Im getting ready to buy a set of the speedway block hugger headers and wondering what type of paint will hold up ,and is available readily Im thinking rustoleum BBQ black with two coats also whats the proper way to make the paint last thanks.
I used POR-15 silver on a set of Tri-Y's I had on a mustang. The paint lasted 4 years without a touchup. I painted the headers on the car using a foam brush and they actually turned out pretty good. Not ceramic coated, but it certainly made the motor look a lot better.
My cousin had his jetcoated i think it was called years ago and they still look good.. dark gray.. its kinda pricey i heard.. -Anthony
anything store bought? I tried in the past with the high heat silver but it came off as quick as I put it on.
Check a good (trained employees) paint store they might have a VERY high temp paint.dk but your not gonna get anything out of a rattle can that will last.
I have powdercoated headers with high temp powder, they have held up very well. I use Eastwood Hightemp Powder...
It's way more important the preparation. I sandblast headers thoroughly, and paint them with VHT header paint inside and out with several light coats. Carefully install without getting oily fingerprints on them. Fire the motor and run at a slight fast idle just until you see the paint begin to smoke (this happens SOON, so pay attention), shut the motor, and let the header cool to the "touch". Repeat about 4-5 times and the longevity will amaze you
Its definetly in the prep work..and this subject was beat to death too..theres a few posts on it..check em out. Heat cure VHT coatings in small coats with heat in between coats and also coat the inside. VHT i believe is 1200 or 1500° F paint./ coating Works great ..so far so good.
Groucho is correct, sandblasting is about the only way to get them clean enough and it also gives the paint a base to grab on to. I did as he said also, and the VHT paint (light grey) has held up great.
von rigg is right.. ive used vht1200 and heat the headers with a torch and spray repeat several times. it will stay as long as your motor dosent go lean!
i've used the bbq grill flat black paint and it will hold up. i did my manifolds 3 years ago with it, and they are still nice & black. the object is to clean them well, spray a coat on then start the engine and get them hot. let the paint bake. shut the engine off, and with them still hot, spray another coat of paint on, and let them bake. this is how i did my manifolds, and they are still holding up great. i did this on stock manifolds, and it worked. headers may get hotter than manifolds and it might not work as good. the bbq black paint that i used was 1800 deg. paint.
that's why i wrote that it worked on my manifolds, and that i was not sure that it would work on headers. manifolds are cast iron, v.s. the smooth steel that headers are made out of. plus, i'm sure that headers get alot hotter as well.
Hey man in my experience is simply ain't the case !! Here's what you do to paint headers and make it last, all mine have without exception !! i. Clean headers of all grease,oil and crap. ii. Sandblast them and do not hadle with bare hands iii. Hang em up iv. Get a heat torch/flame on em and get em hot - just so that theyll burn you if you touch 'em with the back of your hand v. Use VHT HI Heat paint - lay on a lite dust coat, then hit it with the torch all over to bake the paint vi. Lay on a slightly heavier coat and repeat with the torch - get it hot to kinda burn the paint on. v. Lay on the l;ast coat and repeat above. vi. Allow it to cool down !! If done correctly the surface finish should have a slighlty rough texture to the touch. Trust me when I tell you that it won't come off. I have had my headers on my blown flathead painted this way for 3 years and 10K miles and looks as good as the day I put em on. So prep is the KEY...no prep effort = shit job. And cheaper than HPC etc, which I found doesnt last anyway. Funny that Rat
I just had a set of lake pipes come back from being ceramic coated. Holy cow, they look like chrome. It cost me $175 which seems reasonable for the look and longevity.
I like baking them in the oven. 250 degrees for 3-4 hrs. Wife gave me so much grief over using the kitchen that I installed an oven in the garage. I found it free on the curb from someone that was remodeling! By the way, I use hi temp BBQ paint and it works great.
I used POR 15 factory manifold grey on my shorty headers. Brushed on 3 or 4 coats letting it dry between each. Seemed to hold up real good and you could touch it up with a brush! They were sandblasted first.
is this paint in a spray can, paint can or???? seems like i seen some at oriellys in spray, but im so fuckin far from header install , i didnt look to close!
Yes, it's in a spray can. Make sure it's 1200-1500 degree range(hi-temp I think), because there's also some that's 500 degree(hi-heat I think that one's sometimes called). I've had excellent results with what I've outlined above. The only time I've seen trouble is when a friend bought a car from me and left it outside every night in the salt air near the beach. Prior to that, the paint was fine for 2 years. Also, it worked really good on the 32 in my avatar, even getting water on it when driving through puddles
thanks for the heads up! ill copy and paste all this to word for the future! 2 cans per header ya think? '
I have also had great success with sand blasting and VHT, the stuff is called "flame proof coating". I use it on dirt track modified headers that really take a beating, and it holds up great. Follow the directions on the can to the letter and it will work. Jay
Good question. Memory tells me the last full length headers took a little more than one can for them both. Maybe a can and a half for both. Spray into the tubes on the cylinder head end also to mimic the path of the hot exhaust gasses. I think that helps. Don't forget, sandblast thouroughly, and handle by the edges or with clean gloves before painting. Then install as carefully, fast idle til just a hint of smoke, STOP, let cool to the touch, and repeat a few times.
My friend once had problems with the paint on his motorcycle header burning off. He had used spray on header paint a few times. What ended up solving the problem is painting the header with bruch on BBQ paint. This stayed nice a long time. If I remember correctly, that paint also had a higher heat range.
You need to get with Turbo Roadster on the HAMB here. He does powder with some high heat pwder coating and it works great. He has done many sets of headers for cars and bikes for us and we have had no problems with them.
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