ceramic vs painted

[Foreman72]

will i be kicking myself for not getting ceramic coated headers down the road? should i just spring for the extra 200 buck and get the coated hookers insead of the painted ones?

[Blown70]

I think ceramics are going to look the best over time..... but your call.  it is $200

[Foreman72]

look the best or last the longest?

...how long does it take (normal driving conditions) for them to start to not look good...

[Old Moparz]

I've been trying to decide the same thing for my Scamp & have been getting mixed reviews. There was a very recent thread on Moparts about this, & some people love the ceramic coat while others are still complaining about rusty headers. I think it has a lot to do with how the vehicle is stored, how often it's driven, or when it's driven, like in the rain. Maybe some people are just more critical & hoping for no maintenance, or have a show car, but I don't know. If you don't mind masking & painting once in a while, $200 will buy a lot of high temperature paint. That's what I'm considering for my car, but I may also just use that high temp paint on the 340 manifolds too. 

[Foreman72]

$200 will buy a lot of high temperature paint.

thats what i'm saying...i don't need the shine value, it would be nice...but i can def live w/ the black painted version...i'm wondering more about longevity then anything...ceramic is said to last longer correct?

[terrible one]

I got the headers for my Cadillac coated at Jet Hot, and they look beautiful, but I haven't "used" them yet. However, for the price it cost me, I'm definitely going to be put out if the coating fails. I didn't even go for high temp paint for the headers on the Charger . . . I guess they'll just end up rusty. 

[moparstuart]

  My 69 road runner has had hooker super comps on it for 10 years now.  The bright chrome shiney look faded to a dull but some what shiney after the first 6 months . They did and do cut down alot of the heat to the started and elsewhere .  I am very upset thought that about 4 year ago they started peeling the coating down at the bottom by the collectors . Most all the the coating on the right one down low is gone snd much of the left one.  My car only has 10k mikes on it since complete resto when they were installed. This has also caused them to start rusting especially in the welded joint where all the tubes come together .   I really liked them untill this happended.       

[Joshua]

I have rusty old Hedmans on mine.....been on there 10+ years. Every couple of years I'd brush on some fresh black BBQ paint.....
The factory paint on headers burns off within the first 10 minutes of running....but the high temp BBQ paint lasts pretty good.

[suntech]

I think you are forgetting the main reason for the ceramic coating here!!!!
The coating is not for looks.......... it is to get the heat away from engine bay, and does a very good job at it!
Go with the coated ones Worth every penny!!

[Foreman72]

I have rusty old Hedmans on mine.....been on there 10+ years. Every couple of years I'd brush on some fresh black BBQ paint.....
The factory paint on headers burns off within the first 10 minutes of running....but the high temp BBQ paint lasts pretty good.

whatever u gotta do right?

so what can you do once the coating begins to peel? can u get it recoated/DIY?

[suntech]

so what can you do once the coating begins to peel? can u get it recoated/DIY?

yup!

[terrible one]

Well, speaking of keeping heat away.

What about header wrap? Not pretty, sure, but I was thinking about it. I've heard it makes your headers a lot more prone to rusting from inside out though. Not sure how true that is? 

[tommymac]

I bought these Dougs Headders last year and ran them right away and they still look great 1200 miles Nice shine,no peeling, GREAT FIT, sound good, only 550.00

[Foreman72]

Well, speaking of keeping heat away.

What about header wrap? Not pretty, sure, but I was thinking about it. I've heard it makes your headers a lot more prone to rusting from inside out though. Not sure how true that is?

i heard that also...hedman expressly says it voids the warranty on their pieces of you do it...hm...

I bought these Dougs Headders last year and ran them right away and they still look great 1200 miles Nice shine,no peeling, GREAT FIT, sound good, only 550.00

what have you done 4 maintenance?

[Joshua]

I used to run the Thermotec wrap (cloth) on my headers, as the heat from under the car would melt my shifter cable. The wrap definitely fixed the problem....you can grab the header with it running, it's warm, but wouldn't burn ya. But it's a pain to install and it's ugly. I no longer need it....as I swapped to a 4 speed.
Ceramic/Jet Hot has definite advantages....looks nice, ease of cleaning, durabilty, etc...really the only down size is cost.
Now you could always get painted headers, and have them coated later when ya get the $$$.

[Foreman72]

is it a rattlecan coating?

[Joshua]

is it a rattlecan coating?

What? The black or the ceramic? The black can be rattle canned, but I prefer to brush it on.....
Ceramic is similar to powdercoating....where it is a powder sprayed on and then baked in an oven....
Alot of powdercoating places have high heat coatings that hold up to exhaust temps and can be had in many colors....it's also cheaper than, say, Jet Hot....

[SFRT]

I opted for the TTI ceramic coated..I have run a set of ceramic coated straight pipes on a Harley for years and they are great. over 15,000 miles on them, no discoloration issues. ceramic will look way better down the road.

[CB]

I think you are forgetting the main reason for the ceramic coating here!!!!
The coating is not for looks.......... it is to get the heat away from engine bay, and does a very good job at it!
Go with the coated ones Worth every penny!!

That's what I ment to say
CB

[4aThrill]

EastWood sells some header paint, I am going that way getting some Doug's nickle coated and then applying the Eastwood header paint with a brush. 

[Death1970Proof]

EastWood sells some header paint, I am going that way getting some Doug's nickle coated and then applying the Eastwood header paint with a brush. 

I agree with this. I used this on my headers because it looks better than rust but I have yet to test them out. The eastwood coating is only like $20 which would seem worth the $$$. Hooker actually reccomends that you do not break in your engine with ceramic coated headers. That kinda seems pointless to me. If Im gonna pay that kinda bread for headers  Im gonna put them on!!

[tommymac]

Maintenance ? what do you mean.They also sell some kind of ceramic polish,but I haven't had to use it.

[71charger_fan]

After going through a set of Blackjacks, which only lasted a couple of years, then a set of Hedmans which lasted over ten years before getting really ugly, I went with Schumacher ceramic. They were $770 with the military discount. I just turned 50. If I got 12 years out of the Hedmans, I'm counting on these Schumachers to be the last header I ever buy. I should be too old to drive by the time they wear out.

[4aThrill]

After going through a set of Blackjacks, which only lasted a couple of years, then a set of Hedmans which lasted over ten years before getting really ugly, I went with Schumacher ceramic. They were $770 with the military discount. I just turned 50. If I got 12 years out of the Headmans, I'm counting on these Schumachers to be the last header I ever buy. I should be too old to drive by the time they wear out.

too old no man; as long as you can see through the steering wheel you good    isn't that how old people drive anyways looking through the spaces between the steering wheel 

[Foreman72]

Maintenance ? what do you mean.They also sell some kind of ceramic polish,but I haven't had to use it.

yeah like cleaning them up or polishing them...but as you said you haven'...

Schumachers huh...wow...thats more then tti...how did they fit?

so i guess as of right now i'll go w/ hooker comps...ceramic coated...

i have a 400 hp small block so i shouldn't need super comps right? those are for like racing and such correct?

[71charger_fan]

Schumacher's fit is fantastic. But, as far as I know, they only make them for big blocks.

[Death1970Proof]

Maintenance ? what do you mean.They also sell some kind of ceramic polish,but I haven't had to use it.

yeah like cleaning them up or polishing them...but as you said you haven'...

Schumachers huh...wow...thats more then tti...how did they fit?

so i guess as of right now i'll go w/ hooker comps...ceramic coated...

i have a 400 hp small block so i shouldn't need super comps right? those are for like racing and such correct?

A friend of mine has the super comps on his duster. They are nice headers, the main difference between the comp and super comp is that the super comps have bigger tubes.  A set of those last time I checked on them for a small block the ceramic set was about $700 from summit 

If you have a non stroker small block you will be fine with the regular hooker comp headers. Id go with the super comp on's a stroker small block as that really helps. The stroker small blocks like big carbs and big exhaust much like a nice big block

Im guessing I will have to sell a kidney or something for headers when I start building the 408 Ive got planned 

[dkn1997]

Maintenance ? what do you mean.They also sell some kind of ceramic polish,but I haven't had to use it.

yeah like cleaning them up or polishing them...but as you said you haven'...

Schumachers huh...wow...thats more then tti...how did they fit?

so i guess as of right now i'll go w/ hooker comps...ceramic coated...

i have a 400 hp small block so i shouldn't need super comps right? those are for like racing and such correct?

The eastwood coating holds up really well on my HP manifolds.  see pics.  I had previousely used it on headers and it was ok, but not as durable as when used on manifold.  these manifolds have been on the car for 2 years and driven a lot.

[Foreman72]

Maintenance ? what do you mean.They also sell some kind of ceramic polish,but I haven't had to use it.

yeah like cleaning them up or polishing them...but as you said you haven'...

Schumachers huh...wow...thats more then tti...how did they fit?

so i guess as of right now i'll go w/ hooker comps...ceramic coated...

i have a 400 hp small block so i shouldn't need super comps right? those are for like racing and such correct?

A friend of mine has the super comps on his duster. They are nice headers, the main difference between the comp and super comp is that the super comps have bigger tubes.  A set of those last time I checked on them for a small block the ceramic set was about $700 from summit 

If you have a non stroker small block you will be fine with the regular hooker comp headers. Id go with the super comp on's a stroker small block as that really helps. The stroker small blocks like big carbs and big exhaust much like a nice big block

Im guessing I will have to sell a kidney or something for headers when I start building the 408 Ive got planned 

well its gonna be a pretty moded mill...but if i don't get the hookers i'll get tti's...but $$ talks...

so i won't be doing a severe amount of HP limiting if i use the comps?

[Death1970Proof]

Maintenance ? what do you mean.They also sell some kind of ceramic polish,but I haven't had to use it.

yeah like cleaning them up or polishing them...but as you said you haven'...

Schumachers huh...wow...thats more then tti...how did they fit?

so i guess as of right now i'll go w/ hooker comps...ceramic coated...

i have a 400 hp small block so i shouldn't need super comps right? those are for like racing and such correct?

A friend of mine has the super comps on his duster. They are nice headers, the main difference between the comp and super comp is that the super comps have bigger tubes.  A set of those last time I checked on them for a small block the ceramic set was about $700 from summit 

If you have a non stroker small block you will be fine with the regular hooker comp headers. Id go with the super comp on's a stroker small block as that really helps. The stroker small blocks like big carbs and big exhaust much like a nice big block

Im guessing I will have to sell a kidney or something for headers when I start building the 408 Ive got planned 

well its gonna be a pretty moded mill...but if i don't get the hookers i'll get tti's...but $$ talks...

so i won't be doing a severe amount of HP limiting if i use the comps? Nope! GET EM!! 

[GreenMachine]

  My 69 road runner has had hooker super comps on it for 10 years now.  The bright chrome shiney look faded to a dull but some what shiney after the first 6 months . They did and do cut down alot of the heat to the started and elsewhere .  I am very upset thought that about 4 year ago they started peeling the coating down at the bottom by the collectors . Most all the the coating on the right one down low is gone snd much of the left one.  My car only has 10k mikes on it since complete resto when they were installed. This has also caused them to start rusting especially in the welded joint where all the tubes come together .   I really liked them untill this happended.       

  I was under the impression that the ceramic coating is on the inside and paint or powdercoat is on the outside. I have the ceramic coated TTI's, and they were dull green on the inside and shiny silver on the outside. Mine are several years old and thousands of miles on them. They are doing what yours are doing as far as spot rusting on the bottom around the collectors. So you should be able to touch them up with paint, right?

[moparstuart]

 I think i may wire brush them and see if i can find some hi temp silver ?   worth a try , dont really wanna spend the money and time again .