What is your experience with ceramic coating on headers? I regularly drive my roadster on weekends and to shows. The chrome is definitely showing it's age. Wanting to do something about it this winter. I would like to keep the chrome look if at all possible. How does it hold up? Any down sides to ceramic? Or would I be better off just getting the headers rechromed.
I did find this thread, very informative. https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/removing-bluing-from-chrome-headers-polisher.167776/
I had my headers and oil pan “Jet Hot” coated, (Oklahoma) I have only about 300 miles on them now but they have no discoloring even at the bends right by the flanges. The finish is not like chrome it is more like a shiny silver paint. I like it.
It's technical name is cermatel . They use it a lot on aircraft coating, used in internal turbine parts. It is a sprayable metal. It does eventually start to corrode. The headers on the Fly got REALLY hot one time and it changed the composition of the material. Now it has a chalky hazy look, but don't let my lack of tuning skills deter you. We were very close to a catastrophic melt down..... Steve, they only spray the outside, but they will do the inside as well, but it doubles the price. The EPA is on these guys like a chicken on a cheeto, so most have quit spraying it. For most guys it will outlast the car.
JH in Oklahoma did mine, inside and out V8 shorties (OT car) and Y-pipe, I went with the 1200 degree job, IIRC it was $481.00...just a few months back, I had Summit ship to them, they included shipping back to me in the price. Mine were done in the chrome look and polished, in a few days when off the mid shift I'll post a pic.
IIRC, total time for Summit to ship to them, JH to do it, and get them back to me was around 3 weeks, this was end of May/early June...in the middle of the Pandemic.
Yes, the coating is also on the inside of the pan and tubes. One thing I was pleased with is that the coating did not interfere with the slip tubes for the front cylinders, I wiped a little silicone grease on them and they went together easily. (And with no leaks around the tubing)
I had mine Jet Hot coated about 10-12 years ago, I'd have to look it up. Still look good but I don't drive a lot and have a mild engine. They clean up with ceramic stove top cleaner.
Just a heads up on the Jet Hot coating- I was doing a refresh of an OT car engine. I figured I’d buy a set of new JH coated headers as long as I was changing things up. While breaking the cam in my timing was retarded too much and it ruined the coating on the headers. Sigh...pulled em off and sent them back in to be recoated. So put some junk headers on for break in or make sure timing is on better than I did! BTW, Jet Hot was cool about it, they didn’t charge me for the recoat if I paid the shipping. It was my fault after all.