Exhaust manifolds - best treatment
Discussion
Tried the search coz I know this has been discussed on a number of occasions but it freezes up. What's the concensus on the best way to have nice clean eat your dinner off them proud to open the bonnet exhaust manifolds (and Y piece)? I know you can polish them, paint them, have them coated, wrap them etc but does anyone have a simple solution for this that looks good and lasts (for three or four years) without costing an arm and a leg.
Thanks in advance,
Chilli
Thanks in advance,
Chilli
Looks good and lasts? Ceramic coating, with more emphasis on longevity. But looks pretty good/clean too. I've wrapped Cerbera manifolds in the past. They look ok, and keep the engine bay temps down, but don't look as pretty as ceramic coated items. May cost though, so it depends how much you deem as 'an arm & a leg'... Everyone has different budgets.
GasMunkey said:
BBQ paint
I have just done mine in the last few days in bbq and stove paint, so too early to say how it will last. Previous to that i had Halfords VHT manifold paint. Didnt stay on too well, peeling after a couple of thousand miles. I really want stainless, but its justifying the cost when mine are still quite serviceable.carsy said:
I have just done mine in the last few days in bbq and stove paint, so too early to say how it will last. Previous to that i had Halfords VHT manifold paint. Didnt stay on too well, peeling after a couple of thousand miles. I really want stainless, but its justifying the cost when mine are still quite serviceable.
Halfords VHT is useless, I used to paint all my 2-stroke exhausts with BBQ paint and it lasted even at 15'000rpm worth of heat Tri2Tri said:
Im probably going to give POR Black Velvet a go on mine. Only from the y piece joint to the back of the pre cat on the manifolds. My manifolds are still in situ.
I was given samples of all the POR stuff by Frost in the 90's when we were restoring a Mk2 Zephyr for Practical Classics & Car Restorer magazine, the idea was we used it on the restoration and it would be featured.I was a bit sceptical at first to be honest, until I started using the stuff.
POR15 Black Velvet, POR15 Factory Manifold Grey and POR-20 Brilliant Aluminium high temperature coatings are the only paintable exhaust coatings I've used that actually work.
And they last for years & years, I've seen it, fact.
The Factory Manifold Grey product works best on cast manifolds, the POR-20 Brilliant Aluminium & Black Velvet work better on steel tubular manifolds & exhaust.
The silver has a slightly higher temp rating than the black Velvet, but TBH neither will disappoint as long as your prepping is meticulous.
Like all the POR products these high temp paints are in a league of their own, THEY ACTUALLY WORK!
I wouldn't bother using anything else unless you like being disappointed.
As with all coatings, the secret to a good finish that lasts is all in the prep.
Ignore the instructions at your peril, follow them & all the POR products are completely unbeatable.
Tri2Tri said:
Sold. POR15 it is for me them! Thanks Chimp for sharing your knowledge.
If you can spray it you get a better finish, the silver stuff was my personal favourite.I ended up painting all sorts of little brackets with it and you can get a lovely finish.
The Velvet Black has a very dry matt finish, the silver looks like cleaned cast ally.
Just depends on your personal preference, they both work as well as each other.
If you do spray it you'll need to run plenty of thinners through the gun immediately after using it, or it will go solid & only fit for the bin.
My last tip is probably the most important, WEAR GLOVES
I'm liking the sound of the sprayed on POR Aluminium or Balck Velvet, Has anyone got any photos of either?Had mine done in a ceramic coating, looks fantastic and really easy to clean up, before that I used to clean it with Autosol after cleaning it down with varying grades of wet and dry paper, which involved a lot of blood, sweat , swearing and employment of child labour to get to the fiddly bits, as I've got fingers like pigtits . 
fausTVR said:
Wow, that coating really lifts the engine bay, gorgeous. I wonder how long it will look this good, given your cleaning routine? Any clue as to costs? BTW excuse my ignorance but who took your wiper motor?
Look again.Do you really think that car ever sees the rain these days?
Trust me guys it's seen every kind of weather in every season, once it's mucky it gives me a chance to treat it to a cleaning, which since having the work done is really easy-ish, however over the past 12 months it's been up for sale and under cover as I had a bad back accident which has prevented me from being able to drive it, which is a crime as it should be driven n driven hard. However my health has improved a little n I'm thinking of taking it back soon and ...............well let's wait n see.
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