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i use the 68 dollar summit junk headers. they work awesome, and even if i need new ones every three years from rust, it will still be cheaper than doing it right the first time
i also run a single 3", with a 2 chamber 9" long flowmaster race series muffler. sounds awesome when the truck is cold, and decent once it warms up and the throttle response gets sloppy.
The only way of preserving headers is to get them ceramic coated inside and out. There is some high heat paint available but it does not last very long at all.