I want to have my lake headers painted black. What kind of paint is good for this application? A friend used High temp spray can but it seems to peel off easily, I heard someone using carbon black , also would you recommend powder coating? thanks
Power coating won't work. I had bad luck with BBQ grill paint, but I was brushing it on, instead of spraying it. I ended up using VHT 2,000 degree exhaust paint. The key is to prep the metal and FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS TO THE LETTER! Do a search. I have a thread detailing my experience. Mine still look great. If you're prone to spilling oil or getting grease on them and not wiping it up right away, you may be out of luck. Ceramic seems the way to go, but it's naturally higher in cost than paint. I've also heard it can color change over time. How much time depends on who you ask.
As said vht worked for me w white lake headers. However, it scratches easily like if you drag a wrench along them. I don't mean s****ing along I mean just the weight of the wrench or a ring on your finger will mar them. And also if you're breathers blow oil onto them they stain easily. I am happy with the product. They were on a car I built headers for for 3years plus on the original application of vht.
Back in the day we'd go to the local hardware store and get a can of black roteolla We'd brush it on before Bonneville and it would hold up ok
The VHT will work great if you sandblast or heavy gl*** bead them first. Of course you could go porcelain, that looks really great. I did the entire exhaust on my 34 that way.
Seems like VHT works good and it's cheap, I'll give it a try and probably ceramic coating eventually. thanks!
Back in the 70s I had a buddy that would use some stuff that was used to maintain/restore the finish on old cast iron wood stoves. I'm not sure what it was, maybe a graphite/carbon mix? Not sure. If I remember right it seemed to hold up pretty well on his exhaust manifolds. Just a thought.
Be sure to follow the directions on the VHT paint can! Most poor results with VHT are caused by people who either sprayed it on too thick, or didn't follow the proper curing instructions. I've had very good results, and never had to repaint, or had it flake off either. Make sure they're very clean, and either blasted or roughed up before painting. Hit them with a very light coat the first time, then repeat with one or two coats. Don't give it more, or you'll have it too thick, and it will peel. Once it's dried well, start the car with the pipes open, and watch carefully. If you see them begin to smoke, shut the engine off and let them completely cool. Usually takes about 5 min. to cool, then repeat until they don't smoke when started. After that they'll hold up great, and wont flake or peel off.
The Jalopy Journal
