Ceramic coating headers [Archive]

Yellow2k1vette

02-16-2008, 04:14 PM

Any place local that offers this service?

I found a place called Classic Coatings in Sheboygan, has anyone used them, or have any opinions about them? Is there anyone else in the SE WI area that does good quality work?

I'm doing this mainly for appearance sake on some 304SS headers. I want the shiny metallic 1300* ceramic coating that most of the familiar coating places offer (JetHot's Sterling, Performance's Chromex, Classic's Cermakrome, etc).

Thanks.

:haveabeer

Karps TA

02-16-2008, 04:16 PM

I used http://www.northstar-mfg.com/index.html for my current headers. Not sure if they offer a really shiney coating. But they did a nice job and were priced great.

88Nightmare

02-16-2008, 04:34 PM

Yellow2k1vette

02-16-2008, 04:46 PM

http://www.jet-hot.com FTW

They aren't local, but they do good shit!

http://www.jet-hot.com/headercoatings.html
check out the sterling silver ceramic coating

EDIT: My bad, didn't read your entire post... you are already aware of the Jethot coatings. I don't know of any local place. I say ship the stuff to Jethot. I have a lot of friends who used them and are 100% satisfiedI know JetHot does good. The (JetHot 1100* silver ceramic) coating on my current headers is about 6 years old and still looks like new.

In my research, I've found that most of these coating places all offer the same finishes, and I suspect most are also comparable in quality.

Dropping them off in Sheboygan is more appealing to me than shipping them. Plus, it would give me the opportunity to check out a finished set in person before I commit.

Just wondering if there is anything even closer is all. JetHot is still an option too. I've decided on nothing yet.

Thanks for the replies.
:haveabeer

Z28Roxy

02-16-2008, 04:54 PM

Do jethot, it's worth it.

I've had ceramic coated and jethot, my ceramic coated shorties had a fair amount of rust on them after about 3 years. My jethot pacesetters are 100% rust free still...

88Nightmare

02-16-2008, 04:57 PM

Ive seen finished Jethot products and I'm sold on their product. Personally, especially during winter, I'd rather drive 5 minutes to my UPS store and drop it off and wait for them to deliver it back to my front door then drive an hour and change to sheboygan, drop it off, wait X amount of time for them to finish it, and then drive back to sheboygan and pick it up. 4 hours of total drive time seems like a waste.

A B4C Z

02-16-2008, 06:23 PM

+5 sets for jet hot here!

GRAMPS SS

02-16-2008, 06:31 PM

I used http://www.northstar-mfg.com/index.html for my current headers. Not sure if they offer a really shiney coating. But they did a nice job and were priced great.

yes they do...just ask steve the owner about it for ya....northstar has done some work for us...we've known steve for like 18 years....he does other things at that shop besides powder coating.....and they do have very fair pricing............

TURTLE

02-16-2008, 06:45 PM

i'd imagine you could drop them off and get them shipped back to you from sheboygan if the product is what you'd like on them...

i've head a lot of good about the place up there, just nothing worthy of sending up there yet :goof

HY35F2T

02-16-2008, 06:57 PM

jet hot pffh why just cuz its a house hold name.

north i like had some shit there for my old thirdgen never had aproblem with them.rather help out a businees in my state then a world know'n name.

SmokinRAM114

02-16-2008, 07:27 PM

HY-Tec coatings in waukesha does ceramic

Yellow2k1vette

02-16-2008, 07:37 PM

i've head a lot of good about the place up there, just nothing worthy of sending up there yet :goofThanks. This is exactly what I hoping to hear.

Not that I cared to turn this into a justification of my travels, but I'm already "in the area" 2-3 times a week for work anyways, so it's not like an out of the way drive for me, Getting paid for my time and mileage is always much more attractive than me paying UPS $50+ in shipping back n forth. :thumbsup

If Classic has a good rep, and isn't one of those "oh don't tell me you took them THERE" type places, then I may have found my new vendor...I'll stop in and talk to them, check out their finished pieces,. and if they show n tell me what I want to hear, I'll simply leave the parts with them, and pick them up next time I'm around there. The transport is not a big deal to me.

Finding a place in SE WI was rather encouraging to me, which is why I asked if perhaps there might be other local possibilities too. I'm not a frequent poster here, but do read here often, and have found you guys usually know the best bets for local offerings, no matter what the product served may be.

Sending to JetHot is a no-brainer. I could do that. But why, if I can get the same service here for cheaper with a much quicker turnaround?

:haveabeer

SLOWC5

02-16-2008, 09:43 PM

classic coatings has done about 5 sets for me. Just recently did my LG headers, and midsection in black.

Undertaker

02-16-2008, 09:48 PM

I had classic coatings do mine as well. They lasted about 2 - 3 years before they rusted through.

GinoRin

02-16-2008, 10:50 PM

modmachz

02-16-2008, 11:30 PM

Ive done a bunch with classic coatings as well. We used to use them all the time when I worked at C&S. Great guys to deal with. They even have a high temp ceramic that I'm going to test out on my turbo headers. They use an ultra high temp flat back on the inside of the pipes and then coat the outside with your desired color. a good bit more expensive but well worth the extra coin. C&S Performance is also a distributor for Classic. They pickup/ drop off there a couple times a month.
Northstar has done ceramic for us, and after about 6 monthes it looks like shit.I have known steve for over 25 yrs, and every person that knows him or of him, That he is the biggest BullShitter!!!! Not Trust worthy...

Go By Mike at HY- Tech In Waukesha.. That is The only place local I would Go, Or Jet Hot Would be Another Choice..

Not Tryin To bust anybodies Balls, Just Speaking from Years of Expierience With the fella!!!!!

Syclone0044

02-18-2008, 01:07 AM

:pics

Any of you guys with 2-3+ year old Jet Hot headers (or any other brand for that matter) got photos?? That's the best test of a product, years of real world results!!

I wanted to ceramic coat my Syclone's stock cast iron exhaust manifolds last year but Classic Coatings sounded like they'd need at least 2-3 wks and someone told me they don't "cure" the coating there, you have to cure them yourself when your engine runs. Putting you at risk of smears/smudges while wrestling your manifolds back on the motor. Well that kind of result you can get with a $5 spray on high temp 1600*F Duplicolor Autozone Spray can! So what am I missing here?

Is Jet Hot something different than ceramic coating? I thought it was the same thing - help me out!

88Nightmare

02-18-2008, 01:17 AM

jet hot is ceramic coating, thats just the brand name. They have a sterling silver ceramic coating, which I'd guess is the most popular. Has a nice polished look to it. All my friends that run headers use jethot. They are good to 1400º I think, help keep the heat contained in the headers and not dissipating into the engine compartment, and look great. Not sure how long they have had theirs, I'll have to ask.

Syclone0044

02-18-2008, 02:39 AM

I got one of those Infrared 1000*F thermometer guns for christmas, what a cool toy. Can't wait to try it out on a before/after ceramic coating header surface test!!!

Has anyone else done that with theirs? I'd like to see what my turbo is running when I'm brake torquing the shit out of it to spool up a 5 PSI launch. :goof:rolf

CannotPost

02-18-2008, 08:52 AM

I'd like to see what my turbo is running when I'm brake torquing the shit out of it to spool up a 5 PSI launch. :goof:rolf

Id bet the whole motor is glowing!! :goof

TURTLE

02-18-2008, 06:07 PM

i've done my header wrapped and unwrapped on my neon...

egt's on the gauge at idle were around 825-850 before, 850-875 after

on the infared, 550-575 before, 450-475 after:wooo

big difference... and when i wrapped the header, i shot a coat of hi temp paint on to keep moisture away... seems to be holding up pretty well... i'd imagine that a inner and outer coating would be even more significant than what i experienced

Syclone0044

02-18-2008, 06:18 PM

So it dropped the outside surface of the pipes by 100*F? That sounds realistic. I guess I was hoping for a more dramatic difference. But thanks for posting those results!!

TURTLE

02-18-2008, 06:26 PM

keep in mind that was hi-temp paint(rattle can autozone) and the exhaust wrap, no coatings on the inside, or any sort of jet hot type coatings...

i'm happy with the results, and it definitely made a difference in the butt dyno readings as well ;)

A B4C Z

02-19-2008, 07:57 PM

My dad had a set of headers done by jet hot in 1983 car sees some street but its a show car for the most part. It had a little spot of rust comming thru where the collector was weldd on. They recoated them for free just had to pay shipping otheriwes they still looked like new. I have my kooks done on my camaro from them. Look great still. But just a FYI i used the VHT high temp flame proof in a can and it lasts great on my y-pipe. Tom then used the same stuff on his turbo manifolds/pipes and its still looking great i belive also.

Yellow2k1vette

03-12-2008, 06:32 PM

Just to update...from the positive replies that were posted here, I did drop them off at Classic Coatings, and picked up the parts today....

http://home.wi.rr.com/c5vette/AR-02.jpg

http://home.wi.rr.com/c5vette/AR-04.jpg

http://home.wi.rr.com/c5vette/AR-06.jpg

Needless to say, I'm very pleased with the results, and the price was reasonable too. If the finish holds up over time like my past (JetHot coated) set has, it was worth every penny.

:haveabeer

Syclone0044

03-13-2008, 12:38 PM

How long was the turnaround? Is the coating cured, did they say anything about handling 'em gently until the motor warms up?

That_Guy

03-13-2008, 12:47 PM

im just going to put this out there... it might be worth just buying headers that are already coated..

Yellow2k1vette

03-13-2008, 03:28 PM

How long was the turnaround? Is the coating cured, did they say anything about handling 'em gently until the motor warms up?2 week turnaround.

The coating is "semi-cured". They do bake the parts at 750* after coating, but still they say to take it easy with them, and that full cure isn't achieved until the engine has run for 20-30 mins.

Yellow2k1vette

03-13-2008, 03:53 PM

im just going to put this out there... it might be worth just buying headers that are already coated..Not really....you pay the cost either way.

And, if the particular headers you want aren't offered coated, then what do you do?

There is a helluva lot more to header selection than simply choosing one just because is offered from the mfr coated. If you buy a setup made of mild steel, they will almost always come coated. The coating is absolutely necessary for rust protection. Most of the stainless manufacturers don't coat, say there's no need to coat, and some even advise against coating. I would much rather have a 304 stainless system than I would a mild steel system. I did the coating mainly for appearance.

Match the header design to your particular application first, and if you're not having them custom-fabbed to your specs, pick the one that's closest to your desired specs (primary dia.(s), primary length, collector style, midpipe dia...etc, etc).

Then and only then should you worry about the silly, and optional details like coating.

:haveabeer

juicedimpss

03-13-2008, 04:11 PM

i have used classic for a few sets of motorcycle pipes,they have held up nicely.
i also had an old set of BBC headers done,but they still havent been run on a car.

jbiscuit

01-03-2011, 02:49 PM

Any updates to experiences with places mentioned here? Any photos of headers or manifolds ceramic coated? Would like to use a local vendor to coat a set of headers but have no problem sending off to Jet Hot if that is the best place to go.

Ricky Bobby

01-03-2011, 02:59 PM

damn search button works good :rolf

jbiscuit

01-03-2011, 03:14 PM

I searched and read the older threads which is how I found this one. I want some new info

jbiscuit

01-26-2011, 11:27 AM

anybody have photos of headers or exhaust parts they have had coated? What are your experiences with Hy-Tec Coatings, Classic Coatings, Northstar Mfg etc? How are your parts holding up?

Karps TA

01-26-2011, 11:38 AM

I had the headers on my TA coated at Northstar and they held up great. Actually much better then the previous ones I had done by Jet Hot which started peeling 2 years later. And the price was unbeatable, I wanna say they did it for $120-140 compared to the $300+ I paid Jet Hot. The coating dulled a bit more, but I think I actually liked the dull look better.

Now to be fair Northstar only did the outside, but the SLP headers were SS, so it wasn't a big deal to me and was just done for appearance anyways. The Edelbrocks I had done by Jet Hot were done inside and out, but they peeled inside and out as well.

jbiscuit

01-26-2011, 11:49 AM

^ good to know. Do you have any photos of the engine bay from you for sale ad for your car to see the appearance of the headers? I did talk with Northstar this morning...Hy-Tec and Classic Coatings as well

Karps TA

01-26-2011, 12:10 PM

you can see some on my FB page. There's a pic of the motor on the stand. Might have some better shots at home.

If I recall NS quoted me a price, and then when I came to pick them up, the guy felt bad cause it took longer and knocked $20 off. Which was odd cause I think it took 3 weeks instead of 2, or something crazy, and I told them I wasn't in a hurry. But that kind of customer service is appreciated.