My Pace setters are doing great! Heres why..

You go buy a product called "Peeler" by Kleen Strip. It just bubbles the paint and then you blow it off with compressed air---no muss, no caustic fuss over the bare metal to wipe off either. Use the stuff as directed and you'll be happy; perfect for that cheap "PACESETTER" header paint.

It's been almost 2 WEEKS since i painted mine and its still holding up, no smell and paint looks like the day when I finished.
I think the trick is to have a good quality heat paint and most important is to sand them with fine sand paper ..maybe 320 grit. Clean with brake clean...then bake for 30 minutes or more, YES IN YOUR CONVENTIONAL OVEN, at 450. BEFORE you paint to burn off any oils from your hands. So what i'm saying is if they are not clean the paint will peel and or burn off.
Then handle with care taking out of oven to paint so you dont get them dirty, I carried them by sticking something in the bolt holes to the paint area. Let them cool so they are just warm then follow the instuctions on the can. I painted and baked mine four times, With a real good high heat paint and they are looking great as I type.
Read the can before you but it, some cheaper paints say let dry for 24 hrs . You dont want this paint.
I have had my best luck with Eastwood manifold paints....because they look like powder coat when finished.
GIVE IT A TRY GUYS!,,,Its working for me,

Is the paint still holding up well?

i bought some flameproof header paint from a local parts store. my wife wouldn't let me use the oven though. LOL on the can it had a bake procedure using the engine itself.

i just took my old manifold, brake cleaned it and sandblasted it, then i sprayed the header paint on per instructions. (with this specific paint the important part was not to put to much. just enough so you can barely see the silve metal anymore.)

then after it dried for a while, i carefully installed it. then start the engine and let it idle for 10ish minutes. shut engine off and let it completely cool. do that 2 or 3 times. then do it again, but this time around 20-30 minutes. then after that it's fine. mine manifold has been painted now for about 1 1/2 years and still has the color and looks nice.