Has anyone.here on the HAMB done porcelain to exhaust or intake manifolds? I have a chevy 250 and wanted to try something that would last longer than paint...oh,and who does it here on the hamb..
I had some exhaust manifolds redone for a Cadillac flathead about 15 years ago, by a company in Minneapolis that I've long since forgotten the name of. They're still perfect.
I've restored Indian 4's with porcelain exhaust manifolds. In fact I'm sure they came that way from the factory Not car but they are an air cooled motor that run quite hot!
Had one done for a 32 Hupmobile I did years ago. A place in southern MN did it. It was a straight 8 and the first time I ran it some of the porcelain popped off. Had it redone but it didn't last.
My Dad had SBC exhaust manifolds done in Oakland, CA. (early '80s) He found 'em thru the Yellow Pages. (Reasonable, AFTER they were ground and polished... Gotta do some 'prep'.) Rams' Horns. Looked nice on his '29 roadster...Chevy parts never looked so good!
In the late '50s - early '60s the local speed shop sold at least 1 pair of blue porcelain Ford Fentons and 1 pair black Chevy 6. Pretty sure they were done locally by customer request.
Many Classic cars from the 1930's had them,. check some of the Classic car websites for shops trhat can do it properly. Prep work is key to lasting coating. Bob
There is a place in Fresno that does it. Very nice work if the donor parts aren't too pitted. I picked up a set from there for my father in laws LaSalle. I think that McTim64 has the y-block headers on his 30 Tudor porcelainized.
Jaguar exhaust manifolds were porcelain coated... I had some tube headers done at a BBQ manufacturers (think Weber), after abrasive blasting inside and out, the product was applied as a powder (think powder coating,), then it was fired in an oven to fuse the product...looked fabulous when new, however split where the tube joined the header plate...
when I did the 49 caddy swap in my 40 I checked on getting my manifolds porcelain coated. I wanted them gloss white. would have been so cool... I talked to a couple of vendors that advertised in Hemmings about doing them and they both told me the same thing. It will not last on modern (late 40's and up if I remember correctly) manifolds because of the thickness of the castings. I guess there is too much expansion and contraction and it will cause the coating to crack and pop off. one place offered to try but they assured me of failure and told me I would not be happy. so I sprayed em with white vht....
I have used "Jet" coating on a number of manifolds, it is a ceramic coating- not sure how that differs from Porcelain. It has held up well. What I like about it, they coat the inside as well- it keeps the engine, engine compartment and the pass compartment noticeably cooler. My Avant is just STUPID hot in the summer and what a diff.
Had a few sets of headers done in the early 80's you can't believe how those things twist around by the time they get back to you. Cracked a lot of the coating off bending then to bolt them back on the Engine. Never would I ever do headers again but cast iron exhaust manifolds, yes. Used to be a company in Independence called Independence Stove company I think they were called. I'm sure they are long gone by now.
I have worked on a few vehicles with porcelain exhaust manifolds (including Indians and Hendersons @4freek) my experience is chipping can be a problem if you are a clutz or heavy handed but other then that they seem to hold up real well.
Harley tried black porcelain exhaust on their '77 XLCR but quickly switched to 'black chrome' due to chipping/cracking issues; only a handful of bikes were sold before the switch. While it's definitely a 'old school' finish, there's much better modern coatings available today.
Yep ceramic coat can be had shiny and porcelain looking. I would think that porcelain would stay better on a heavier part that is not as vibration prone.
I do lots of high temp ceramics... after reading this thread, I never knew so many auto manufacturers used porcelain back in the day.
Greetings! I did the Maniflld on my 1951 Hudson back in the late 80's and they still look great today! So do it ,you will like them for the rest of your life! uncle Bill
a friend had his tube headers porcilin coated in 70's, on a long trip w/eng hot he hit a water puddle and the cold water made the porcelin crack. i have ceramic on my headers for 25 yrs and still look good.
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