Header coating

What experience/recommendations are there for header coatings? I have a Clifford header. Thinking about either wrapping it with header wrap or using some kind of coating.

Goatman said:

What experience/recommendations are there for header coatings? I have a Clifford header. Thinking about either wrapping it with header wrap or using some kind of coating.

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Jet-Hot coat. I think that is what it is called. IIRC they spray it on and bake it in an oven or something like that.

-Mike

Edited to add the link: http://www.jet-hot.com/

All my crotch rocket buddies swear by ceramic paint stuff. I used that on my manifold, can't really say on longetivity yet, it's only been on since just before Moab (remember my little "issues" Richard ). Still looks good, just got a little dull, but I know you're not looking for the bling.

I would definately not use wrap on the header, it will cause the tubing to rust out in short order...been there, got the t-shirt...Paint is one option, but is not a long term one...eventually it will fail..

Besides the obvious advantage of helping keep the engine bay cooler, a thermally protected header will offer a performance advantage...the exhaust gasses will retain more heat as they pass thru the header...the hotter, less dense gasses will move more easily thru the tubing...I have seen dyno runs on 1300-1400 CC engines yield 4-5 HP improvements.

My recommendation is to have the header ceramic coated inside and out...it costs a bit of money because the operation is labor intensive, but it is absolutely the best way to go. There may be local shops that can do it...there are a lot of hits on the net under "ceramic header coating"...but the leader is HPC www.hpcoatings.com they have an excellent site with a wealth of data..

I wondered about exhaust wrap and rust, but thought maybe the heat would keep them dry, especially since I live in a dry climate. Thanks.

Has anyone used something that can be applied at home? I'm just looking for something that could keep heat in the engine compartment down a bit, but mostly to increase the life of the header.

Surface rust looks ugly, but generally doesn´t mean much, for years. Rot usually works from the inside out and the closer you get to the motor the less you have to worry about it.
Haven´t tried ceramic, but have had my headers sand blasted and aluminum coated, makes for kind of a ugly finish, but holds up well and doesn´t rust.