Generation IV External Engine - Header paint

Anyone had any goodluck with the 1200 degree paint? I bought a cheap ass set of the pace setter headers a few years back, and now they look like shit.
I am currently in need of some nice exhuast but until I have the money I am goin to try and make them look nice with some paint.

I guess sand them all of the way down and accetone them clean. And pray like hell that the 1200 degree paint doesnt suck?? Any way let me know what you have had goodluck with and what should work the best?

If they were some nice ARH headers I wouldnt have to worry about this but they are not so i will have to wait until I have enough money to get a set like that.

Just so you know under most conditions my headers (I would assume others are similar) are at most about 450 degrees and thats right at the primaries)

My car used to drop cylinders so I picked up a Infared thermometer to check the temp on the primaries and have had to measure it many times.

So 1200 degree paint should work fine if its NA. Honestly though the biggest problem with paint is it will just scratch right off. No paint seems to be very tough.

Don't use the Dupli-Color header paint, it sucks. Try another brand.

Don't use the Dupli-Color header paint, it sucks. Try another brand.

Damn im not out in the garage but i think that is what brand it is... But i plan on prepping the hell outa the headers so Im sure it will help. but only time will tell.

I painted my pacesetters with VHT header paint this summer. I got them used and they were covered in rust so i sanded them down and painted them with 4 light coats. They looked beautiful in silver but now 4 months later they have some rust spots. I should have prepped them better. You will probably need two cans to put several good layers on them. Hope that helps!

I sandblasted a set of headers in a SBC S10 conversion and painted them with the hightemp paint from OReilly's - not sure if it was Duplicolor or VHT, I'm thinking it was Duplicolor - and it lasted forever and looked great. I did about 3 good coats.

Just so you know under most conditions my headers (I would assume others are similar) are at most about 450 degrees and thats right at the primaries) Im 100% sure EGTs are about 500-700 at idle and in the 1200-1500 degree range during a run.

Rattle can paint from walmart will not work, I dont care what the can says. If it did coating companies would be out of business.

well if they were not so shitty looking i would get the ceramic coated again but they look like ass and i have FREE paint so i guess i will use it so they are not all rustly looking, but Im sure as soon as i get it fired up they will be nasty again...

not joking, but John Deere muffler paint. Comes in a rattle can from the dealer, kinda expensive, but works awesome.

Have them powder coated in the high temp powder coat. That is what a few guys did here.

not joking, but John Deere muffler paint. Comes in a rattle can from the dealer, kinda expensive, but works awesome.

Is them shits green or black or what???

Is them shits green or black or what???

black.

Have them powder coated in the high temp powder coat. That is what a few guys did here.

Yup, I just did a set last week for a bike and car. If they were previously ceramic or jet hot coated, I can't coat over that stuff. But if they were bare metal and are now just rusty and whatever, then I can blast that off and coat them in high temp just fine.

Surface prep is the key to any good paint work. The paint will stick better if you sand blast versus sanding down. Surface will be rougher with blast and allow paint to stick better. Multiple thin coats better than one thick one. Some paints need to be cured by running for only a few minutes and allowing to cool - read the directions.

My next headers will be stainless steel.

Stainless Steel ceramic coated Kooks FTW!

Stainless Steel ceramic coated Kooks FTW!

Yeah i know but Im not going to buy new headers yet... i dont even think I am going to paint them... I rather them have the semi used look instead of shitty paint flakeing off look.

Don't use the Dupli-Color header paint, it sucks. Try another brand.

hell yea it does!!

I used the VHT 1200* "ceramic" paint. I sand blasted the headers and coated them with 3 medium coats and baked them at 450* for 2 hours and 600* for 2 hours. It works OK, but ONLY with VERY GOOD PREP! Even though I sand blasted them, I could still see in some parts where they looked blasted enough, but completely flaked off once baked.

Heat cycling or baking the headers is very important from what I've seen. It's hard to bake long tube headers in an old oven or something, so let the car run for a few minutes, turn off to cool, run again ect. On my current car, there were a couple spots right at the turn down from the head where the paint flaked on mine because it got a little too hot when trying to cure them, but the rest of the header looks great. I used VHT.