Making rusty headers look nice again?

[69bronzeT5]

Since I'm gonna do a full visual overhaul of my Duster's engine compartment this winter, I'm wondering what I'm going to do to make the headers look nice again. Here's the best picture I have right now, I'll get a clear shot of the headers tomorrow.



Any suggestions? What did you use to make your headers look nice and new again?

[bill440rt]

Best way is to remove them & send them out to be ceramic coated. They will stay new looking for a long time. Try Jet-Hot or a similar company.


Cheaper alternative? Buy the Eastwood ceramic header paint. Won't last nearly as long, though.

[69bronzeT5]

How much does it cost to get them ceramic coated?

[BrianShaughnessy]

Probably $200 plus or minus for jethot IIRC.   They'd have to be blasted, etc.  Considering they're old headers that probably came from the factory with some cheap black paint that burned off within a week....  probably not worth the bother.

[tan top]

Probably $200 plus or minus for jethot IIRC.   They'd have to be blasted, etc.  Considering they're old headers that probably came from the factory with some cheap black paint that burned off within a week....  probably not worth the bother.

yeah , probably better getting a set of headmans , from summit  , then have them coated , think thats what i would do  

[chargerbr549]

If your on the cheap you could take them to a machine shop and have them glassbeaded and then paint them with some good bbq or header paint, ain't as good a having them coated but at least they will look nice for a while.

Kevin

[carolina charger]

 Heres a picture of my ceramic coated headers. They are Hedmans from Summit.

[charger2fast4u]

hey carolina charger can you remove the starter without removing the headers? and how close are they to the steering shaft? my hooker headers have to be removed when i replace my starter. also changing plugs is no easy job

[carolina charger]

 Oh yeah, plenty of room to pull the starter out. I can have all 4 plugs lying on the fender in less than 2 minutes, I can just barely get my index finger between the headers and the the steering box. Of course when the engines at full throttle theres a little more room than that.

[firefighter3931]

Sandblast the headers then wipe down with acetone. Brush on a few thin coats of Eastwood's manifold paint and let it cure for a few days. Allow each thin coat to dry before the next application. Once installed, fire the engine up and run it for a few minutes then shut down and let it cool. This will "bake" the coating on but not burn it off. Repeat the heat cycle a few times.


Ron

[General_01]

You might want to try this procedure. I have not tried it yet, but I am thinking of doing this with my hood. Do a search on this site for electrolysis. Some guys have been doing this for years with good success.

http://antique-engines.com/electrol.asp

[69chargerR/T]

Heres a picture of my ceramic coated headers. They are Hedmans from Summit.

Are those headman shorty headers ?

[69bronzeT5]

Well I'd rather clean up these ones than buy new ones. They're not cheap headers, they're Hooker Comps.

[tan top]

Well I'd rather clean up these ones than buy new ones. They're not cheap headers, they're Hooker Comps.

oh right Cody  , did  not  know they were Hookers    better off getting them blasted & coated if they are not too rusty/  thin

[68wedge]

I have the same hooker comp headers.. boyy are they a pain to change the plugs on! mine rattled off my torsion bar on the drivers side though.. I would sandblast them and either send them out to get coated or get some high heat paint for them.

[69bronzeT5]

Yeah, changing the starter on my Duster was the biggest bitch ever

[Foreman72]

not to hijack...but does anyone w/ a 3rd gen have hooker comps? are they just as hard to maneuver with?

[BrianShaughnessy]

Well I'd rather clean up these ones than buy new ones. They're not cheap headers, they're Hooker Comps.

FYI.  A/F body A engine Hooker comps in Summit catalog $169 painted,   $399 factory coated.

[69bronzeT5]

$169 does seem pretty cheap. The coated ones though are way more.

[greenpigs]

The hedman headers I got for 159 fit nice. If you get uncoated follow Rons tip. I just took red scotchbrite and scuffed em up then wiped down with acetone. Then I sprayed VHT header paint and cycled them as instructed. An old oven would work also. They look like new just flat black. This might cost 20 bucks and is worth a shot. Unless you get coated ones you'll always have your current problem. Don't forget the 10 percent discount from Summits in the group buy area.

[AmadeusCharger500]

Would this be the same reccomend for manifolds?. I just started a new project and for the first time I wanna do a straight stock as clean as possible..

And yes Foreman I got hookers on 2 cars and they can be a pain. Im afraid sometimes you gotta do a bit of off/on fitment and some bending or dinging for the stearing box, aint the reccomend but without a torch I get by ok. Passenger side is usually easier.