exhaust system paint?

[poorshe911]

Hi everyone,
Can an exhaust system be cleaned up by bead blasted or other means and painted with something that would hold up to the heat?

Thanks,
Michael
'83 SC

[Oh Haha]

I used flat black high temp engine paint on my muffler and it's holding up great. The trick is to bake the paint on over time. You use the heat of the engine(taking the exhaust off to respray) or find an oven to do it.

[DRACO A5OG]

Do you have a pic Wayne?

[poorshe911]

how about the exhaust pipes though?

[IROC]

I did the same as Wayne. I used the VHT muffler paint and cured it "on the car" per the instructions and it has held up wonderfully. It cures flat black.

[911pcars]

Ceramic coatings are the best for preservation, but base metals must be clean (blasting, etc.). I powder coated my HEs before ceramic coatings were widespread. Lasted for quite a long time (check w/the coater first).

FWIW,
Sherwood

[steely]

my powder coater offers a ceramic based coating - never tried it myself

on edit : man I am a slow typer

[Oh Haha]

Originally Posted by DRACO A5OG

Do you have a pic Wayne?

The black blends in with the under carriage so it's not really easy to see but-


Here's the muffler before installation and a couple of "heat" treatments.



If you have the $$ for powder coating that is much better than paint, especially for headers.

[72911]

If you want a low cost approach I have used the following with great results.

[tratza]

During my 1987's engine rebuild around 2003 I bead blasted just the headers along with a lot of other parts. The headers were painted with VHT silver paint. They baked in the wife's oven. Do Not Tell Her You Did That and Make Sure She Will Not Be Home For at Least 12 Hours. They still look very good about 50,000 miles later. Just a little duller. The muffler I polished. That still looks good. The cat bypass needs to be redone but I didn't prep it with as much care as the rest. Maybe try something different next time like prepping it. What hasn't held up after the build is the fan. I painted it. I'll probably spring for a new one next year due to some cracking. Maybe powder coat that one clear.

[Joe Bob]

Barbeque rattle can....or Jet Hot coating. One is cheap the other is not.

[poorshe911]

tratza,
Thanks for the photo's .. pipes look good.
I think I'll give the rust-oleum VHT stuff a try.

[Marc Bixen]

We use gray engine primer High temp for heater exchangers, as well as brake rotor hats and trim. This is the same finish as O.E. This is also the correct color and finish for mufflers.

[poorshe911]

Marc,
Where can I get the gray engine primer? Do you have to bake it on?

Thanks

Tratza,
How long and at what temp did you bake your pipes for?
Can I poke them with a tooth pick to see if they're done?

[poorshe911]

bump

[rolls 912]

Wurth high temp. Works a treat.

[tobluforu]

I had my M&K ceramic coated and it looked awesome, but it was super easy to scratch. I mean it was almost a joke how easy it got marred up. I sold that loud ass thing, bought a dansk sport that was painted from the factory with some crappy paint which started coming off within two weeks. So I went down and bought the paint in the link and I can't believe how good this stuff is for the price and it looks great as well.
VHT FlameProof™ Coating

[KTL]

The BBQ high temp flat black works good for heat durability. However I found that brake parts cleaner takes the stuff off very easily. I mean like get some brake clean overspray on there, wipe off instantly and oh look, my shop rag is completely black.

I have used LPS cold galvanizing paint with very good results. Very durable.

http://www.amazon.com/LPS-16Oz-Aerosol-Galvanize-00516/dp/B000SKWXY8

Just like anything else, prep is key. I used it on header pipes and a banana muffler and it holds up great. Like Marc said, it matches other finishes you typically see from factory parts like brake rotors.

[RoninLB]

years ago I used POR-15 muffler paint

I cured it in steps using the engine running

it was very durable