[Jack21]

Read our opinions and experiences, then make a more informed decision on how you want to do it. And, if it doesn't work to your expectations, you can change it.

Tried the rattle can route. Waste of time. And the paint had to be stripped off before coating.

With the paint, I could have roasted wieners near the headers. Any wiring or hoses get roasted also. The headers have to come off periodically for repainting, and replacement because the inside is not protected.

Stainless is better suited for corrosion resistance, but about the same as plain steel for thermal unsulation. None.

Chrome plating will protect a plain steel surface from corrosion, but like stainless, has no insulating properties. And the inside can't be chromed. Chroming is becoming a lost art, hard to find, and expensive when you do find it. The chemicals and processes used to plate chrome is poisonous, and expensive to dispose of the waste products. Stainless, and aluminum is replacing chrome for brightwork.

The ceramic/aluminum coating provides corrosion resistance, and thermal insulation inside, and outside the header. I can hold my hand about an inch away from a header with the engine running, and it feels warm, but not hot. Wires and hoses have no heat damage. That being said, if you touch a header it will burn. If you lay a wire on a header it will melt the insulation. I was amazed at how well this stuff worked.

We all read this stuff about original Cobras having 1,300 degree headers a few inches from the drivers feet, and how uncomfortable the footboxes became. One thinks, ah, that's why you don't need a heater in a Cobra in the wintertime. Used double faced aluminum insulation in the footboxes as well. Foot boxes stay at ambient temp year round, and I use the heater in the wintertime.

For the sidepipe, it retains heat inside the muffler. The outside runs cooler, and the inside runs hotter. Moisture from the running engine stays in the form of steam and is less likely to condense into water inside the muffler. So even if the muffler isn't coated inside, if water is not condensing in it, it rusts less, and lasts longer.

I rolled two pieces of 40" x 7 1/2" perforated sheet steel and had them coated along with the sidepipes. Put brackets on each end, and installed them with large stainless hoseclamps. They look a little like motorcycle pipes. With the engine running, even after a hard run on the highway, they are cool to warm to the touch. No more snakebite or leg burns from hot pipes.

For sustained street use, give the ceramic coating some consideration. There are a lot of local shops doing this now and the hassle of sending them off someplace may no longer be necessary.