DIY Ceramic Coated Headers

[The_Red_Stig]

Hey guys, so just wanted to share real quick the little project I've been working on the past week. I got a dirt cheap pair of Hedman Headers for 99-02 V6 Stangs without A.I.R. injection part #: 88290 on ebay a few weeks back. I paid $80 including shipping (I don't think I could get used replacement manifolds for that price), so even though I'm unsure about the quality of these headers, I don't have much to lose. They were uncoated headers so of course they had some rust but were otherwise in good shape. I decided to do a DIY ceramic coating to prevent them from rusting again. I started by making an electrolysis tank to remove all rust on the headers. The great thing about this method is it is easy and completely hands free after the initial setup of the tank. It also does a very thorough job and will only remove rust without harming the metal underneath. After leaving the headers in the tank for 48 hrs. or so, I then prepped the bare metal with grease and wax remover, taped off the mating surfaces to avoid get paint on them, roughed up the surface with a scuff pad and then applied multiple thin coats of VHT flameproof primer. After giving the primer 24 hrs. to dry, I applied the flameproof paint. After about 4 coats I cured the paint in an oven according to the directions. The VHT flameproof paint is supposed to be good for temps up to 1200-2000F. I know this isn't as good as professionally coated ceramic headers but it was a fun project and for less than $150 total including building the electrolysis tank I have a DIY set of ceramic coated shorty headers. These uncoated headers alone retail for $250, the ceramic ones are over $500. This is the results, let me know what you guys think.

 

[76Highboy]

Nice job. Looks great. Will be interesting to see how it holds up.

 

[Lonnie-S]

Yes, very nice, indeed.

Cheers,

 

[JTsStang]

Very Nice! I would of paid $80 just for the flanges lol.