Up-dated-Best Header Coating Ever, 1300-2000 F

[Sunula66]

Tried all those so called "ceramic" sprays? Mark just asked about another one and the product I strongly recommend is :
VHT Header Paint period. Very High Temperature," Flame Proof "Header Paint 1300-2000 F or 704-1093 C Silica-Ceramic Coating
http://www.vhtpaint.com VHT Products Company, Cleveland, Ohio 44115 , USA
I purchased 2 cans (regular large size spray cans) My speed shop "Guru" Kevin, O/O K&K Performance Stratford, Ontario Canada (Kevs a bracket racer), he recommended 2 cans but so far all I needed was 1 can ( it's a V-6)and at 20.00 dollars each,and a lot cheaper than header wrap, I used it sparingly. So far last year I put over 5000 miles on the car. I was scared to open my hood at the first show but when I did, the coating looked like "satin" and like I just put it on.Awesome product. All I really did was clean them lightly with steel wool briefly then sprayed a few light coats untill all the tubes were covered. I even sprayed my new tail pipes, (see garage section), to eliminate some of the pipe from being seen and to preserve them!
P.S. ..the nice "plug" for K&K Performance was accidently on purpose....
Oh yes, like never sieze compound, this product is also not good on toast

[BadBowtie]

I checked in your garage section, looks like a nice ride . Do you have any pictures of the headers now on the car? What color did you buy?

[Sunula66]

Thanx BadBowtie, I used the black stuff and I have been looking for more engine pics. I just put more pics in the garage,
but I would be happy to take some new ones of the engine itself. Did you check out the Video that VHT Paint put out there on the link I provided? It kinda tells the "heated" story doesn't it?!

[BadBowtie]

Thanx BadBowtie, I used the black stuff and I have been looking for more engine pics. I just put more pics in the garage,
but I would be happy to take some new ones of the engine itself. Did you check out the Video that VHT Paint put out there on the link I provided? It kinda tells the "heated" story doesn't it?!

It looks like pretty awesome stuff! When i'm working in the engine compartment/finishing up ill look into getting some

[chevy art]

i saw a bunch of posts on another site and all these guys were harping that all the brands (vht, por, eastwood, ) were junk and none of them lasts very long. maybe they werent baking it enough. who knows. just a bunch of negative stories, saying the companies sell that stuff with slick adverttising and PR. anyone on our site really had this stuff going on their headers for and lengthly period of time chevy art

[Sunula66]

Hey Chevy Art, the VHT still looks like new on my headers, and after each coat, I waited about 15 min.s, and put 3 coats on the first time before starting the engine.
I drove the car around quite a bit after spraying the headers and you could smell the curing taking place,but it wasn't that noticeable and I eventually used up the can. Every body needs to be patient when applying any coatings and to let a few thin coats dry first. After the first run for about an hour or so, the car sat for the day at a show, then it ran again for another hour and a bit and the next day I sprayed a little more of a coating. This process adds a bit at a time and the headers started out fairly dirty looking but not all caked with a heavy rust or pits. I'll take up to date pics when I get a chance here soon. Ceramic coated headers that are predone at the speed shop are expensive and use a similar curing process but they also start with a base "shell" and start from there on "new" pipe. My exhaust is black, coated, clean and works for me! Maybe the other guys didn't use the VHT "Flame Proof" Header Paint. The VHT Engine paint doesn't work on Headers, on the can it specifys the type and temperature for the application. Perhaps this is what the "other" guys did......guessing?

[chevy art]

hey sunula 66 im going with what you say about the vht coating. it sounds ok to me. would like to bake it in an oven as prescribed, but just dont have access to one. how the heck do you start from scratch and do all the coats and start up curings on the car sounds impossible to do and especially get all the surface of the headers. advice? thanks art

[Sunula66]

Well, I just placed bristol board pieces, ( thin craft cardboard) around the back of the tubes on the heads and prevented the overspray from getting on everything else, and with the car on ramps, rolled under and did the same thing underneath carefully as not to paint everything else in the process. I wore a filter mask too cause this stuff is dangerous to breathe!
Took my time, I had thought to take the headers off but it wasn't necessary. Vwala!

[evilcactuar]

I've had good luck with with the vht ceramic header paint as well. Your method of painting and curing sounds a whole lot easier than what I did! On a side note, I had good luck with their caliper paint as well.

[chevy art]

my buddy was just telling me saturday that he heats the headers up with a torch and paints them and lets them cool and doeas it a few more times. think thats what he said i will be more precise when i ask him again how to do it and i will get the message to you guys as to how to do it. art

[monzabug350]

Heay chevyart,I had a man build me a wood burning stove a few years ago and when it came time to paint it,he turned his torch up high,put it inside and let it heat the stove up to hot then sprayed it and I was amazed that the paint dried almost instantly.I used that stove for two years and never had any issues with the paint.He knows what he is doing. And it sounds a lot easier with the headers/manifolds off the car rather than the other methods listed here. Guess it depends if you have a torch system handy.

[monzajer]

I used VHT (very high temp) paint on my stock ex manis. put about 500 miles on the car before moth balling it. I used to live in Phoenix and as you know it is HOT. Some of our fellow Phoenix band of bros can attest to the fact that is always seems like rush hour in Phoenix and you get no where in a hurry. You sit alot in traffic and that gives extra time for any paint to bake on or off. My manis look the same today as they did when I first painted them. I think I painted on three coats, it has been many years since.

VHT header paint is GOOD stuff. Highly recommned it. Just my opinion.

Seems to me we have had this discussion in the past. Yep, I did a search and found a couple times this has come up.

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=28396&p=150399&hilit=vht+paint#p150399

viewtopic.php?f=2&t=30061&p=164262&hilit=vht+paint#p164262

viewtopic.php?f=2&t=26662&p=149633&hilit=vht+paint#p149633

Not complaining, just saying my senior moments come and go and I guess today is a good day.

Good luck and have fun.

cheers jer

[Sunula66]

Here's the original post about the "header-coating" I just put this on here so that the post would "re-new" for 427stroker..

[427stroker]

Hey, thanks for the ideas. VHT is my paint of choice also.

[Sunula66]

As this was an "old" post, I thought it was time to update it a bit...
The price of this V.H.T. header paint has come down significantly and is now available in a multitude of colors! I havn't had as good of luck however this time with the silver that I sprayed on the 350 2 years ago but hey, I was so damned excited to take the Sunturd out for a rip after the V-8 was installed that I didn't give the paint a chance to cure properly...that being said, I'm about to spray the headers again this week when I get to the engine shop and will scuff them up with steel wool first and spray light coats first following up with more coats after the engine has ran for an hour....by the way, you can now purchase these VHT paints at Canadian Tire stores! it's not just found in "speed shops" any more good luck folks and get cleanin' and paintin' them tubes!! Spring is coming quickly and the shows have begun!