Exhaust Coatings

[Wildman]

Howdy all,
So I talked about this a little in my build thread and am still looking for options for coating my block hugger headers and the Y pipe. Now before anyone asks I do NOT have a 4.0 I-6 or 2.5 I-4 engine in my TJ. With the amount of folks who are dropping some type of V-8 into their TJ's I figured this would be a good discussion to have. I had a Dodge magnum V-8 5.2 in my Jeep and due to heat it melted plastic parts in the engine compartment. So I added louvers to my hood and was always looking for other under hood cooling ideas.

Just found this stuff and had never heard of them before. Good for the DIY people but am skeptical about how well it would work.

Thermal Exhaust Manifold Coating & Header Paint

Zycoat

www.zycoat.com

Closest ceramic place to me.

Contact Performance Coatings Inc. Auburn | 253-735-1919

Call Performance Coatings Inc. at 253-735-1919 or visit 60 37th St. NE, Auburn, WA 98002-1766.

www.performancecoatings.com

And then of course there is paint like from VHT or Eastwood

VHT Very High Temperature Flameproof Automotive Paint

Stand the heat with our very high temperature automotive paint for exterior and interior application.

www.vhtpaint.com

Exhaust Coatings

Provide your car with the good-looking protection it needs by coating headers and pipes with high-temp exhaust paint from Eastwood that's made in the USA.

www.eastwood.com

High Temp

Purchase POR-15 High Temp heat-resistant paint online now! This coating can withstand extreme temperatures up to 1200°F and will resist cracking/chipping.

www.por15.com

While it may not be a issue for stock engine TJ's I KNOW it can be a issue for those of use with swapped in V-8's.

Here is just one example of what I am talking about. So because of things like this I am looking to try to coat my headers and Y pipe somehow to try and lower the heat in the engine compartment.

What has others done? And no I do not want to use header wrap on my headers or exhaust since that holds in the moisture and can lead to rusted out headers or exhaust.

 

[pagrey]

My opinion is ceramic coatings develop fine cracks and lead to corrosion issues just like power coatings. Fiberglass wraps or header specific wraps might trap water but they insulate much better. At the end of the day both lead to rusted and cracked headers but the wrap provides much more insulation from heat. Long term none of these things work that's why they don't appear on factory vehicles.

 

[Wildman]

My opinion is ceramic coatings develop fine cracks and lead to corrosion issues just like power coatings. Fiberglass wraps or header specific wraps might trap water but they insulate much better. At the end of the day both lead to rusted and cracked headers but the wrap provides much more insulation from heat. Long term none of these things work that's why they don't appear on factory vehicles.

Well which one reduces the heat BEST? I really don't give a hoot about the supposed HP increase I just want to cut down on under hood heat temps.
I've read more people complain about header wraps than ceramic coating but I am not going to argue that they all have their own issues.

 

[Chris]

I’ve had so many things ceramic coated it’s insane. The difference it makes is astounding to say the least.

 

[Wildman]

I’ve had so many things ceramic coated it’s insane. The difference it makes is astounding to say the least.

This will be the first time I ever try ceramic coating if I go that route. So I have NO idea what any of it is like. Which is why I'm asking here.

 

[pagrey]

Thick fiberglass or header wrap will work better. There is nothing wrong with ceramic but as far as heat transfer thicker is better. It will be easier to keep an eye on ceramic as far as corrosion goes.

 

[Wildman]

I think I used header wrap ONCE but I didn't own the rig long enough to know how fast the headers rusted out. Or if they even did.
Now I realize part of this is the quality of the product that you are starting with. If you wrap or coat a set of thin walled headers they aren't going to last any where near as long as something with thicker tubed headers.

I guess part of this comes down to which one will cause the item they are protecting/covering/coating to rust faster? From everything I have read and heard it is the wrap. But I can't say this is true.

 

[BuildBreakRepeat]

I think I used header wrap ONCE but I didn't own the rig long enough to know how fast the headers rusted out. Or if they even did.
Now I realize part of this is the quality of the product that you are starting with. If you wrap or coat a set of thin walled headers they aren't going to last any where near as long as something with thicker tubed headers.

I guess part of this comes down to which one will cause the item they are protecting/covering/coating to rust faster? From everything I have read and heard it is the wrap. But I can't say this is true.

I would ceramic coat and then wrap - I bet you get 10 years out of it.

 

[Chris]

This will be the first time I ever try ceramic coating if I go that route. So I have NO idea what any of it is like. Which is why I'm asking here.

It cools things down so much you won’t even believe it. I could touch the headers on my Ducati after racing it for an hour on back roads and they were nothing more than luke warm.

 

[toximus]

I'm interested too.

While the wrap can absorb water, won't it also dry out quickly due to the heat?

 

[toximus]

Another option to consider is heat shields where you can.

 

[Apparition]

I would ceramic coat and then wrap - I bet you get 10 years out of it.

Get both, worth a shot, not my money

 

[Wildman]

It cools things down so much you won’t even believe it. I could touch the headers on my Ducati after racing it for an hour on back roads and they were nothing more than luke warm.

Damn makes me want to take my Harley exhaust in and get it coated also. Isn't as bad as it use to be now since I don't have a right lower leg to feel that heat but it can still get pretty warm.

I'm hoping between doing the headers and Y pipe and then coating the cab in Lizard Skin it will cut the temps when on the trail. My floorboard was so hot that I couldn't put a iced drink in the cup holder as it would melt in 10-15 minutes.

 

[Wildman]

I'm interested too.

While the wrap can absorb water, won't it also dry out quickly due to the heat?

I thought you might also be interested in this along with other members who have done engine swaps.

I thought the same thing but from the posts I've read and people I have talked with they say the wrap retains moisture.

Another option to consider is heat shields where you can.

Yes have plans to install one between the headers and steering bushing.

Get both, worth a shot, not my money

Yes it's fun to spend other peoples money....

 

[toximus]

Might be worth looking into what the highest grade stainless steel exhaust tubing is to prevent rusting through. It might pay for itself. Plus it'd be a pain to diagnose where a wrapped leak is...

 

[BuildBreakRepeat]

Might be worth looking into what the highest grade stainless steel exhaust tubing is to prevent rusting through. It might pay for itself. Plus it'd be a pain to diagnose where a wrapped leak is...

Stainless steel also has a lower thermal conductivity than mild steel so a slight insulation will be gained just switching to that.

 

[Wildman]

Might be worth looking into what the highest grade stainless steel exhaust tubing is to prevent rusting through. It might pay for itself. Plus it'd be a pain to diagnose where a wrapped leak is...

From my header back it is going to all be stainless tubing for the exhaust. 2.5" from the collectors to the Y and then 3" from there to the back of the Jeep. With no fuel tank in the way I shouldn't have too many issues I hope. Got a round cat which should work good and haven't bought the muffler yet as I want to see how much room I had first.
Figured I'd slap the heads on and mock up the Y pipe and then if I was going with ceramic coating then take them over and have it done while I worked on other things.

 

[BuildBreakRepeat]

From my header back it is going to all be stainless tubing for the exhaust. 2.5" from the collectors to the Y and then 3" from there to the back of the Jeep. With no fuel tank in the way I shouldn't have too many issues I hope. Got a round cat which should work good and haven't bought the muffler yet as I want to see how much room I had first.
Figured I'd slap the heads on and mock up the Y pipe and then if I was going with ceramic coating then take them over and have it done while I worked on other things.

Header wrap sealant I just saw.

 

[toximus]

I bet dirt and mud will cling to the wrap too. What a pain that'd be to wash...

 

[Chris]

Damn makes me want to take my Harley exhaust in and get it coated also. Isn't as bad as it use to be now since I don't have a right lower leg to feel that heat but it can still get pretty warm.

I'm hoping between doing the headers and Y pipe and then coating the cab in Lizard Skin it will cut the temps when on the trail. My floorboard was so hot that I couldn't put a iced drink in the cup holder as it would melt in 10-15 minutes.

Mark my word, it will cut the temps DRAMATICALLY! Just wait and see, you’ll be blown away. I’m having my header system and exhaust done as well for this very reason. This stuff really works wonders 👍

Just make sure you ceramic coat, DO NOT wrap.