painting the exhaust manifold

[VIO]

hey, i'm wanting to paint my exhaust manifold as well as my valve cover. as far as i can tell i would think 1200 degree high temp paint should be fine to paint the manifold. does anyone have any experience with this? i was thinking about using 1500 or 1600 degree but i don't like any of the colors. 1200 has the bright blue color that i want to use. oh, and i have a fed spec i4 with the really small heat shield which i will also be painting. thanks guys!

[Fishboy55]

If you use the 1200 degree paint on the manifold, it's not going to hold up very long. It will be fine for the valve cover. I use 1500 degree paint on my headers and it holds up pretty well. Remember your manifold is the hottest external part of your motor. Even with the 1500 degree paint I have to repaint about every 5000 miles or so, depending on the weather conditions.

And please, do not take the advice of spraying the paint in a cup and then brushing it on. Sparay paint is designed to be sprayed. When you spray it in a cup, you're losing some of the polymers that bond the paint. (Ask any professional automotive painter, which is what I did) It will take some extra time to amsk everything off, but the lasting effect of the paint will be well worth the effort. The same holds true for caliper paint. I painted my calipers four months ago and when I clean them they still look as good as the day I painted them.

[Khopari]

eh chip Q.. any reason u would want paint exhust manifold..... just curious.....

[pinoyesv6]

also make sure to take the time to prep the pieces before you paint. since you have an i4, you might want to take off the exhaust manifold to paint it since its not that hard. that way you can get a better paint job.

but yea make sure that you remove all the dirt and rust that is on the pieces.

when you remove the valve cover make sure to get a new gasket and clean everything before applying the new valve cover.

finally torque everything to spec. especially that valve cover, its really easy to over torque them bolts and screw things up

[Fishboy55]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(K h O p A r I)</div><div class='quotemain'>eh chip Q.. any reason u would want paint exhust manifold..... just curious.....</div>
Well, kru, from most of the I-4's I've seen it gets rusty as hell. So it's just another dress up for under the hood. Same reason I painted my headers and powder coated my valve cover....stylin'

[VIO]

i've done a bit of research and consulted with some old school motor heads and here's what i've found. when painting an exhaust manifold just brushing is not good enough to get all the corrosion off and out of the pours of the metal. the only way you're going to be able to make the paint last for any decent amount of time you have to use a chemical converter along with that wire bush and a bit of sanding to remove all of the corrosion. only then will your paint last for a good amount of time. the silver and gray colors also do not last worth shit, only black paint rated at 1800 degrees will last. so, i will try this method and let you guys know how it works out. oh and of course i plan to remove the manifold before i paint. how else would you be able to properly prep it? as for painting valve covers that's easy peasy. i painted my mustang's to match the body color. nice! you can use 500 degree paint as well and you have a wider selection of colors. i still plan on using a nice bright blue 1200 degree paint on the valve cover. and i guess a black manifold looks better then a rust colored one.

[tim888tim]

Does the rust on the exhaust manifold, the bolt and the nuts fall under the warranty?
Just curious.

[Khopari]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(tim888tim)</div><div class='quotemain'>Does the rust on the exhaust manifold, the bolt and the nuts fall under the warranty?
Just curious.</div>

nah i am pretty sure thats part of the Ware and Tare.

[pinoyesv6]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(tim888tim)</div><div class='quotemain'>Does the rust on the exhaust manifold, the bolt and the nuts fall under the warranty?
Just curious.</div>

if its jsut rust on the outside then its normal wear and tear. but if its like rusitng thru causing like exhaust leaks and stuff then its under warranty. read your warranty manual to see waht is and isnt' covered under your different warranties

[VIO]

wow, that would be pretty messed up to see an exhaust manifold so rusted that it had holes in it!!! :shock: :shock: :shock:

[Fishboy55]

wow, that would be pretty messed up to see an exhaust manifold so rusted that it had holes in it!!! :shock: :shock: :shock:

I'd be very surprised if the exhaust manifold rusted through. It's tempered steel...

[VIO]

wow, that would be pretty messed up to see an exhaust manifold so rusted that it had holes in it!!! :shock: :shock: :shock:

I'd be very surprised if the exhaust manifold rusted through. It's tempered steel...

that's exactly what i'm saying! however it is possible but it would take years and some pretty harsh conditions. maybe something like washing your manifold everyday with salt water for about a decade.

[jluv97]

the rust is probably washed down the manifold from the bolts in it. SOS pad and your set.

[VIO]

i don't know about cali sepc manifolds but my fed spec exhaust manifold is covered in rust. mind you it's just the very outside and can but sanded right off but it's completely covered. however it won't be after i sand it down and coat it with a chemical rust convertor then paint it.

[VIO]

here, take a look at my rusty manifold.

[ScOtTiE_MaK]

wow i forgot how bad the stock air box looks hahaha no trashin ya but im just sayin =)

nah but could you leave the valve cover on and paint it but cover up everything your not painting...and do you need primer first or could you just hit it with the high temp paint??

[VIO]

wow i forgot how bad the stock air box looks hahaha no trashin ya but im just sayin =)

nah but could you leave the valve cover on and paint it but cover up everything your not painting...and do you need primer first or could you just hit it with the high temp paint??

oh you're completely right about that stock airbox!!! it's got to go for sure!!! i could leave the valve cover on but you're just not going to be able to do a really good job that way. it's really easy to take the cover off and prep it. you shouldn't need primer as long and you clean it well and give it a nice light sanding. then nice even light multiple coats of a good high temp paint. 500 degree paint should be fine but i'm still going to go with 1200 degree paint for the valve cover and 1800 degree for the manifold. you should replace the gasket but it is possible to reuse your old one. of course gaskets are so cheap that it's really best to replace it. you have to make sure you get all the bolts torqued correctly or you'll probably end up with oil everywhere or a cracked valve cover (due to over torque). i believe it's 5 pounds but i don't remember off the top of my head.

[ScOtTiE_MaK]

im leaving my shit on when i paint it.....ghetto style.....no need to buy new parts for a paint job....when do you know when the gasket is bad...and where the hell is it and ummm ill be dumb for a day...i heard of it but what is it

[pinoyesv6]

when do you know when the gasket is bad...and where the hell is it and ummm ill be dumb for a day...i heard of it but what is it

pretty much the gasket is a one time use deal. if you were to reuse it, you run a big risk of there being leaks in the future. and you don't want that. its only 15 dollars, not that much if you want perfection.

[galantv600]

id say just take em out and put a new gasket.. itd be money well spent!!!!