HIGH TEMP PAINT

Hi, what temp' do the header pipes get up to, i am wondering if standard high temp' engine paint is o.k.

 

Header temps on air-cooled motorcycles can exceed 1500 degrees fahrenheit near the exhaust ports. DO NOT, under any circumstances, use engine paint on your headers. At best, it will simply burn off in a very short time. At worst, it could start a nasty fire.
My experience has been that painting headers is a bad idea in general. Any "decent" header paint requires a lot of preparation and careful airbrush application (there is no cheap rattle-can solution here, as far as I know), and even that will come out looking somewhat cheesy in the end. Both ceramic coating and full replacement would be far better long-term options.

 

You can get flame proof exhaust paints from most auto shops. They work quite well - as long as you do good prep.

Steer clear of the SuperCheap stuff (Septone, I think), VHT is pretty good.

 

Or you could wrap them with header wrap?

 

I used high temp BBQ paint (brushed on, not sprayed) on my headers and it holds up just fine. It goes on alot thicker and stands up alot better then spraying it on. I also did my entire engine on the Seca with it too. It lays down nice and doesn't leave brush strokes (I used an expensive sign lettering brush)
You will need to use the good stuff that says it stands up to 1500 degrees.

 

BBQ black paint for re-painting your grill turns a bit grayish, not the black we're looking for. Holds up for a couple years. Nothing beats a factory black finish, or brand new chrome.

 

Also, Harley Davidson sells high temp engine paint that has the "krinkle" finish. I never checked on the price however. That looks nice too,

 

I used Dupli-color High Heat with ceramic. For best results you are supposed to cure the paint with heat. I started the bike and let it run for half an hour. I'm not sure how it will last, but for $10.00 it won't kill me to paint it every year.

 

Duplicolor works well on the engine itself, provided you do good surface preparation, and let the paint cure for a week in a dry place before starting the bike.
The problem with Duplicolor is that it dries to a matte finish that has a slightly brownish tint to it, so if you're looking for a nice, glossy, jet-black finish, you will be disappointed. If you use Duplicolor (or any similar rattle-can treatment) on your headers, it won't be long before it bubbles up and burns off, especially on the top section of pipe that is within six to eight inches of the cylinder head.
If you must paint your exhaust, it's best to go with a good, purpose-made header paint like VHT.

 

I don't want to sound like a snob but you really shouldn't paint your headers. If you are like me and have 4 to 1's just do the prep work and I mean prep WORK, not prep dick-around and get your pipes clean and oil free. Then take them to a shop for proper ceramic coating by someone reputable. If you bring your headers in looking spotless I doubt it will cost you more than 75 to 100 bucks and they will last as long as you own the bike and will never discolor.

As for painting your engine. You can get away with using a high temp paint on the bottom end, but painting your Jugs and headers with anything but BBE Paint (Black Body Emitter or Thermal Dispersant Paint) is reducing your engines ability to cool. Regular high temp paint acts as an insulator and on an air cooled bike you need all the help you can get. One thing to keep in mind with Thermal Dispersant Paint is that it requires heat curing so you would have to dismantle the top end, clean it up, and change all the seals when you reinstalled. So if you have a top end rebuild scheduled go for it. Otherwise wait until you need one. The BBE paint actually cools your engine better than the aluminum alone.

I know it sounds kinda snobby, but I hate seeing bikes with poorly painted pipes and engines. Your tanks and fenders are a matter of taste but why screw up critical components? Not to mention you're just making it tougher on yourself for when you don want to do it properly. Time is money and saving $100 or wasting 10 hours is a no brainer.

 

i guess my choice is gloss black ceramic or re-chroming, i am not painting the engine, but pollishing it, so i thought the black 4 into 1 might be a nice contrast. thanks for the input guys.

 

gloss black ceramic looks great! The satin is very nice too. But I just saw a car with gloss white ceramic headers and pipes and it was out of this world. A very unique look.

 

I have decided to go with a company called "JET HOT" they do a coating called jet hot sterling, which is a ceramic finish containing silver powder.
& it lasts 14 times longer than chrome. they give a lifetime gaurantee on new headers & 3 years on used.
check out the blurb. http://www.jet-hot.com.au
i will post pictures when i get the headers back.

 

JET HOT is very popular among car guys for their header coatings. The coat the header tubes inside and out which makes them last forever (or so I've heard) and is supposed to be immune to discoloration.

 

GREAT choice.
Everyone I know that has seen or done the JET HOT says nothing but good things!
I really wanted to try the copper...but it didn't match the color skeme at all.....maybe X#1 project in two years.

 

I had a friend that Jet Hot-ed (sp ?) his motorcycle headers and was extremely happy with the results. It was not cheap, but he had a bad DIY experience, and a bad wrap (haha) on another bike and he did not want to arse around with his baby.

 

I have used Duplicolor black high-temp on my engine (XJ750 Midnight Maxim) It is rated up to 1500 degrees, and no problems so far. I imagine it is as safe for the exhaust. Not cheap, but worth it.

 

Oh, I forgot, you can see the before and after pics on my gallery. Black paint was peeling so I had to do it! Now I have an all black beast!

 

THEY ARE BACK! :wink:

 

From what I understand, after they get some good "heat" in them and a then a nice polish and you are golden...(or sterling) in this case!
Sure beat the "HOT rust" color!

 

Actually Mike I believe that the Jet Hot coating will never discolor. As a matter of fact all you need to do with these coatings is wash them with good old fashioned soap and water

 

Beautiful. What did it set you back to get them coated?

 

He's in Aussie land so prices will be much different than on the right side of the world. To ceramic coat your exhaust manifold you can expect to pay $100 to $200 depending on the shop and how much prep is required.

If you send them in sandblasted and clean you might even get them done cheaper. Just Google "ceramic exhaust coating" and you will probably find someone local but you can send them in to one of the national players as well.

Your color choices are limited. The two most popular colors are the silver chrome-like finish and satin black. Some shops are able to do gloss black and satin white as well. The white is a very interesting look.

The satin black withstands higher temperatures, but in reality the temperatures it will see don't make this a factor. As well, you can expect cooler running temperatures as ceramic insulates well and directs the heat to the exhaust. This means that the air in the front of your bike picks up less radiated heat and thus will be able to air cool the engine better.

 

I had black Jet-Hot coated head pipes on my old V Star 1100.

It was about $200 total. I just sent the pipes in and they did all the prep work.

The pipes looked great and the coating held up well. They clean up with soap and water.

http://jet-hot.com

 

Thats a pretty typical price, $200 with sandblasting and prep. Maybe an extra $10 for attached mounting flanges.

 

I shot blasted my 4 into 1 exhaust and I'm getting the satin black ceramic put on for $80 cash.

 

Tech Line coatings has a product line very much like jet hot that you can do at home.
You MUST follow the directions EXACTLY or it won't work.

You can find it in a google search.

We used to have it @ Summit Racing but UPS changed their haz-mat rules to include anything liquid so we dropped it ( again)

 

The techline coatings are good. As for home use??? Maybe. Just don't let your wife catch you putting your exhaust manifold in the oven for curing. It may say cure on the car with the exhaust temperature but if you were to do that the finish would be less than ideal. Pay the money and have someone do it properly. As well, the chrome finish can only really be completed with an industrial vibratory polisher.