Whats the best DIY way too coat a manifold ?

In the past Ive tried the VHT type paints but with little success.

I did have it chrome plated once but that came off due too it expanding at different rates too the manifold.

What have you had success with ?

Prefer a green or silver finish.

Whatever you buy to paint on will come off. I just bought a tin of exhaust paint from halfords. It is thin and is more like thinners than paint, but it covers and does not flake. I just give it another coat every so often.
For my next exhaust, I want to get it ceramic coated.

Have been looking at "camcoat" but it would be as cost effective too have a new stainless manifold made than go that route.........


Looking at the pics of your car It doesnt look too bad, any other colors available ?

[Edited on 24/2/07 by Jon Ison]

Iam thinking of using this when I've finished my new exhaust.

I think that camcoat at warrington are agents and that Demon Tweaks stock it.

Anyone any experience of it?

I don't know about colours, I just used black. Itis a matt colour.
I remember using a silver spray once which I think came from frost automotive.
It was a spray which held up well but still looked pants!
That is why I have used the black.

I've had a try with 'Black Satin' paint..... it works better than a lot of the alternatives but, if you're after a finish to be proud of rather than a finish to stop your exhaust rusting for a few months you will probably be disapointed

I've tried most of the VHT paints on the buggys exhaust. Non last more than a month or so and less if the exhaust gets wet. Sure they may use it on the shuttle, stealth fighter etc blah blah blah, but I bet its not on plain old steel or sprayed in a garage

Sorry I don't know the brand but Fensport use a spray/paint coating on their turbo down pipes which is a ceramic based product. Very tough finish as mine didn't flake in the 2 years I had one and thats straight off the turbo and behind the radiator! The radiated heat was sigificantly reduced as well.

If I remember I'll ask them and post it here.

Click here for caswell or here for demon. The Black Satin coating (already mentioned) looks good.
Especially look at the temperature graph showing a reduction of temp from 200 oC to just 60 oC.
I think I will be buying some, since my manifold will cost about 30 quid instead of 160 quid!

[Edited on 25/2/2007 by nitram38]

POR15 do a manifold paint. Don't know how well it lasts.

Manifold paint

Normally Sperex VHT works ok

But an alternative is to spray it with a Zinc primer, the paint burns off but leaves a light grey coating of zinc oxide on the metal.