OK, I know this has came up a bunch of times, but my searches never really ended up giving me a satisfying answer. I picked up a set of Headman's and a Y-pipe today, and the black coating that comes on them is obviously just meant to fend off corrosion during shipping/storage beacuse the junk flakes off in my hands and I can scrape it off with a fingernail.

It dosen't sound like anyones honestly had good luck with POR 15 or most engine paints, at least not the ones rated to 1200 degrees.

Now I'm not looking for a show quality shiny pretty finish here. I just wanna keep my tubes and y pipe from getting rusty. I've heard at least one person say that there is 1500 degree paint out there and it holds up, might have been ceramic based. Do you guys think it'd at least be worth a shot to try it? I'm not paying a ton of cash to have them truly ceramic coated, I just can't afford that.

 

High-temp engine paint.

 

Your choices are ceramic coating, chrome plating, and high temp painting. Those are listed in decending order for cost and longevity.

I painted mine with 1500 degree DEI aluminum exhaust paint - stripped the shipping paint (yes, that's all it is), cleaned with thinner, painted, baked, installed. They look okay from the top, but aren't "show quality shiny pretty finish" by any stretch of the imagination. And, the y-pipe wouldn't fit into the kitchen oven, so the paint on it hasn't lasted well at all.

Chrome is the shiniest at first, but has a tendency to blue over time. It also requires careful prep, and if the shop doesn't do it right, flaking will result, and replating will be less successful than the first shot.

Ceramic coating is the best bet. Of course it's also the most expensive, but quality costs. If you note in their ads, though, coated new headers are guarenteed for life, while used only one year. That tell you anything? It is also the best for heat insulation.

Pay the piper and have them coated before you install.

 

VHT high temp paint has always worked for me.

 

thats what i will be painting my headers with in about 1.5 hrs.

 

Good luck.I never had any luck with header paints.

 

VHT huh? Is that just a spray I should be able to find in a store?

 

i got it in jegs. i dont know if you will be able to buy it locally. it is there 1500* flameproof coating

 

only problem with ceramic coating, is that if your headers aren't smooth before you get them coated, its going to show through after u get them coated.. mine look like crap after being coated from SLP.. so get them looking nice doing whatever before getting them coated.

 

I'll try the place I got the headers at, "Winners Circle." Its like walkin into a Jegs catalog, I should have just looked for it when I picked them up in the first place Thats the best lead I've got so far.

 

Yeah, winners circle has it. I've bought some awhile ago. I shoulda painted my headers. Oh well. Can take them out and do them.

 

For painted parts that don't fit in the kitchen oven, I take a trip on the interstate for about an hour. The only places that have flaked off on that exhaust (on my VW) are the ones right behind the tires that get hammered with dirt and rainwater.

I couldn't afford it either, but I saved up for the Jet-Hot coating. A set of shortys cost $211 to coat, and it's *well* worth it in my opinion.

 

Yeam man high temp paint should do it man .....autoaone for 3.95$

 

Yeah Mike with your engine bay you can actually get the headers out pretty easy, I mean you can even SEE both of them! This will probably be my saturday project, they're getting installed wednesday morning.

 

Well all thats in that engine bay is the motor, the radiator, fan, and the brake booster!! Gotta love simplicity

 

If you had more time, id suggest finding a shop to ceramic coat them. I got mine done for about $200 CAD. So it wasnt too bad.

 

That'd be cool to do, but I paid $225 +/- for the headers and pipe both, spending almost that getting them coated... ya know?

I mean yeah, pro ceramic coat is the way to go, but, I can't shell that much out. I mean, for me, thats an entire paycheck I'd be blowing on the coating. Plus they're getting installed wednesday.

I didn't get around to doing anything to them this weekend, a last second out of state trip came up.