap and use these zip ties.
Nice one Chris. Good luck with it.
Great tip, doing this tomorrow so thank you!
Have you compared this with the tension achieved with the tensioning tool? I just picked one up for less than a tenner.
Liked and subbed. This is a great tip. I ended up just using mechanics wire to tighten my wrap. Thanks for sharing!
Fantastic 🎉 was looking for wrapping a motorbike exhaust but this tip was 👍 I subscibed just for this 😊
was stuck on this for quite a while, tip worked great! thank you!!
Nice one Mitch!
Great tip, now let´s try it with the exhaust between my legs.
I have Black DEI Heat Wrap with black stainless steel worm hose clamps... Looks better, more coverage, easier to fully tighten, easier to remove. 👍
That might be the way to go.. just did this first time today. Wasted 5+ ties trying to figure them out.. now I’m here.
@@jonellwanger7258 you ether need to push the ball in, or just get those black stainless steel worm hose clamps and it looks super clean. 🤘
I'm just doing a section of pipe if it's that much a pain in the ass some exhaust clamps should tighten her on down pretty good for my application
many thanks...many beers my friend
Great tip. I installed mine, and was wondering how these type of ties worked worked. I should be able to still push the bb in and lock a little tighter. Thanks. I used some good quality hobby grade superglue on a few of the small frayed spots. A few drops and smear it down in one action, rolling away with your finger to avoid getting stuck to the header wrap, It sticks fast and neatens the job up even more.
Nice one Andy. A good, neat wrap job always looks well. Sadly the supercharger is now sat on top of the manifold so my hand work goes unseen 😪
Vielen Dank, thank you for the TecTip. Helped A LOT
There's a handheld tool designed exactly for these type of locking ties, pretty cheap too. That's always going to be the better option.
Exactly!!! Was Looking To See If Anyone Else Was Hip To The Correct Way!!!
My ties came with a 1/4" drive extension with a slot in the end. It tightens with a ratchet.
Thanks for the tip, I would also think a 90 degree pick would help when you are trying to seat the bearing in tight places.
I just used hose clamps on mine. More expensive but they get so much tighter.
Your a star buddy. Thanks very much. Dei do sell a tool but this saves that money grand job
Cheers mate! Put the cash towards go faster mods
Actually, I have the tool they are selling and I'm NOT impressed. I bought a special tool that is meant to pull them tight and it does a great job but knowing about that small ball bearing makes things far more secure.
I just did my exhaust and I've found the easiest way to get it really tight you wrap over the tag end a little bit almost tying a knot then using the tool for the steel zipties I tighten as much as I can cut the end leaving an inch then fold it back over
Awesome.thanks for this old chap!!
I have done that. Then, I take a small punch and with a small hammer, I give the wide end (behind the ball) a whack--just like you would when using a nail set. This further traps the ball and holds it against the narrow end of it's enclosure. BTW, Elmer's glue does a great job holding the wrap's frayed end together. Since it is water-based, it does not burn.
Good to know before wrapping the Harley pipes, thanks.
What about putting a magnet on the back of the clamp to hold the ball in the back
My man, needed this
Cracking tip and video pal! 👍
Thankyou!
Very useful; thanks. Seems to me that instead of pulling the tie with the pliers, ROLLING the pliers against the pipe would exert even more traction. I use plastic zip ties to hold up my bird suet cages, but squirrels manage to gnaw through the ties so they can drop the cages to the ground and chow down on the suet. I intend to use the metal zip ties and see how those little rascals like that! I hope they'll have to see their squirrel dentists after that.
Yep, that's how I do it. This two-handed technique is fussy and doesn't get as tight. I just manually pull on the SS lead as tight as possible. cut off the excess tail and leaving about 30mm. then just get some long needle nose pliers , grab the end and twist around the nose of the pliers back towards the tie clamp. Then it applies backward pressure against the clamp to get it real tight. Then back off a little with the pliers and then pull out. you're left with a nice curled tail-end and a tight clamp.
Thanks. A quick and simple explanation and solution.
You can also do the job using ClampTite with S/S wire. It's lock under tension. I would recommend the bronze T-bar version the wing-nut version is a pain to use.
Perfect timing!
Thank you very much for that hack
Mfn right this is a really good video bro thank you
Cheers bro thankyou 👍🏻
I wish I could give this video 2 thumbs up
I would wet the wrap whenever working with them or in an area where there is a risk you could touch them otherwise there is a risk of tiny needles thrown into the air. if they are wet the dust is less likely to get airborne.
Thank you. Didn't even know this.
THANK YOU!!! Worked perfectly!!!
Good tip dude
Great video. Awesome tip, thanks mate!
No worries man. Thankyou!
i'm wondering if heat cycling would loosen it again.
Is there a way to permanently lock these so if you use them for rings that need to slip off and on a tube they will not accidentally tighten more?
That was a great tip thanks. Question, did you wet your wrap before applying it, and if so why, dust, does it pull tighter as it dries?
What about gloves withglass fibre?
Gloves would be a good idea. As for wetting this type of wrap (titanium) no, not essential. Fibreglass wrap yes you do need to wet that stuff.
use needle nose to twist the end to pull it tight. so you have a little roll of tie on the end. if you would have rolled the end up you would have had that tie super tight.
This two-handed technique is fussy and doesn't get as tight. I just manually pull on the SS lead as tight as possible. Cut off the excess tail and leaving about 30mm. Then just get some long needle nose pliers , grab the end and twist around the nose of the pliers back towards the tie clamp. It applies backward pressure against the clamp on contact to get it real tight. Then back off a little with the pliers and then pull out of the curled tail. you're left with a nice curled tail-end and a tight clamp.
Nice work brother
Needle 🪡 Nose Pliers on my side of the pond 😅 thx bud
Just use proper SS pliers ... mine excerpt 300 pounds of force .. I tested the force. I tie wrapped a 2 inch square roller tape measure with a metal case. I squeezed the handles, only to find I had crushed the tape measure. The outer case collapsed. Stainless steel zip ties are not meant to be fitted by hand .. they need the proper pliers. They are brilliant if done right
I wonder if it would work to tie rebar
I was taught to soak the heat wrap in warm water first then after it drys, it also tightens the wrap.
not when its the titanium/lava wrap - research it
Great tip thanks!
I wrap really tight and use normal Ties as I go
Then after change for stainless ones I also give the ball a wack with a small punch whilst pulling the tab
great video
Good tip
Thanks a million!
Great tip 👍
Can you use these steel zip ties on CV boots???
Thank you! Very valuable tip. Appreciated.
Happy days,, just been pulling my fecking Hair out with this problem!,🙏
nicely done!!!
Thank you for that 🙂
Don’t lie I know that beautiful dog in the background told you how to do this because humans are just too damn stupid thank you for your wonderful video and I appreciate it
Everyone knows the dog is the 🧠 of this operation
These have been driving me crazy.
Top tip 👋🦘
Another tip is to cut a channel in an old socket or extension so you can crank them down extra tight.
Wow, thank you.
Brilliant
Perfect!
Worth knowinf, speciailly for a firt timer before he does the work
Thank you
can these be cut easily?
fantastic
THANK YOU!!!
NO PROBLEM!!
I didn’t wear gloves and my hands swole up and were itchy for days. In the end I had to use duct tape to get the fibres out
SWEET !!
thank you !
Thanks
Wow 😳😲 30yrs as a mechanic and I've always just smacked em with a ball peen hammer..but this is way better
Tanks for help
This video is about an hour too late! I’ve just heat wrapped my exhaust with metal cable ties that I couldn’t get right 😂
Damn, I meant to upload this morning but I forgot! Sorry 🙄
@@FastRust that’s ok. Quality content again 👍
I'm sitting here like 😮💨do I have to re wrap these headers.. 😂 lol..
Use radiator hose clamps.
Bless you
Just use Panduits manual tie gun GS4MT-E and you will easily tighten your stailess steel ties wirhout need of that effort
Would that be the cable tie tool that costs in excess of £1000?
Thanks !!!