Adam,

If you want to DIY, then checkout http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/eastwoodcompany.com, they have excellent products and articles on the web site as well.

BTW, this is THE company for full restorations of any car make. They have been around awhile.

Hope this helps.

Donald
Let me preface this post w/your giving solid advice and I thank you for it, but the original question is in regards to headers (made of much much thinner steel tubing) and not the oem manifold (iron anvil w/exhaust runners cast into it). Headers generate more external heat into the engine compartment because of the type and lack of volume of the material used for headers as well the fact they flow more exhaust gas. The whole goal of coating or wrapping headers is to increase their heat retention thereby lowering the heat radiated into the engine compartment. Wrapping or coating the oem manifold would purely be a cosmetic mod. As far as coating piston tops, it's get insureance if you running boost on a 10:1 compression or have had the head ported or piston tops milled for valve reliefs (reduces detonation due to high points).
Adam
If you are doing this all for the oem manifolds try to see if you can port them to the head, an easy mod you can do on your own. Also these are just my opinions, ask reputable tuner.
thanks Donald and everyone else
goodluck wayne

i heard in previous discussion that there is little power to gain in port matching the head. is there a reasonable amount of power to gain for the work?

Adam
Find if porting w/help by pulling the manifolds and checking to see if the runner inlets are the same size as the gasket holes, that should match the head exhaust outlets. Typically manifolds are cast and often have surfaceing burrs or casting lips that restrict exhaust flow into the manifold. I say typically because I have only done this on toyotas and VW's and not on my 190 2.3(waiting to get a 300e). If you find that there stamping material or burrs obstructing the passage use an old gasket as a template and use a small grinder to clean them up. I wouldnt recommend messing w/the head in this way unless it was done professionally. I just point this out to you because it seems like your going to alot of work over the oem manifolds and it couldnt hurt, so long as you dont get creative w/the grinder. Ya the general concensus is that those motors breath pretty well straight from the factory, but everything helps, just washing my car makes it feel faster.
goodluck and get a few more opinions on the manifold port before you attempt it
Just triing to help
wayne

Waynoe
 

Thank you for the excellent disertation on how to keep heat from radiating into the engine compartment.
Beyond cosmetics of painting the tubular manifolds, there is the wrapping of the tubular or cast manifold to creat hot gas thermal velocity. The natural of restricted radiation of heat and the single exhaust passage is what creates the high speed of the exhaust gases through the system and out the exhaust. From a high pressure area to a low pressure area. Most noted on two stroke motorcyle engines expansion chamber mufflers.
I recall your comments on how not to wrap manifolds. Any one, not even the novice would do a wrap job as you so thoroughly discribed.
So to the end, paint the tubular not for looks but to retard the oxidation that thoroughly destroys triple de-oxidized plain carbon Steel headers.
To truly protect the new non-stainless steel headers, using hi-temp, not 1100 or 2000 degree paint but good old fashion Bar B Q paint, paint the inside of the exhaust system as well.
Happy Trails Beep Beep from Houston!!!
Donald, full of hot air(gas)

I have the answer to this one! I've painted headers many, many time, using all sorts of different things.

I HIGHLY recommend the exhaust paint sold by Stoddards, in Ohio. Its the OE stuff for Porsche exhausts. Light grey in color. It holds up *unbelievably* well. About $30 for a quart, which could do several exhausts.

The key, though, is prep. You MUST have the exhaust sandblasted to get it totally clean before painting. The Stoddard paint is then sprayed (out of a gun) on. I think they now sell it in spray cans, I can't really think why that would not be as good, but I always just use my compressor and spray gun to do it.

I've used BBQ paints, and other high temp paints over the years, and they are *nothing* compared to the Stoddard's porsche paint!

Jet Hot coatings are great, too, just much more expensive.

I'm a big fan of powdercoating, having had countless pieces powdercoated over the years. However, my powdercoater (a large operation, they do all GT bike frames, etc.) won't do exhausts, because he says powdercoating is only good to about 350 degrees, and an exhaust runs much hotter. Maybe there is some other type of powdercoating I am not aware of?

Was watching one of the car shows on TNN yesterday and they talked about Eastwood company and their powder coating paints.

Apparently you can buy the powder coating paint, and powder coat small items yourself.

When I say small I mean something that is not bigger than a normal kitchen oven.

They did say don't use a gas oven, only electric, and they did say don't use your oven that you use to cook food but rather find one at a junk yard that works and is electric.

I got to watch the guy paint an air filter housing for an old school american car. He took it out, cleaned it all up, applied an electric type connection or grounding or something like that to give the metal a charge so the powder would stick. It went on looking dull grey, and came out of the oven, silver and shiny, and looked very good.

They did say to not use anything that cannot be heated to 400 plus degrees.

I don't think that wheels or exhaust manifolds etc would fit in a regular oven, but you could do some of the smaller stuff on the car that is metal.

Hope that is a bit of cool info for someone to use.

I might just look into getting one of the powder coating kits to powder coat some stuff in the car, boat etc etc.

Would be great to be able to do your own powder coating on some items.

Alon

I've seen the Eastwood system. I wonder, though, how effective it is. From what I understand, powdercoating is done electrostatically, or something like that. I think its different from just heating something up.

Anyways, I have some doubts. I've used a LOT of the Eastwood products. Some have been quite good, other have been "not so good," or, at least, not as good as advertised.

The Eastwood system is expensive, plus you need a spare oven (who has a spare oven in their garage??). Also, one is fairly limited on the size of items you can use, it either needs to fit in the oven or you need a MASSIVE heating system.

Anyways, the biggest strike against it, for me, is the fact that professional powdercoating, particularly for pieces small enough to fit in an oven, is actually fairly inexpensive. I had a trunkful of 911 parts powdercoated when I did a restoration, and the total was something like $150. That was for a ton of stuff, though.

The hard part about powdercoating most things is the labor involved in getting the pieces off the car. Once they are off, it makes sense to me to pay the relatively small amount of $ to have them professionally coated.

yes indeed oven is an added cost, just thought I would update some who might have been interested.

They did electrostatically charge the metal before applying the powder.

Not sure if they negatively or positively charge the metal to allow the powder to bond.

The baking of course is part of the process.

I myself would probably end up taking the stuff to a place but I would do it only if I had a bunch of things to take.

Though to be able to powder coat something yourself of relatively small size in an afternoon seems like a good thing.

Alon

I have been looking into having my calipers powder coated, but was unsure if it would withstand the temperatures the calipers would produce. The company I contacted was inclined to believe the powder coating could withstand temperatures of up to only 250 degrees F.

They also wanted $150-200 for two calipers?!?! Has anyone changed the color of their rotors? And if so, what method did you use? Price?

Thank you,
Brian W.

Brian, you might want to look into the caliper paint they sell at tunigzubehor.com

I would order their catalog, its 500 pages long and has some great stuff in it. They sent me one for free.

I particularirly liked the section with the brake caliper paint because of the various colors, yellow, blue, black, red, and I think white but not sure.

Seems to me that taking off the calipers, completely cleaning them and painting them with this paint would look great, especially if they are visible through the wheels.

Alon

Asherman and BrainW
 

Long before Electrostatic Painting Process, Parts such as Brake calipers were coated using any gloss enamel that would withstand 300 degrees F.
As to withstanding the temperature of the caliper, 250 degrees?
How did you come up with that figure?
If the caliper got that hot, what would become of the fluid and the piston seals?
The only contact the caliper has with the pad is through the braking material and the fasteners.
Paint your calipers.
In the past I would paint anything I could get my grubbies on.
Clean, clean and then clean again. Alcohol for brake fluid, lacquer thinner for the rest.
Use a zinc chromate primmer, and flash the volitales in your wife's oven. 150 drgrees is adequate.
While still warm,not hot so to not boil or dry the paint, spray with your glossy paint. Any paint that will withstand 300 degrees F.
Back in the oven at 250 degrees F to flash the volitales and flow the paint. Let at temp long enough to get a smooth surface.
Take it, whatever you are painting, out and let air cool.
Voohla!!
Try it you'll be amazed'
Those who want bragging rights can have thier powder coatings, I'll take old fashion paint.
Happy Trails Beep Beep from Houston
Donald, El Cheapo

Alon,

I ordered the free catalog from Tunigzubehor a couple of weeks ago and am just waiting for it to arrive. I'll certainly order some and give it a try. I'm trying to coordinate everything with installation of sway bars, rotors and lines. My rotors are visible through the spoked rims, and wondered what it would look like with red calipers. The "Mercedes Big Brake" website has some good pictures of a 400E with big red calipers and looks sporty, but classy without being gaudy.

Donald,

The 250 degree's came from the local powder coater. they said it would only protect, or not "break down", up to that temp. Just what they told me, and I wasn't sure how hot a caliper would get. They do motorcycle frames, and in their opinion thought the caliper would achieve temps above 250 degress F. Sounds like they may be a little off. Either way I'm going to give the calipers a good painting when all the parts arrive. I think I'll give your method a try, but can I use my own oven since I'm not married? :-)

Thanks for the advice gentleman,
Brian W.
92 400E
90 300E
87 260E

Good Man Brain
 

Some of these fellows are giving you information that doesn't jive.
I too was a Biker. I rode the old mans scooter.
BMW.
I have many distance awards from BMW and The Thousand in One Club.
Times have changed but not good old fashion logic.
The hot paint is prettier than the powder puff.
Happy Trails Beep Beep from Houston
Donald, El Cheapo

Donald,

I have received most of my parts and am going to schedule an appointment to have everything done at the same time. My question is, if I take the rotors home to paint, does this leave the brake lines dry? If so, is this going to be ok?

I had planned on waiting for the calipers to be removed, run home and paint them, and try to get the calipers back asap. Will this scenario allow enough time for the paint to "cure"?

Thank you,
Brian W.