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Hey wondering what, if any, type of coating or paint is used with good results on headers. I have a nice pair of EL headers that I primed and painted with VHT header paint and it sucks rump roast!! After the first time it rained all the paint peeled off. So I took them off spent most of a day re-sanding, priming, and painting all over again. Guess what....it rained again.....guess what.....I get to do it all over again :mad:  Any suggestions on something different to use?

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Put it in a oven or over a forge to bake the paint on(after the paint has dried). According to the engine/exhaust paint cans your also supposed to wait 7 days for the paint to fully cure before using whats painted. You can get around the whole week if you paint it, let it dry for a day or at least wait until it doesn't smell like it would light on fire, then bake it.

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Hey wondering what, if any, type of coating or paint is used with good results on headers. I have a nice pair of EL headers that I primed and painted with VHT header paint and it sucks rump roast!! After the first time it rained all the paint peeled off. So I took them off spent most of a day re-sanding, priming, and painting all over again. Guess what....it rained again.....guess what.....I get to do it all over again :mad:  Any suggestions on something different to use?

 

 

You have a couple problems.

 

1) You'll never get a high temp coating to stick to a header by "sanding" it.  Parts need to be thermally degreased then profiled / blasted with a clean media.  Then coat and cure as directed.

 

2) I don't believe you're supposed to prime and coat.  Its either or, not both.  I can't see one silicone coating sticking to another.  

 

I've seen some BBQ / header paints work with limited success.  Even less in turbo applications.  I suspect after a few more attempts it's prob wise for your well being to get it ceramic coated and forget about it.

Edited by CCPcoatings
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Are the headers stainless steel?

I don't do much painting, but the type of primer makes a huge difference.

Usually for metal you want to use an etching primer, but that may not help with a high heat application. If the primer isn't a high heat primer it will peel away and take the paint with it.

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+2 on the ceramic coating or ship them to a company that does chrome plating. If it were me, I'd just leave them alone after removing all the paint you applied. Being under the engine, I would NOT use a header wrap either, since the valve covers and heads sit directly over the headers, which means over time oil will eventually drip, and absorb into the material.

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