Painting and Polishing Ramhorns?

[muddpile]

I have the ramhorn manifolds off my truck right now, in their pitted rusty glory, and want to make them look better. Is it possible to grind off all the big square block-type pieces of cast to make the manifold look smoother? Also, how well does high-heat paint hold up? I will be taking them to bare metal before painting them. Thanks!

[gringoloco]

You could smooth them and make them look a little better. High temp paint, in my experience, is junk. Better off ceramic coating them.

I think eastwood has a cast iron look coating that is made for this sort of thing, But I don't have any personal experience with it.

-Chris

[Tx Firefighter]

N2TRUX did this to a set of his manifolds. He posted pictures of it on here.

[SideStepper]

I have had good luck with Rust-Oleum high heat (1200 degree) rattle can paint. It is actually intended for BBQ grills, wood stove etc. Grind smooth all manifold sharp edges. Than I found that wire brush or better yet, sand blasting is important in removing all rust. Use air nozzle to blow off all dirt, than most important spray manifold clean with CARB CLEANER. This washes out the cast iron pors & allows the paint to better attach itself to the manifold. Paint with 2 coats of Rust-Oleum.
Also important, let the manifolds air dry for a few days before reinstalling them on the motor & getting them hot. This allows the paint to flash off slowly, which means the paint should stay on the manifold without burning off in a couple of weeks. If you put extra effort in the prep before paint you should happy with the results.

[Fastfun]

I used Eastwood stainless steel manifold paint that you brush on and when you warm up your engine it cures to a almost cast blast look. I have had it on my Corvette for 3 years and still looks great

[muddpile]

Thanks for the help guys! I remember seeing N2TRUX's manifolds, and thought they looked awesome, kinda like old cast headers. I will be using Sidesteppers method, and if the paint decides to burn off, I'll remove them and then have them ceramic or JET coated.

[4x4Poet]

I wouldn't polish the manifolds to the point that the natural pits of the cast iron are reduced in depth. Those pits, after a good bead blasting, are great for helping adhere ceramic coatings, ceramic powder coatings, and high temp paints.

One thing with trying rattle can high temp paint on cast iron manifolds. If no good, you can just start over with another bead blasting.