POR 15 high temp paint

[baldilocks]

I’m about to remove my exhaust and redo it with new gaskets and was thinking about having it blasted and then coating it with something that others have had a positive experience with. I did a fair amount of research here and abroad and what I found was a widely varied mix of results and opinions.

This POR 15 high temp coating seems to garner the highest percentage of positive feedback. What’s your opinion on painting the exhaust system in the first place, and have you ever used the POR 15 product on an exhaust system?

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

 

[ppc]

To me the 1200 degree specification is marginal for the 1FZ. The exhaust manifolds can easily reach that range. The pipes pipes to the cats might survive. Can't hurt anything but may not last.

 

[baldilocks]

If I paint at all it would be only pipes, no manifolds.

 

[Red Merle]

I know it's probably ghetto AF, but the stuff that I slathered with anti-seize has held up far better than any of the paint I tried when I replaced my entire exhaust system outside of the manifolds, which I slathered and reinstalled when I did the head gasket job. That is just starting to wear through now, about 2.5 years later. The pipes I did still look OK but the enormous effort I took to paint the muffler failed almost immediately. I think the oil just bakes out of the anti-seize and you are left with the aluminum or copper base that seems to hold up.

I use it extensively as a rust preventative on things I soak in acid to get all the rust off but don't feel like painting and if it ever starts to look dreary, I just slather on some more and rub it in with a rag.

 

[baldilocks]

I know it's probably ghetto AF, but the stuff that I slathered with anti-seize has held up far better than any of the paint I tried when I replaced my entire exhaust system outside of the manifolds, which I slathered and reinstalled when I did the head gasket job. That is just starting to wear through now, about 2.5 years later. The pipes I did still look OK but the enormous effort I took to paint the muffler failed almost immediately. I think the oil just bakes out of the anti-seize and you are left with the aluminum or copper base that seems to hold up.

I use it extensively as a rust preventative on things I soak in acid to get all the rust off but don't feel like painting and if it ever starts to look dreary, I just slather on some more and rub it in with a rag.

You used good ole silver aluminum Loctite type anti-seize? What about a product call Calyx? It's a paste sort of like anti seize. The reviews were mixed like most other products I read about which has me leaning toward "forget it" since I live where cars see minute amounts of road salt, if any, for years in a row.

 

[Red Merle]

You used good ole silver aluminum Loctite type anti-seize? What about a product call Calyx? It's a paste sort of like anti seize. The reviews were mixed like most other products I read about which has me leaning toward "forget it" since I live where cars see minute amounts of road salt, if any, for years in a row.

Yep, that is what I started with. I switched to using the copper based stuff on exhaust parts after reading something that @LINUS was talking about and that does better on things that get really hot.

That said, I sort of stumbled upon the idea when I was working on trying to clean my intake manifold up back when I was waiting for my head to get done at the machine shop and I got some aluminum anti-seize on it and when I wiped it off, I thought to myself, "hey, that actually looks better" so I just sort of went nuts with it and it has held up so well that I just use it on everything now. It doesn't remove rust or make something cleaner, but if you apply it to anything that starts with clean metal, it will keep it that way.

If you watch the video I took of my first fire up when I rebuilt the top end, you can see I got it all over the place if you look carefully. I have since gone back and wiped it off the rubber bits, etc, but all the metal still pretty much looks like that, outside of any new gunk that may have built up on top of it, but given how much I keep the engine bay clean, it's not much. I did paint the head, that isn't anti-seize, it's paint.

It works.

 

[baldilocks]

Yep, that is what I started with. I switched to using the copper based stuff on exhaust parts after reading something that @LINUS was talking about and that does better on things that get really hot.

That said, I sort of stumbled upon the idea when I was working on trying to clean my intake manifold up back when I was waiting for my head to get done at the machine shop and I got some aluminum anti-seize on it and when I wiped it off, I thought to myself, "hey, that actually looks better" so I just sort of went nuts with it and it has held up so well that I just use it on everything now. It doesn't remove rust or make something cleaner, but if you apply it to anything that starts with clean metal, it will keep it that way.

If you watch the video I took of my first fire up when I rebuilt the top end, you can see I got it all over the place if you look carefully. I have since gone back and wiped it off the rubber bits, etc, but all the metal still pretty much looks like that, outside of any new gunk that may have built up on top of it, but given how much I keep the engine bay clean, it's not much. I did paint the head, that isn't anti-seize, it's paint.

It works.

Looks great!

 

[Red Merle]

Here is a little update video to show some of my progress. I have done way more than this, but this is good one to look at for rust prevent ideas.

 

[baldilocks]

I would have never thought to use anti seize as a corrosion preventive coating. It looks damn good too,.

 

[thatcabledude]

A quick VHT "flamethrower" paint job has held up on my manifolds for over a year. I'm sure it would last VERY well on the exhaust.

 

[ZackR]

I’m about to remove my exhaust and redo it with new gaskets and was thinking about having it blasted and then coating it with something that others have had a positive experience with. I did a fair amount of research here and abroad and what I found was a widely varied mix of results and opinions.

This POR 15 high temp coating seems to garner the highest percentage of positive feedback. What’s your opinion on painting the exhaust system in the first place, and have you ever used the POR 15 product on an exhaust system?

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

I'd say skip the paint unless you have a particular need for it. Up here in the NW corrosion is so minimal that a factory exhaust can last a long time. In fact the exhaust on my 80 is still original from 1994.

 

[baldilocks]

I'd say skip the paint unless you have a particular need for it. Up here in the NW corrosion is so minimal that a factory exhaust can last a long time. In fact the exhaust on my 80 is still original from 1994.

I agree and have come to this decision. The system from the 1994 Silicon Valley commuter queen that I bought, built up and then rolled back in 2015 is cleaner than my original 1993 system from high desert of Hermiston, OR so that’s what I will go back in with and call it good.

 

[Red Merle]

I agree and have come to this decision. The system from the 1994 Silicon Valley commuter queen that I bought, built up and then rolled back in 2015 is cleaner than my original 1993 system from high desert of Hermiston, OR so that’s what I will go back in with and call it good.

I would still rub it all down with the copper anti seize. It can't hurt, it will look better, be easier to work with while you are bolting everything up and I think it's a worthwhile experiment to run. Given the current market, a solid set of used OEM cats might be worth as much as half what a new set would be. I looked into buying used parts because I got sticker shock when I asked my dealer how much the cats were. I would have paid $500 for those if they were in good nick and I would have tried the coating if I would have bought them.

 

[Red Merle]

Much easier to polish a pipe that is in your lap versus one that is already mounted on the horse. Just sayin'

 

[Rock40]

Bill Hirsch high temp paint. You can apply with a brush and I believe it's good to 2,000 degrees. I've had great luck with it, assuming the surfaces are prepped correctly

 

[baldilocks]

And proper prep would dictate a trip to the blaster and that costs $$$.