bball7754 Posted March 19, 2012 Share Posted March 19, 2012 I've had the portion of my exhaust headers that live under the bonnet ceramic coated by Swain Tech (http://www.swaintech.com/store.asp?pid=10969). The only color they offer is white. I'm considering painting the ceramic coating (either black or silver) using VHT Flameproof paint (http://www.vhtpaint.com/products/flameproof/). I've read great things about painting headers, and horrible (peels immediately, etc.). Anyone have experience painting their headers, and if so, positive or negative? Thanks. Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pi7ot Posted March 19, 2012 Share Posted March 19, 2012 VHT Engine paint is a non-solution. I have not tried any other products. m Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bball7754 Posted March 19, 2012 Author Share Posted March 19, 2012 Wasn't planning on using their engine paint. They have a product that is specifically for exhaust headers, and is (according to them) rated 1300-2000 Fahrenheit. They rate their engine paint to 550 F. Which product did you use? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MHKflyer52 Posted March 19, 2012 Share Posted March 19, 2012 I used a spray paint that Weber Grills recommends for their BBQ stoves that are black and it has held up very well for the last 3 years and my header is not ceramic coated which helps as an insulator. Just make sure the surface is clean and free of grease. The first time I started up my car after painting the header after letting it cure over night the header turned a lighter black (more towards a very dark gray color) and has not change colors any more. Here is a link to what I used. http://www.rustoleum.com/CBGProduct.asp?pid=108 Hope this helps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blubarisax Posted March 19, 2012 Share Posted March 19, 2012 You may want to try Jet-Hot.com It's not as expensive as one might think and looks great! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scannon Posted March 19, 2012 Share Posted March 19, 2012 I had my exhaust manifold, turbo housing and down pipe ceramic coated by a local shop with good references. I paid for a 2,000 F silver coating. It looked great for about 1,500 miles until the first time on the track. After the first 20 minute session I popped off the bonnet to check oil and water and saw that the silver ceramic coating was completely flaked off leaving a grey finish on the parts. The coating was guaranteed and I got my money back. Turbo manifolds and housings get hotter than headers, but no where near the 2,000 F the ceramic coating was spec'd at. EGTs showed that it was getting close to 1,400 F in the manifold. I then painted it with a 1,500 F rattle can paint which required a three step heat and cool curing process which I did in my powder coat oven. This has lasted for several years and still looks the same as when I first applied it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pi7ot Posted March 20, 2012 Share Posted March 20, 2012 Wasn't planning on using their engine paint. They have a product that is specifically for exhaust headers, and is (according to them) rated 1300-2000 Fahrenheit. They rate their engine paint to 550 F. Which product did you use? I have not tried this yet, but an acquaintance of mine swears by John Deere Exhaust paint. It costs around $12 for a spray can. He swears by this stuff. He used it on a turbocharger housing, but has not yet run the turbo. I saw the housing and it is a satin black finish. I thought I'd wait and see what it looked like after running. :seeya: m Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimrankin Posted March 20, 2012 Share Posted March 20, 2012 I used the VHT 1200 exhaust paint, folowing the directions, clean etc but it won't handle a track day. Looked good after street drives but the first track day it got little heat bubbles and a few flakes at the hottest spots. Before I had to weld up cracking around the muffler it was jet coated and it looked and stayed looking very good, even with a lot of track time. When I finally decide just what I want for my "final" exhaust system I'll probably have it Jet Coated again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimrankin Posted March 20, 2012 Share Posted March 20, 2012 The VHT said it was "silver" but came out kind of more of a flat light grey. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bball7754 Posted March 20, 2012 Author Share Posted March 20, 2012 This is a microcosm of what I found on the web. For both paint and coatings, it seems to work for some, and not for others. I'm pretty confident about the Swain ceramic coating. Classic Motorsports magazine has them coat the headers on all their project cars. I think being able to cure the VHT paint in an oven would increase the odds of it being successful. The curing process with them on the engine seems like it would be sort of hit or miss. Of course, I don't have an oven available - the one in our kitchen is not in play. Maybe I'll love the white color. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mondo Posted March 21, 2012 Share Posted March 21, 2012 I took mine to this place in Fresno, Ca. Bright silver and holding up great. http://www.capscoatings.com/contactus.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MichaelD Posted March 21, 2012 Share Posted March 21, 2012 Don't bother getting the silver coat from JetHot if you have anything more than the stock Zetec. The silver will burn off in no time. They will redo it for you if you pay them to remove the now dull silver coat and pay them to redo it with their higher temp rated black coating. I know from experience. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bball7754 Posted March 23, 2012 Author Share Posted March 23, 2012 Received my headers back from Swain. Here are before and after pictures. The white is growing on me, and may not paint. Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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