GASSER MUST HAVES and cant haves?

would ceramic coated headers be a no-no?

 

We found a place that would do them white and had Gene Cromers done they look just like paint but i don't think any other color would look right.

 

You can have them done in black.

http://blackoxideindustries.com/en/ceramic-coating

 

Mine are ceramic black satin. I like the white better but it got discolored and stained too much. Flat silver was also around and looks ok. That was on the Nicholson 65 Comet when we restored it.

 

Your right black or silver would be OK and white is hard to keep clean but nothing screams old school like white fender well headers.

 

You can still buy the VHT paint but I'd bet the EPA has screwed up the formula.

http://www.vhtpaint.com/products/flameproof/

 

I had mine hot aluminium sprayed then painted them white with VHT, lasts very well and if they get dirty I just scuff them with a scotchbrite and repaint with the VHT , the hot aluminium spray is good for 10 years plus, I've always found it lasts better than the ceramic coatings.

 

I agree

 

Had mine done in sliver as they told me the white would not stand up. Neither did the silver. I'll take them off this winter, have them blasted and 2 or 3 cans of VHT white should do the trick.

 

Yep, mine are too, but there going white.

 

Anyone know how white became so popular in the first place, I'm wondering if white header paint was discovered by some dude woking at Lockheed or something like that. I have pics of dad building a smallblock powered 40 Ford Convertible around 1959 or 60, and his home made headers and the entire exhaust is white.

 

Back in the day all there was Alum spraying and it was a pearl white looking color and looked great, so the paint people saw that and figured white would be a good color to put out on the market

They would sand blast the header first then the spray and you could not get it off, as that alum would bond to the blasted surface when sprayed on hot

The Alum spray was great when new but it got dirty real quick , and you could not clean it very good either

That alum on the surface of the pipe really did get hot too, still see a mark where the pipe burned my arm from being in a hurry and did not have my brain in gear [ only did that once ]

G Don

 

you guys talking about alumacoat?---i wish i knew a place that does it in the usa----anyone? i have a set of headers with it on them---but they dont fit my 55 chevy

 

I always liked the look of white but it was hard to keep clean. The guys I raced with had a sandblast business and they blasted one set really smooth and then we had them coated with a silver coating that I polished and they were easy to keep clean. That was in 68 though and they lasted for a couple of years until I sold the car.-Jim

 

I'm pretty sure that Swain Tech in NY does it, I'll call when I get to work.

 

Hi Ric

I think the sand blaster in Sun Valley is still doing it too, they did mine in 63'

Wow that sure dates me, Don

 

Don't forget chrome looks correct but most couldn't afford it back then and I can't now.

 

Hambro's Sandblasting in Sun Valley on Tuxford St. They did all my others, they stopped doing it a couple years ago, stinking EPA!

 

I always liked VHT blue too, nut that stuff had to be baked on and was a pain in the butt. I wonder Don, if Hambro's didn't do Cyclones alumacoating.

 

We painted everything we could white back in the 60's, and the reason was to make things like headers, rearends, etc. stand out, and look clean. Of course it only looked clean for a short time!
I tried repainting the silver VHT paint on my headers after scuffing it, and it flaked right off down to the original paint. I think they need to be blasted completely off prior to repainting. My silver has held up great, but is stained and dirty after 3 years.

 

Mine are stainless, was gonna polish them but thought white looked more period.

 

glad you did the white looks better

 

A little history as I know it. White was used as the lack of pigment made it hold up to the heat better than black as a paint. The VHT blue also held up very well and was very popular for a Short period of time. Black paints have never held up
The coating that was used was known as Aluminizing, where the metal was sandblasted clean and then Hot Aluminum particles were sprayed on it. It was very durable IF the metal was perfectly clean. VHT Silver was a perfect match for when it got dirty or stained. We used to have them done by Quicksand in Stanton CA.
The high dollar guys used to have Porcelain coating done. Imagine the header being as smooth and durable as your SINK! And you could have it done in Black - that was Tits!
As for modern day, We have had quite a few sets White Ceramic coated by Embee Performance in Santa Ana. If you've seen the Woodyz Hot Rods 55 Gasser build, that is a set we did.

 

I always remove the factory paint on new headers either by blasting or using lacquer thinner on a rag (kinda messy, but works good) and on used headers I always remove any paint also before painting. Seems to hold up longer without the old stuff on there. I think keeping the thickness of paint to a minimum also helps keep it from cracking and flaking.

 

You're right! Some people think their paint flaked off because it wasn't heavy enough, when in reality too heavy is more often the cause! I like a very thin coat the first time, then a couple more for complete coverage.
People also make the mistake of painting over the factory coating, or doing a cam break in after painting. Too much heat on new paint will blister it off before the cam gets broke in! The best method is to start with clean stripped headers, and then paint. After painting the engine should be fired and at the first sign of smoke the engine shut off. Allow the headers to cool to the touch, then repeat until they don't smoke when they get hot. After doing this break in process on header paint, they'll hold up very well for years.
I'm still running the original black coating on my fenderwell headers, and over the winter I'll remove them and strip the finish. Then decide on a color and repaint them, so I can properly cure them and not have the cam be an issue.

 

Ok, I called Swain Tech (585)229-2786 and talked to Mike. They typically get $350.00 set to do domestic V8 header sets, depending on how much prep work they need. Worst case scenario would be a set that had silver Jet Hot, or something similar (which does need to removed for their coating) could be up to $100 extra. They call theirs White Lightning Ceramic, and it IS a ceramic material and .015 thick! & very durable, compared to the typical paint base coatings that are only a few thousandths thick. They claim an outer header heat reduction in the 35-55% range, which should significantly help driver and engine compartment temperatures(remember, every 10 degree reduction of inlet temp to the engine, is good for a 1% HP increase, thats 10-15hp for a 30 degree reduction on a 450hp engine . He said typical turn around is 2.5-3 weeks. If you want additional exhaust system pieces done, they generally quote $40.00 per foot.

 

For Comparison, A friend was quoted $350.00 for a pair of small block fenderwells in White Ceramic by Embee Performance in Santa Ana, CA yesterday .
http://www.embeeperformance.com/processes/p_coating.html

 

used to hang them on the porcelain line at one of the local factories---yellow, white, or avacado ,second shift only...

 

I've never Hadith luck with VHT on bare mild steel, the trouble is the VHT paint is porous and the steel below it attracts moisture like a magnet.

 

The only company in England that's any good is Camcoat but they want £300 ($475) for a pair of tubular headers plus postage at around a further$50 each way , not cheap !!!