White Headers

Does anyone have any ideas on how to paint headers white? I found out that they don't jet coat white, bummer. I noticed on one of Clark's "So What" cars the headers were very white. So Clark what did you use? I'm having the headers sand blasted this week, so thought I'd ask for opinions, thanks Biff

 

There is a place in NY that can do white ceramic coating and that is what was on the green coupe. On the copper roadster I used VHT and preheated the headers before coating.

 

http://www.swaintech.com/store.asp?pid=10969

 

If you use the rattle can VHT type paint do as fatabone suggested, preheat them and be sure you have them throughly blasted before paint. Don't touch them after blasting as the paint won't stick and will burn off right after they are heated by the exhaust.

Frank

 

Thats the place Blown41. I couldn't find any other place to do white out of the twenty places I called.

 

That white is actually aluminum applied like a spray weld- Had some of my Y-block's parts done like that. Look in your Yellow Pages for "metalizing" it's usually not very expensive to have done, either...

 

yup vht has been around for years and works well

 

Yep.....preheat and VHT !!

Rat

 

preheat, on the car or in an oven? i'm ***uming on the car, but you know what they say about ***uming...

 

somewhere makes them. maybe ive seen it on ebay or ads in rod mags...

 

You're wasting your time with paint- it'll flake, burn and rust in a short amount of time. If cost is your only concern however, good luck...

 

VHT will stick and last..its all in the process of installing it..theres alot on this subject...search it, you'll be amazed at the information you will find..JM2C its working just fine on my Block huggers.

 

Search it and amaze yourself- I've rattle canned enough parts over many years to know what works and what doesn't... Paint won't last on headers, it matters not the brand...

 

This place does nice work, but I don't know if they do white.

http://www.capsbhc.com/

I never had good luck with paint on headers. It usually burns or flakes off. The steel on brand new headers is really smooth with an oily coating, so maybe that's why some people have good luck by sandblasting them first. I never had good luck with paint -- especially right near the heads where the headers get the hottest, or down near the street where they get hit by sand and flying rocks.

The ceramic coating is the way to go if you can afford it.

 

Yep. I've heard that process called metal spraying as well. It's essentially vaporized aluminum wire sprayed on the header. You can also use different types of metal and they deposit as different colors.

Pretty subtle and pretty cool. The aluminum stays white and cleans easily, but it's soft and will scratch and the scratches show up silver.

Used that process on a bike years and years ago.

 

I hung them up and used a torch into the tubes of the header.

 

Actually if you ever buy the magazine HOTROD DELUXE, the current one out on stands now has an article in there on building headers and then having them COATED IN WHITE CERAMIC COAT. Its done by Young Gun Coatings in Cuca****a California.
www.youngguncoatings.com

 

What ever.
some one needs to tell that to both sets of headers ive VHT'ed. One set 3 years now on an SBC and one set on a 440 Chrysler now still got silver VHT on em and i cant remember how long.

 

I'm with you ! I did a set of shortys on a SBC in my daily driver, did'nt peel or dis-color after 5 years! I used the instructions in Sanderson's catalog.
1)strip all paint (I used VHT paint stripper)
2)de-grease thoroughly.
3)pre-heat (be carefull of residue using a torch, an oven is best)
4)paint while warm-hot with a few light coats and let dry
5)heat/bake gradually (an oven is best)
IT WORKS.

 

one of the things that really helps is doing the prep. right.
and having them installed on an engine thats tuned correctly..

if you rush the job you get ****.

S.I.S.O.

 

I agree with Fink here... it's all in the prep.
If you are starting with a set of used headers, in my opinion, I would try vht first and see if you like the results. Could save yourself some major cash.

I have only burned through 1 vht job out of 4 and that was on a smallblock we were "trying" to blow up: screaming 6500 down the highway with the collectors red-hot, trying to get a friend home to get to an out-of-town sick family member.

 

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 ****.
ii. Sandblast them and do not handle 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 last coat and repeat above.
vi. Allow it to cool down !!

If done correctly the surface finish should have a slightly 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 = **** job. And cheaper than HPC etc, which I found doesnt last anyway.

Funny that

Rat

 

I had these ceramic coated.

 

Hey aint nobody gonna use the white shoe polish trick for touch up worked in the early sixtys cheap n fast
Ken