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   Any suggestions on something different to use?

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.

Hmmm, yea I followed the instructions on the can for curing the parts on the vehicle. I also waited a few hours between each coat and the headers were off the vehicle for over a week. I think the VHT just sucks.

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   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 December 22, 201411 yr by CCPcoatings

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.

+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.