Exhaust manifold prep
 

Finally putting my original engine back together. Exhaust manifolds (cast logs) have light surface rust and in nice shape. What is a good prep to keep the manifolds looking good. Mostly stock. Paint? Dressings? Looking to keep clean cast iron look. Easy to do while engine is out . Any suggestions welcome

Thanks

Eastwood high temp cast iron paint inside as much as you can get also!

POR-15 cast iron grey manifold paint.

A little pint can does at least a few pairs of manifolds, brush on a couple coats on your bead pasted manifolds and it holds up nicely for many years and miles.

I'll second POR-15 cast paint.
Brushes on easy and will do several sets.
I've had mine done for several years now with 30,000 miles and they still look new

I agree. Por 15 cast iron grey manifold paint is the way to go. A half pint is way more than needed.

Still learnin.

Tried Hi-Temp Clear; looks new until morning condensation enables rust pits to bloom.

Tried Hi-Temp White; looks new until morning condensation enables rust pits to bloom.

This go: Hi-Temp primer ( water based spraycan ) with Hi-Temp White.

Wishing for a clear Satin glasscoat. Hello Corning, Schott...

Eastwood used to sell a stainless steel paint that worked really well for me, but I think they discontinued it.

Something I've never tried but think would work pretty well is stove polish - it's meant for old fashioned wood stoves. You just wipe it on with a rag and buff it. You can get it at fireplace stores, Ace Hardware, or of course off Amazon. A quick check online shows you can get a tube of the stuff for under $10.00.

I heat cast iron manifolds in the grill to remove all moisture before painting to improve adhesion. You'd be surprised how much moisture comes out.

I agree, heating them some for a length of time at a low temp (@ 150F), then coat/paint when barely warm to the touch.

I bead blasted, then chemically etched the long branch I did for a friend, coated with Eastwood stainless steel paint, then hit them with some as-cast manifold paint. Those lasted years and many miles.

I would paint blocks and iron heads the same way basically. On the heads, I would just coat the tops of the exhaust ports with stainless steel paint, then paint as usual with engine paint. Made the heads last a long time without the typical exhaust port burn-off. Blocks I would etch and spend 45min or so with a heat gun drying it. (blocks & heads are a pain to mask off)

They still make a high temp exhaust coating, but it's not the stainless steel stuff they used to have:

https://www.eastwood.com/satin-black...p-coating.html

That's rated to 1400F, which I believe is less than what the stainless steel paint was. Some reason I remember it was up to 2000F, but a little foggy on that.

They do now offer a product, ZyCoat by Zybar, which they call a 'thermal barrier'. I haven't tried it, but it says it's good to 2000F.

https://www.eastwood.com/zycoat-zyba...4oz-13004.html

Not cheap, that's for sure.

.

I bead blasted mine and painted them with stove/furnace paint. That was 10 years and many miles ago and they are still perfect. Kind of a dark gray color, darker than cast,, though.

I've used the POR-15 both ways, with and without an oven. They all still look good to this day.

I do glass bead all the manifolds before coating however.

Another tip using the POR-15, I've used it on the Pontiac cylinder heads above the exhaust ports. Then paint the engine desired color. I found I get no paint discoloration with the POR-15 beneath it. When I freshened the engine in the bird several years ago now, I did this process and then painted the correct metallic blue. 30,000 miles and the heads still look good today.

I also used the POR-15 on the exhaust cross over for the RAIV intake manifold, still looks like the day I coated it.

I used the Eastwood stainless steel spray also with great results. Still on and looks great

DIY using Liquid Glass?? AKA Sodium Silicate.

Tiger torch?

https://forums.maxperformanceinc.com...1&d=1632290034