This new damn setup for HT sucks, my search never works and i can't even login the marketplace most of the time...Enough venting.

I was wondering if anyone knows or has discoverd a nice DIY type of paint or coating that will work on turbo manifolds, DP, ECT. I know theres 2000degree paint out there, anyone tried somthing and have it be sucessful in holding up? I plan on media blasting and preping the material well. Just wondering if i should even bother trying to coat it myself. I bought a used Full-race turbo setup, just looking to make it look nice agian without hours upon hours of polishing.

 

ceramic coating you spray out a hvlp gun check eastwood products

 

Don't even bother with the spray cans. They have a fraction of the ceramics a proper coating does. I have done about a dozen manifolds with techline ceramic coating. it's not expensive. I bought a $10 jam gun from harbor freight and baked them in an old oven. ceramic coatings are not a vapor barrier though, so you need to warm up the engine frequently to prevent rust...hot rod guy are often disapointed when they pull their car out in the spring and the manifolds are rusty.

 

I ended up getting the techline Black Satin (2k degree), as rmcdaniels had an informative DIY thread on the stuff. He races his parts, and it held up well IIRC. It also had a very noticable temp drop, both surface temp and radiant heat. Roger said you can let engine heat cure it (gets chalky tho) or bake it for longevity.

 

spray on coatings suck. If you actually want to coat the manifold, DP, dump tube & exhaust housing for your turbo the best bet is to send it off to someone who does true ceramic coatings. They are not cheap but they are all so worth it.

 

https://honda-tech.com/forums/tech-misc-15/howto-diy-exhaust-coating-1608324/

 

I used the titanium Color Guard and the black Turbo X coatings on my manifolds.

 

everything i have read about that techline stuff says it just flakes off after 100 miles

is there anything that people do taht is dependable and wont look like crap after a couple thousand miles?

what about powdercoats that are supposed to be like the techline products?

 

I haven't had any flake off. If you follow the instrctions it lasts pretty well. I always baked it prior to installing the part although they say it's optional.

Powdercoating melts around 400F so that's not anything like ceramic coatings.

 

Hmm i will definitly give eastwood or techline a try since i have a couple guns to use already...problem is i dont have an old oven to bake them in...and i am not about to mess up my LG. any alternatives to this? Bailhatch You said it was optional, do you believe you have had the extra success from the baking process?

 

Surface prep has been the biggest factor in my experience. A good, rough, freshly sandblasted surface will take the correct thin coating and last forever. I've tried it just roughing it up with a wire brush/wheel, but it flakes off after a bit. Any rust or oil/grease will also make it flake off.

I've also baked it on the car, you just have to be really careful installing the part because it will be relatively easy to scrape off before it is baked.

I use a $10 Harbor Freight mini-gun sprayer.

 

I agree that surface prep is the key here. I don't think there is any chemical bond so you are relying on the mechanical bite the surface provides. I always used a coarse blasting sand and cleaned it several times with a strong solvent like lacquer thinner. Blasting it then heating the part up will help release any oils or waxes in the metal too if you have a dirty part. You could do this with a torch as many times as needed.

When baking it on the car, even after curing it in an oven, you need to make sure it doesnt get too hot too early or it will burn. I feel like thats the main advantage to using an oven is that its a more even and controled temp for the first hour it gets hot. I always let the car idle for a while with a slight breeze from a fan before driving it. there are good directions and I think you can even call techline and get advice if there is question. They sell to 100s of coating shops so you can be sure they have heard of nearly every senario.

I probably have the same gun RC, worked really well for me.

 

ok, well my friend said he has a powdercoat that is similar and he thinks would work well, but if this stuff truly works for a ramhorn and downpipe then im all about it

thanks for posting up the experiences

 

hmm well i plan on doing my manifold,DP,Exhaust,Houseing,Valve Cover and possibly my Charge pipe how much do you think i should order? And does it just come down to eastwood or techline mine choice or is one better then the other? Also i might buy a cheap gun just for this project so i dont mess mine up. Is this the gun your useing? http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=92126

 

Yeah, thats the spray gun I have.

Powdercoat is nothing like ceramic coating though. Have things that stay cool powdercoated. valvecover, pipes, brackets etc... things that get hot will melt powder coating in a sec...

 

ya thats what i thought too, but my friend said that everyone on eastwood said the high temp powdercoat is better than that techline hight temp paint, guess i will find out

 

We do a ceamic coating that is good for 2500 degrees - been on a turbo manifold for ober a year and no issues also on the turbo housing and still holding up

 

The problem with any DIY coating is the #1 'secret' of the pro's: prep. My brother works at a high-end body (they installed a Viper frame last time I visited, $45k+labor), and 80-90% of the cost is from the prep work. That's why Macco is so cheap - quick wash job, mask it off, then paint. Most places give them just 5-10 mins for taping.

I also know a former powdercoater who's done all sorts of military work. She says w/o prep (pre-baking in specific), cast metals like aluminum are virtually impossible. With proper prep, even a cheap garage setup will keep the part coated forever.

Even with the best coating, a hasty spray & install will result in failure. All cast metal will have oils on & just below the surface, and stainless tube/fittings should be roughed up a bit anyways. You can always find a cheap oven on craigslist, or w/in an hour of waiting outside a metal recyling place. My brother got $20 for his old oven as scrap.

 

prep work is the key i agree 100 percent

 

QFT. The prepping (especially pre-baking at over 800 degrees) is what makes our coatings really work. I've got guys still on the original powder-coat we did, looking very decent.

 

i agree prep work does determine how the turn out is. but thats with everything in life, houses, car, bikes, walls... its all about the prep. I was going to sandblast the material, put it through a parts washer, then rub it down the acetone. Sound good?