what is Thermal coating?

[Olden Days]

Been looking for headers and run across some advertised as thermal coating. Is this a finish that still needs paint? will it get crappy looking after awhile? thanks

[71chevylowrider]

I just posted a pic of my ceramic coated Hooker headers a second ago, had em on for years no discoloration at all, it's under hooker or hedman ?

[phlegm]

I just wire brushed and sprayed a cheap set of headers that I bought used with VHT flame proof, I expect a bout a year per coat.

[67Cowboy]

It is a type of powdercoat, the way I understand it it is a ceramic material shot on the inside of headers to stop the rust from condensation and the biggest bonus is the fact that it doesn't absorb heat, so it can actually make your underhood temperatures go way down by 100 *F+ and with a coating like Edelbrock's Endurashine* the outside can look good for many many years, unlike the old Hookers we used in the 60's that rusted/ rotted through in about three or four years time. Back in the 70's Hot Rod magazine ran an article on a guy who Blued his headers (like a gun barrel) using a rose-bud tip on a torch and a squirt bottle with transfluid. I've used the method for over twenty years now on my Black-Smith work and it last quite a while.
Headman and Black-Jack were the first companies to offer the Aluma-coat headers in the early 80's I sold a lot of them at the parts store because they were some of the first ones to ever have a Guarantee. And If I buy new headers for my trucks I buy the thermal Coated because anything else is just throwing money away, IMO !

[Olden Days]

That coating is on the inside? I was assuming it was an outside finish since in the discription of various headers in summit they list either ceramic ,painted or thermal coated as a finish.

[67Cowboy]

One of N.A.S.A. 's jobbers is HPC htp://www.hpcoatings.com/products/corrosion.aspx
You should be able to get all your questions answered there, many magazines run ads for companys that do this coating, I think I have seen a few in Engine Masters or Power and Performance News and maybe a few from Primedia or the Peterson Group (Classic Truck Mags) it has been around a long time but has really taken off with the powder coat craze and especially after they did the test in Australia and proved the capabilities.