Pre 74 Heat Exchangers

So I got a good deal on a pair of heat exchangers...

They are not in perfect shape and have some surface rust to them...I was planning on sanding it and painting with high temp paint...but I fear that after a couple months it will peel and look horrible...

anyone have suggestions or experience with this?

Thanks

MJ

Clean them well with a wire cup brush on a drill. Get all the grease/dirt off with brake cleaner. Paint with some high heat 1500-2000degF ceramic exhaust paint like VHT or whatever they sell at your local auto parts store. They should be fine.

Nick.

If you want it done right and to last, this is the place to send them: WWW.jet-hot.com

just don't paint 'em white. every drop of oil or dirt will stain them.

Wire brush, wash, rub down with mineral spirits of some sort (to de-grease), repeat.

Let dry overnight and put a light coat of high temp paint on. Sand lightly to remove any left over scale, and repeat until well covered but not too thick.

If you're really into longevity you can bake them on the grill. That'll let you know if anything is gonna flake off.

The only way paint will last on exchangers for any significant amount of time is if you (1) get them sandblasted (sanding just doesn't get them clean enough), and
(2) using the right paint, properly applied. I recommend VHT. If you want the exact stock color, Stoddard sells it. Good stuff. I'd recommend spraying it out of a gun, but I hear they have it in spray cans now.

If you look to the side/rear in my picture you will see a sand blasting cabinet. This is what I used, but not everyone has access to this type of equipment. How much prep work you do usually correlates to the value of the part. You probably don't want to spend a lot of money refurbishing old rusty heat exchangers.