The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Paint and Body Shop Painted exhaust manifold with engine paint, bad?

I painted off the exhaust manifold with engine paint, is it bad or will it hold off? Please advise before I mount to engine otherwise I will have to scratch off and paint exhaust paint

Ganesh

Ganesh,

It is doubtful that engine paint will last long.

Some people have had luck with Calyx Dressing (if applied correctly, cured correctly, and water is kept away from the manifold). It would be interesting to hear long-term results.

The only long-term coating that people have reported success-with is a professionally applied (and guaranteed) ceramic coating.

I used the Black High Heat Gas Grill spray paint from home depot on my Willys CJ2 manifold and exhaust. It's holding up great. Your engine paint will just burn off, but won't hurt anything.

Have a look at this.
Read about it in the Vintage Truck. Just bought some from Eastwood. Looks like this is the way to go.

http://www.tptools.com/p/2492,186_Calyx-Manifold-Dressing.html

I have not "heated up" my engine yet...but getting close. I bought some of the Calyx from Zip Products and I "think" its gonna be good. A friend of mine used it and swears by it. He admits it will not stay "New" looking but he says when it need's "freshening up" he simply wipes a little on and it looks great again for a long time. You can do it right on the engine. In my phtobucket is a set of 283 headers I blasted and rubbed it on. I won't be able to tell much until I get it hot, which the instructions say to do....until then a little of it may rub off on you if you rub your hand on it.

I got a little container for $17 bucks, did my headers and have enough left for probably two more sets. It goes a long way.
I might add that it wood probably help if you sand blast the headers.... I did. I promise to tell the truth as soon as I run it a while!!