onebad82z

iTrader: (7)

I will soon be painting my new Hooker 2210's now that I have completed all of the modifications to them.My first step is to drop them off and get them sandblasted so they are bare and clean.

Did you use the recommended VHT SP-118 primer?

Or

Did you just spray the VHT paint right onto the bare metal?If so how long has it lasted in nice weather use?

My car is only driven in the summer months and only in rain if I get caught in it.

Fullsizewagon

I have no first hand experience but I think it is recommendable to cure it in an oven after painting in order to encance durability. I have no info on temp's and times though..

AC

iTrader: (3)

All high heat paints need curing. VHT caliper paint atleast cures after braking (temp needs to be atleast 400F). If you have a garage and available power you can buy a cheap a** used oven and once you paint em, cook them for say 10-15 minutes or until brown (the brown part is a joke) and wahlaa. You'll have cured paint.

Pat Hall

iTrader: (31)

Yeah I used the oven trick when I repainted my rally rims on my 69 Camaro, and it really hardened the paint and made it more durable. The suggestion of picking up a cheap, used oven is not a bad idea either. My mother nearly killed me when she smelled something really awful and saw what I was "baking" in her nice kitchen oven! LOL.

chevymec

iTrader: (5)

I had my LT sandblasted and painted them with the VHT paint.It lasted for a while. Might of done better if my car got driven more than it does now.

vorgath

I've heard of people using a torch and heating the headers or whatever after painting them.

89_ho_rs

I used high temp paint and they looked great. I did not bake them. after I broke in the cam the headers looked like hell. long story short. I had the headers out again cleaned them up and repainted them. used a torch for some added heat to bake and now they still look good. no flaking and still black.

AC

iTrader: (3)

Other thing I forogt to mention on heating after painting. I bougt a Milwaukee heat gun from HomeCheapo for like 40bux and when I painted my calipers (2 weeks ago in my basement) I set the gun to like 700 degrees and took my time heating the calipers to bake the paint. @ 700 I was probably heating the calipers surface temps to around 350-400. My

Sonix

iTrader: (1)

I touched my headers with a gloved hand once when they were hot, now it's got a burned on handprint, in white, on a black header.... don't do that...

I baked my headers in the oven, have been holding up fine (aside from the gloved imprint). You can also use a propane torch. Just make sure the headers are clean (acetone, brake kleen, whatever), then warm, then spray the VHT on. Do light coats, but do lots. Like 2 cans for a pair of headers, that way you are sure to get a nice thick coating. After it's relatively dry, throw them in the oven one at a time. It won't get hot enough to perfectly cure them, but it's damn close. Then open all the windows in your house and let it air out. If you give it 5 hrs of air movement, it won't stink after.

Try doing fiberglass work in an enclosed garage - yea, THAT'LL stink up your house.

onebad82z

iTrader: (7)

Thanks for all the suggestions!

I plan to warm them up before I start painting and then either hang them in front of a salamander heater for an hour or so after to really heat them up.I don't think they will fit in a conventional oven since they are long tubes.

So no one really uses the primer that VHT recommends?

I didn't buy it yet, just 2 cans of flat black paint.

Sonix

iTrader: (1)

yea, don't get them too hot before you paint them. You just want them warm, room temp in mexico sorta thing. Get 'em nice and hot to bake out moisture and junk, then just let them sit at a nice warm temp, and spray them like that. (Just making sure you're not going to paint them outside at ambient temperatures in december sorta thing...)
Then after you've used up your cans of paint, let it dry for 10 minutes or so, then keep 'em in front of the heater for a few hours.
When you fire up the car with these on, they'll smoke like crazy, and smell like burning plastic - that's the sweet smell of natural baking

oh, I have flat black, and wasn't overly impressed with the overall look. Might want to consider the shiny silver, which contains some ceramic I think.

tommy z-28

iTrader: (1)

I went with the shiny silver ceramic paint. Looks great! I think you are ahead of the game with the headers being sandblasted. The paint adheres better to the slightly pourous surface. I blasted mine first and they are still looking like the first day I painted them. Didnt bake mine because I didnt think my LTs could fit in the oven.

onebad82z

iTrader: (7)

Thanks Sonix!That helps get the game plan together.I considered silver but unless it is jet hot most "spray" type silver paints just don't appeal to me, just my preference.

How long have they been painted?