New Manifolds

[Tom Skinner]

Installed these new Manifolds this week, but the exhaust Manifold Paint tried to smoke - heat up - turn gold from silver in places when I warmed her up?

I used Engine Paint good to 600 Degrees?

Any Ideas?

[Tom Skinner]

[Scruffy49]

Pretty common. 600 degree is alright for engines and low heat brackets/accessories. 1200, 1500 or higher degree works better on manifolds, but will still discolor and smoke until fully cured.

I worked in the custom motorcycle industry for years. Nothing except PJ1 high temp paints for me. I believe they still make a super high heat aluminum paint (2200-2500 degree). Check the Harley Davidson and Volkswagen aftermarkets.

I know it is incorrect, but the 230 L6 exhaust/intake in my 49 B1B will be painted with BBQ paint or woodstove paint. Both get hotter than L6 manifolds...

[greg g]

I found a VHT hi temp cast iron colored paint. Not high enough rated, buned off in about 3 weeks.

[RobertKB]

Don't worry about it. Cars that are driven lots never keep the paint on the manifolds. I believe they came bare metal from the factory.

[Scruffy49]

They were painted, but like you said, it burns off quick. Only thing I've had great success with is flat black BBQ paint, and even then, unless you coat the inside as well it doesn't last.

If you want them to stay clean and shiny they'll need to be ceramic coated. Jet Hot has always had the best aluminum tone ceramic.

[Tom Skinner]

Thanks Fellows I thought about it and I have never really kept paint on my Exhaust Manifolds long - but they looked so purdy on the bench I got disapointed seeing some paint trying to cure off when running it for the first time. As a side note when I shut her down Hot I re-snugged all the nuts and they all really tightened up quite a bit more Hot/Warm then when first installed cool. Test Drive tomorrow after I use a Vacumm Gauge to set her at the best - highest setting.

Tom

[cwcars88]

I have around 10,000 miles on the last exhaust manifold that I put on my stock Model "A", it has discolored, but so far no rust. Eastwood Stainless Steel Coating 1200 degree

[Greenbomb]

Hmmm....seems like turning silver into gold would be a good thing.

[BobT-47P15]

I used the POR 15 brand........POR 20 hi heat aluminum paint on my

manifold. It has held up fairly well. I bought the small can and

applied it with a brush.

[aero3113]

I used rusteloeum BBQ paint on my exhaust manifold. I had it sand blasted then painted it right away to prevent any rust. I painted it about 2 months before I used it and used the whole can doing many coats on it. It had plenty of time to cure and when I started the car for the first time it smoked a little but went away in minutes. I have about 300 miles on the rebuild and the exhaust manifold still looks like the day I painted it, I hope it stays that way.

[Don Coatney]

I first sand blasted my exhaust manifold and painted it as soon as it came out of the blasting cabinet with the paint seen in the first picture. I did this over six years and 40,000 miles ago. The last two pictures are fresh as of a couple minutes ago. I have not done any touch up work on the paint on the exhaust manifold to date.

[thrashingcows]

I've been using the Eastwood manifold paint for years. If the manifolds are prepped properly the paint can last for years. Biggest thing I found is to have the manifolds blasted clean, sand or bead blasting is the best, I did garnet (Crushed ruby) one time and the paint tinted after heating a curing.

Once the manifold has been blasted make sure you clean it really well, I use lacquer thinner, or acetone. Once that's done make sure you stir the eastwood paint thoroughly, the little cans like to settle out and I find it can take 15-20 minutes of constant stiring to get the solids suspended in the liquid again. Then brush on a few coats and let cure. Make sure you fire up the car outside since the fumes from the curing paint are wicked.

[Fluid drive]

The only manifold coating that has held up to the heat generated by an exhaust is a ceramic powder coat that I had applied by a specialty company. I apologize that I do not rememebr the name(s) of the companies - there are several. The coating can be applied to exhaust manifolds and intakes with an equal amount of success. I used it on my own cars as well as several of the manifolds on cars for my restoration customers. The last engine I had that process done on was a Chrysler 323 C.I.D. eight. I drove that car quite a lot before selling it and the exhaust still looked great. One added advantage to the ceramic/powder coat is that it stops the manifold from burning away. Every time one of those engines is started and brought up to temperature some of the cast iron exhaust manifold burns away. ( Heat erosion)

Fluid Drive