Is there a right way to paint headers?

Just wanted to know if there is a right way to paint headers? Have had problems in the past with getting the paint to stick without burning off.

 

Yes...send 'em to JetHot and have them coated.
http://www.jet-hot.com/colorchart.html

 

I've found that most problems come from putting on the paint to heavy in multiple coats. Just enough to cover in one light coat seems to have worked the best for me.

 

I think POR-15 makes a header paint. That might be worth a try.

 

The only problem with ceramic coating is that they cant do white. Thanks for the help guys,

 

well call it right call it wrong this is how i do it..
first clean the header down really good with acitone (finger nail paint remover)
inside and outside get all your grimey prints off of them and any residual oils.
heat them up ..any way torch, wood stove top. what ever you got.
paaint the inside as best you can buy spraying into each pipe until it comes out the other end, than turn them around and spray back into them from the opposite end. let them sit on something warm..let em dry.
Next one light coat on the outside let it dry..another light coat..let it dry.
heat them up to 300° it really works nice on my wood stove ( i built a top just for doing this)
keep getting them hot in between coats of paint.
next put them on your engine and only run them a short time and turn off the engine..do this about 7 times..than your done.
Ive gotten many many years of use out of my headers this way. with out spending a bunch of money on some jet coating.

 

oh and i use VHT 1200° paint. and only put them on an engine you know is in tune correctly..so they dont get burned by a too lean condition

 

Perfect, will give it a shot! Thank you very much.

 

Most important step. Beadblast the cheap "factory paint" off and then use a good 1500 degree paint-along with what the poster said above use wax and grease remover etc. .

Most people paint over the factory paint then wonder why their paint job peals off.

 

Hey man, I had great luck with the VHT Header paint. Cleanliness is essential. After cleaning, just follow the instructions. I also baked mine in the spousal units brand new oven @ 600 degrees for an hour or two. The zoomies fit great. It stunk the hell outta the house, so just ventilate the house real well. Then the oven will need a good 'self-cleaning'. That part scared me, was really hoping that thin film of crap would clean off. It did. I saved my ass and a thousand bucks. Headers have 3000 miles on 'em, and no signs of peeling paint. The baking is important.
Just follow the instructions.

 

I've got exhaust manifold paint with 1800 degree specs. four different colors though not white. Clean them as good as possible and then they can be brush painted, sprayed or I might even have spray cans.

 

I reaaly appreciate the help guys, thank you sooooooooo much. They may sound like stupid questions but I have a good excuse, IM NEW

 

JetHot has a coating called Sparkle...while not white...has an aluminum glow with a whitish sheen to it. It'll last forever.

 

Same as above but I sandblasted my headers and whole exhaust system to get it CLEAN and then made sure I didint handle it with my bare hands at all.

Hang em up, get em hot with a torch and hit it with a loght sut coat of VHT hi temp. Hit em with the torch again, inside and outside the pipe and put on the econd light coat. Repeat for the third coat and heat em again and you done.

Did my headers and exhaust oon my flathead and it looks as good as the day it went on 2.5 years ago whith HEAPS of driving/heat cycles.

Rat

 

Thanks again guys, going to paint them this weekend in the shop and see what happens. Merry Christmas and thanks again.

 

Or you could send them to Turboroadster. I don't know what he charges, but slip him a PM and see.

 

Only bad thing about Jet-hot coating is it doesn't look "1965".

 

I used a little fan to blow the paint down into the primaries and up through the collector.

 

Thats why I didnt want to go the jet-hot route. That fan idea sounds like a pretty good trick. Will have to try it out

 

True, but I heard you can Jet-Hot coat them and then apply the white VHT over that. Supposed to make the white hold up better due to lower temps. Haven't tried it myself but sounds resonable to me.

Also I tried POR-15 twice and folowed the directions TO THE LETTER! Cleaned, sand blasted, untouched by hands, handled after blasting only with new clean gloves, two light coats brushed on. They looked nice but I wasn't happy with the longevity. The new headers looked good for about 4 years. The old headers showed rust in under 3 years.