Got a new exhaust manifold and have read much about painting it. Can you share your thoughts? VHT makes a paint that is suppose to work well. Good idea or just a waste of time. Thanks.

 

It's just about personal preferences, mine are wrapped with exhaust tape

 

I sprayed mine with black header paint. It likes to flake off and get in my eyes when working underneath.

 

Only coating that seems to hold up long term is ceramic coating, and even that isn't perfect..and it's not cheap for a good job of having it done...

 

I like the exhaust tape idea less effort. Any recommendations of tape to buy?

 

If it were me with a new manifold, I would paint no matter if doing tape or not.
Clean it well with solvent, maybe even scuff it, couple cans VHT, done. Paint will get into smaller spaces than any tape, plus you can't tape the flange.

JMHO, your results may, and will vary.

 

The only paint I've ever seen last for any length of time on an exhaust manifold is the exhaust manifold paint from Eastwood. Everything else soon burns off of flakes off.

http://search.eastwood.com/search?w=...nifold%20paint

 

Ceramic Coating from someone like "Jet Hot" works well and does stay on have them for headers on my race cars for many years.


The heat wrap tape works very well for keeping the heat in the header..........But it holds moisture in and causes them to rust in short order this is all there was until the coatings came out so we had to use it on the race car headers. At that time about $350 a set and they would rust out in 2-3 yrs at the most one set at the end of one yr.


YMMV

 

I painted my with some Rust-Oleum high-temp paint (almost a year ago) and they still look like new. Even after a winter of snow/salt. Key is to wipe them down well with mineral spirits to remove the oily stuff they come packed in before you paint.

Rust-Oleum Automotive Flat Black High-Heat Enamel Spray

 

DO NOT SURE THE EXHAUST TAPE!!!! I used it on some hooker headers and it destroyed them. Had holes all over the place from the high temp/rust they cause.

 

This is exactly what happened to the set of headers I wrapped. Will never do it again!!!

 

If you are going to wrap your manifold the material it's made of better be very strong. The metal needs to with stand very high temps being the wrap is not letting the heat out. Thus resulting in failure of the metal. Cracks and such. I wouldn't recommend it.