Stupid Side Pipe Question

[Chaplin]

Here is a stupid question. Those of you that have black side pipes, are they bare metal spray painted black, aluminum coated silver and then painted black or aluminum coated with a black finsih?

Trying to decide if I want black or silver, but would like to have them aluminum coated.

Thanks,
Mike

[Roscoe]

That's a stupid question!

[Roscoe]

No...really,

I coated mine first with VHT spray ht temp (1500deg) primer, then a coat of VHT in Black.

For touch up I use plain ol Rustoleum BBQ paint.

VHT makes their hi temp in a variey of colors, including aluminum.

Roscoe

[Mr.Fixit]

You can use just the high temp black paint directly over clean bare steel. Or, if you want to spend more money, you can get them ceramic coated (like Jet Hot, but use someone else) in black. But remember to add the cost of shipping the pipes to and fro.

[Chaplin]

Thanks gents, that is what I wanted to know- paint or black ceramic coating. Roscoe, if you think that was stupid, just wait, I've got 8 months before my cobra is ready- more will be coming down the pipe (no pun intended).

How much longer would you expect the pipes to last with ceramic coating?

[Jack21]

It's not a stupid question at all. Just ask those who've tried it both ways. Like us.

Rattle can Bar B Q black. Don't. You'll hate it. Pipes run hotter'n hell, and you're always touching them up. If you don't they rust.

Ceramic is available in black. Coat header inside and out. Sidepipe as far back to the muffler as coater can get. Pipes run cooler by retaining heat inside the exhaust, and once coated, it doesn't rust.

[Fred Douglass]

More stupid questions:
I am quite interested in your shared bits o' knowledge...so...1) what are the reasons stainless or chromed steel exhausts aren't used as much as coated---is it that they don't conduct or route the heat as effectively as insulated pipes? 2) is it purely aesthetic---the ss and chrome turn heat-craze colors? 3) Is jet-coating primarily to contain heat and generate venturi?

[Roscoe]

Mike,
By the way, that VHT stuff is Ceramic/Silicone paint. About 5 bucks a can!

http://www.caswellplating.com/frames...ottom=/vht.htm

Roscoe

[Bob In Ct]

Hey Roscoe:
Ive got an SPF with black pipes. Can I use the VHT right over the top or do I have to prep? Does it give a flat finish?

Bob

[wadesdad]

Chaplin,

There's no such thing as a stupid question, as long as the knowledge you are seeking is genuine.

I think it is stupid NOT to ask about that which you don't know.

Good luck on your build

-wadesdad

[NROTOXIN]

HPC black ceramic coating.....they look new forever.

cj

[A Snake]

Agreed on the hard coating over paint. Mine are flat black powder coated. I did learn the hard way not to use steel wool to clean them with. I actually scuffed off some of the coating. Maybe I just got a bum job. Still beats the heck out of paint of any kind in my book. Hot? you bet! Pipe bites? yup!

Chrome will blue with heat. Stainless is spendy, but scotchbrite brings it right back.

Unless you are worried about 10 horsepower or less, the heat radiation is not much of a factor except to your leg...especially since you are running the exhaust through mufflers. A much bigger factor is the header and muffler design. Even there, unless you're planning to run flat out at Riverside and never drive it on the street, don't worry about it, you'll never know the difference.

[Bill E]

It is harder to ask a stupid question than give a stupid answer.

[Roscoe]

Bob in CT:

After my initial coating of VHT I went with the Rustoleum BBQ flat black. Reason: It's easier to get. Home Depot has it for about 4 and change.

I like the BBQ stuff because it gives a nice greyish black soft finish. I put it right over the VHT with no problem. Touch up is simple also.

Roscoe

[Mr.Fixit]

The ceramic stuff, in my opinion, is really for nice maintenance free aesthetics. I doubt that a dyno could tell what coating is on the sidepipes, nor could the seat of your pants. Coated pipes will be at the same surface temp as painted pipes, although their ability to conduct heat is slightly reduced. If you are the kind of guy who doesn't mind polishing his own wheels once in a while to keep them shiny, touch up painting on painted sidepipes will not be too bothersome. Plus you can use the money you will save on something more important, like a helmet for track events.

[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.