Exhaust Does Powder-coating Do The Same Thing As Ceramic-coating?(headers)

I heard it holds up great, but they do not fully cure until you get them on the car and run them for a while

I was told by a powdercoat shop that chrome could not be powdercoated over, it will not stick.

I was told by a powdercoat shop that chrome could not be powdercoated over, it will not stick.

The only way powdercoating your headers will work is if the curing temp is greater than the operating temp. I doubt any standard powder cures higher than the exhaust temps at the header. I would be more inclined to spray the headers with some high temperature paint and bake it in the oven.

^^^ paint n bake x2

High heat parts like headers. exhaust, mufflers should be ceramic coated. Other parts like intakes, pulleys, etc. can be powdercoated. The regular powder coat will not withstand 500+ degrees that exhaust pieces throw off. Kind of like the cheap chrome that flakes off.

stangboy said:

I figured that, that's why I asked. Thanks guys.

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You may want to give this a try.. VHT makes a pretty decent rattle can ceramic high temp coating. Ive used it on a few set of headers and it held up for years. Key is good prep- degrease, sand, prime, then do a few light coats and then a decent final coat. You can then either bake the parts or install them and then let the engine cycle a few times to cure. It won't be a real shiny surface, but a nice silver.

You don't need an oven for the high temp paint. Paint them, put them on the car, run the car. They will smoke for a little, then cure.. I did it, worked pretty good, think I used the paint good for 2000*

stangboy said:

Hey guys I was wondering if powder-coating will serve the same function as ceramic coating on headers. When I bought my headers I couldn't afford the ceramic-coated ones so I bought the chrome ones. I know someone that works at a powder-coating shop that can give me a deal on powder-coating. If I get my headers powder-coated will it be just like if they were ceramic-coated? Will the powder-coating stand up to the heat and give as much protection as ceramic-coating? Will the powder-coating keep my under-hood temps down like ceramic-coating?

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Hello:

Not sure what you mean by “do the same thing” exactly, but either way powder coating has NO place on exhaust components, nor does chrome or nickel for that matter. In comparison, Ceramic Coating is a functional thermal barrier that limits the amount of heat that permeates the substrate it’s covering as well as dissipating heat from its surface faster than that of the raw substrate. It’s provides thermal protection in the range of 1100F -2000F+. It also provides corrosion protection and 1000’s aesthetic finishes.

Powder coating on the other hand is a durable, baked on painted finish that provides exceptional durability, corrosion and chemical resistance attributes. Although there are some LIMITED high temp powder coatings that can survive limited exposure in the 1000F - 1300F range, these are merely glorified BBQ paint like VHT or the like. They can survive certain temperatures but offer NO thermal barrier properties like a ceramic coating does. Traditional powder coating can only withstand about 250F - 350F. Further, despite what some high temp paints like that of VHT say, there is little to NO ceramic components in a $10.00 paint can. Coated properly they will provide a decent coated finish that looks better than rusty pipes, but again they do nothing to lower or control exhaust temps.

As for your chrome question, most chrome parts can be coated if its quality plating. In order to do so it must be profiled / blasted PROPERLY. Blasted too little and the coating will not stick. Blast too much or too aggressively and the chrome will bubble and peal relentlessly. Keep in mind that your ceramic coated or painted finish is only as good as the chrome foundation. Having your ceramic coating bond to the chrome surface means vary little if your chrome peels off…… It’s usually best to have the chrome & more importantly the nickel chem-stripped if at all possible. Unfortunately, very few actually do this. Most will strip chrome but that is useless unless you can get the nickel off which is even harder to blast.