Painting/Coating Headers - Question

[msuguydon]

I have a question regarding painting headers.  Yes this question is related to my friends car but the header painting is not gonna happen in the next week  :?  

Okay, so you guys told me to paint or coat the headers.  Now I know that headers get very hot so when you guys say paint or coat what are you referring too?  Powder coat?  Wet Coat?  What... Can this be done locally or do I have to send them somewhere.  Finally, how many beans, ball park figure, will I have to spend to get them painted/coated.

Thanks

[Bugpac]

powdercoat melts at 400 degrees or so, you have to either paint them via spray bomb or have them jet hot coated, from the looks of prices, you could likely buy new headers already coated vs sending out old ones to have them coated...I personally would not jet coat them headers, I think its a waiste of money doing used headers, the weather has already lessended there life, I vote to spray bomb them with some hi temp paint, you could do that for 20 bux, take them off one day back on the next...

[Leon]

I've used the Eastwood High Temp brush-on coating with very good results.  The last set I did I had them sand blasted then I brushed the stuff on and baked it by running them on the car.  It may not last as long as JetHot but it works and doesn't cost near as much.  http://www.eastwoodco.com/jump.jsp?itemID=732&itemType=PRODUCT
This stuff is $25.

[Jbird]

I use the Eastwood stuff too. Works good and you can spray it, but however you apply it make sure you sandblast and wipe down with lacquer thinner or acetone or the stuff will peel like a sunburnt Jem'Hadar princess.    Jbird

[chimp koose]

I've had good success with painting,just make sure you dont touch the headers after the sandblasting until they are painted. I have a question though.Has anyone tried to mix the eastwood hi temp paint with those hollow glass microspheres that are used in the lizard skin paint recipe? In theory it might work well to keep heat out of the engine compartment and also to reduce engine noise under the hood.Just a thought.

[1FATGMC]

I've used the Eastwood High Temp brush-on coating with very good results.  The last set I did I had them sand blasted then I brushed the stuff on and baked it by running them on the car.  It may not last as long as JetHot but it works and doesn't cost near as much.  http://www.eastwoodco.com/jump.jsp?itemID=732&itemType=PRODUCT
This stuff is $25.

That is what I use.  This fall I re-did my headers with it.  The original paint had been on there 140,000 miles.  I probably should have redone them a year or two ago.  

I did have a problem where some pieces had come out in where all the tubes come together in the middle.  I thought it was the collector gasket for some time and replaced it.  To fix them I had to cut windows in the outside of the pipes and then re-weld the centers and then weld the windows closed.  I'm just trying to make these last another year till I build turbo headers.

One other thing, people always complain about the header bolts coming loose and leaking. My headers are cheap Hedman, but I use the fel-pro 1404 gaskets and ....



........... Stage 8's Grade 8 locking header bolts.......

http://store.summitracing.com/partdetail.asp?part=STG%2D8911A&autoview=sku  

.....  they aren't cheap, but I've never had one come loose and never a leak at the exh. manifold.

c ya,

Sum

[classicautoresto]

I use silver metallic boiler paint. It is available at heating and plumbing supply houses, is about $60 for a gallon and I have had mine for about 15 or 16 years. Don't recall how many manifoolds/headers I have done with it, but there have been alot, and I still have about a quart left. Good to 3000 degrees. I have done touch-up paintwork on some of my customers' vehicles that I have used this on as much as 3 years later, and still had the paint on the manifolds. The edges were blistered on a couple but the main parts of the manifold still had paint. I fully sandblast and wash them with thinner first. Just another idea....that works for me. Jerry

[enjenjo]

One thing about Jet Hot coating, they coat them both inside and out. If they are clean, the rust is pretty much stopped. I have seen pretty thin headers last for years after they are done.

[1FATGMC]

One thing about Jet Hot coating, they coat them both inside and out. If they are clean, the rust is pretty much stopped. I have seen pretty thin headers last for years after they are done.

Once I saw where someone taped tennis balls on there header openings and put the stainless paint in there and sloshed it around.  They also did that on the rest of the exhaust pipes.  I don't know how it would stick in the long run as I sand blast mine on the outside before applying the paint.

I was surprised though than mine show no rust inside after all of these miles.  Must be the dry air out here or something.

c ya,

Sum

[enjenjo]

One thing about Jet Hot coating, they coat them both inside and out. If they are clean, the rust is pretty much stopped. I have seen pretty thin headers last for years after they are done.

Once I saw where someone taped tennis balls on there header openings and put the stainless paint in there and sloshed it around.  They also did that on the rest of the exhaust pipes.  I don't know how it would stick in the long run as I sand blast mine on the outside before applying the paint.

I was surprised though than mine show no rust inside after all of these miles.  Must be the dry air out here or something.

c ya,

Sum

When I was selling Rust Bullet, I had a guy with a 61 Vette that bought 5 gallons of it, sealed up the frame, stood it on end, and filled the inside of each rail, then drained it out. He wanted it to LAST!!!  

[kb426]

Over in the land of the big spenders, I go to the Ace hardware and get the large can of barbecue black and paint up a storm. Works better than VHT high temp paint and costs way less.

[Jbird]

Over in the land of the big spenders, I go to the Ace hardware and get the large can of barbecue black and paint up a storm. Works better than VHT high temp paint and costs way less.

Bravo, Bravo, * near  everything I want flat black and heat resistant gets rattled with, ACE is the place, BBQ black, and it comes in tall cans.

Jbird

[Dave]

Over in the land of the big spenders, I go to the Ace hardware and get the large can of barbecue black and paint up a storm. Works better than VHT high temp paint and costs way less.

Bravo, Bravo, * near  everything I want flat black and heat resistant gets rattled with, ACE is the place, BBQ black, and it comes in tall cans.

Jbird

When i built my  34 I did the whole exhaust with bbq black and it really held up well.. I did run the car a bit to burn all the oils and stuff of the pipes ann then i cleaned em with wax and grease removed and hit em with a scotch brite then painted them..
Dave