Best way to finish steel headers?

[nzspokes]

Im going to need to re-finish some steel headers as they are rusty. What is the best way to paint/coat them so it lasts?

[bogan]

How badly rusted? Unless you can get em back to silky smooth finish there's not much point in getting them coated. Even then, just get some stainless ones is probably cost effective anyway.

[nzspokes]

How badly rusted? Unless you can get em back to silky smooth finish there's not much point in getting them coated. Even then, just get some stainless ones is probably cost effective anyway.

Not nasty. but on the bike they can been seen. Getting the frame powder coated so may as well get the headers done at the same time.

[haydes55]

Get that proper exhaust paint, get the pipes hot and paint them. If you do it right, that paint stays on real good. And looks pretty tidy

[Grumph]

Get them grit blasted first otherwise it's just wasted effort. Then the correct paint.

[Akzle]

cerakote .

[00quattro00]

Bbq paint is quite effective

[Big Dog]

Bbq paint is quite effective

BBQ paint pits quite quickly by comparison IME.
And its a bastard to clean off if you want to repair the job the previous owner did.

Looks great at first but if it gets mud on it eats the paint as it goes through heat cycles.

Took hours with a wire wheel.
Get proper exhaust paint on the other hand it looks kind of average when you first do it but a few heat cycles later it looks like it was glazed in a kiln.

[Murray]

Get that proper exhaust paint, get the pipes hot and paint them. If you do it right, that paint stays on real good. And looks pretty tidy

where do you get that and what is it??

[nzspokes]

where do you get that and what is it??

I was wondering the same.

[Tazz]

where do you get that and what is it??

vht from memory

and POR-15 I think? POR-15 rust stuff is the fucking business, so if they do exhaust paint too I'd run with it (even if it is spendy)

[nzspokes]

vht from memory

and POR-15 I think? POR-15 rust stuff is the fucking business, so if they do exhaust paint too I'd run with it (even if it is spendy)

Oh cool. Ive heard of that stuff before. Price is not so much the issue as getting it right.

And I cant paint for shit so would find somebody that can.

[Haggis2]

www.hpcoatings.co.nz I had the VTR headers done, I can't vouch for longevity but the finish, service and IMHO price was pretty good. The pipes are blasted before being recoated.

[nzspokes]

www.hpcoatings.co.nz I had the VTR headers done, I can't vouch for longevity but the finish, service and IMHO price was pretty good. The pipes are blasted before being recoated.

What kind of cost? Has it lasted ok on the VTR ones?

As my VTR ones are a bit manky.

[scumdog]

HPC coating, lasts well and looks good for ever.

[Big Dog]

Oh cool. Ive heard of that stuff before. Price is not so much the issue as getting it right.

And I cant paint for shit so would find somebody that can.

If you put VHT rattle cans on a hot pipe (heat gun in one end?) the paint itself is pretty well self levelling.
Hang the exhaust by a surface not needin to be painted. Spray a thin stripes along the shape of the exhaust. Don't worry about overlapping, wait a few mins and add another set of stripes as thin as you can manage aiming for the gaps repeat until you have an even glossy finish.

Allow to cool.

Repeat.


Of course you can pay someone to use a compressor to do the same in a spray booth.

I have seen some pretty pro looking jobs finished with a rattle can, a coat hanger and a box.

Seen some pretty shitty pro jobs.


Stupid phone / Tapatalk, apologies in advance.

[Big Dog]

Red Baron sell VHT. As do repco, super cheap have a different brand.

They normally have gloss and Matt black I used Matte titanium but I was after the factory look not a glossy look. Came up looking factory. 20,000 later it looks like 20,000 km pipe not the rusty 20,000 km pipe that was on there. That looked a lot like it had been parked on a beach a lot.

Stupid phone / Tapatalk, apologies in advance.

[Haggis2]

What kind of cost? Has it lasted ok on the VTR ones?

As my VTR ones are a bit manky.

Cost me $200-$250 to the best of my memory, I hade the header pipes and some custom link pipes I made coated. All their prices are listed on their website. I then only had 6 months of use before selling unfortunately but still looked great at that point.

[nzspokes]

Cost me $200-$250 to the best of my memory, I hade the header pipes and some custom link pipes I made coated. All their prices are listed on their website. I then only had 6 months of use before selling unfortunately but still looked great at that point.
Cool thanks man.

[The Reibz]

Don't waste your time and money on paint. People fail to realise the beating these things take, paint just isn't up to the task.
306693
These headers were HPC coated. They are acid dipped first, not sandblasted. As that often does more harm than good.
The coating is inside and out. That engine is now supercharged and running 22psi of boost and the headers are still intact and the finish looks sparkly still. VHT paint would have long since failed.

Do it once, do it right

[nzspokes]

Don't waste your time and money on paint. People fail to realise the beating these things take, paint just isn't up to the task.
306693
These headers were HPC coated. They are acid dipped first, not sandblasted. As that often does more harm than good.
The coating is inside and out. That engine is now supercharged and running 22psi of boost and the headers are still intact and the finish looks sparkly still. VHT paint would have long since failed.

Do it once, do it right

Sweet. That answers that.

[bogan]

Do it once, do it right

What did you once do to the rest of that engine then :crazy: :scratch:

And what is wrong with stainless?

[The Reibz]

I prefer stainless but the pricetag is out of reach for most. $1000 for a set of headers is beyond most peoples wallets.

Not my car but I did a bit of fab work on it. The engine bay was a bit of a shitfight in that first photo, heres a updated one
306694

[nzspokes]

I prefer stainless but the pricetag is out of reach for most. $1000 for a set of headers is beyond most peoples wallets.

Not my car but I did a bit of fab work on it. The engine bay was a bit of a shitfight in that first photo, heres a updated one
306694

This is an old bike so probably cant get new headers anyway.

[bogan]

I prefer stainless but the pricetag is out of reach for most. $1000 for a set of headers is beyond most peoples wallets.

Not my car but I did a bit of fab work on it. The engine bay was a bit of a shitfight in that first photo, heres a updated one
306694

Yeh fair enough, mine cost me 120 bung and a few hours in the shed, gotta love them easy to work with V-twin headers :woohoo:

That looks better, bonnet support could use a bit of rust-kill though...

[AllanB]

VHT exhaust paint works well if you follow the instructions - and there is a primer as well.

THe ticket is to head cycle after the paint is dry - it cures the paint. Either over or on the machine works.

[Akzle]

I prefer stainless but the pricetag is out of reach for most. $1000 for a set of headers is beyond most peoples wallets.

Not my car but I did a bit of fab work on it. The engine bay was a bit of a shitfight in that first photo, heres a updated one
[ATTACH=CONFIG]306694[/ATTACH

the engine is the wrong way around...

[nzspokes]

Yeh fair enough, mine cost me 120 bung and a few hours in the shed, gotta love them easy to work with V-twin headers :woohoo:

That looks better, bonnet support could use a bit of rust-kill though...

This is a I4. The ones on mine I just polish from time to time.