I bought a spare OEM muffler from a fellow member. I plan to paint it and do a better job than the factory did since the factory muffler paint is easily chipped, fades, and still allows rust. My plan is to paint it GLOSS black to match it more closely with the black plastic of my '08.
The muffler has been sanded down with medium, then fine grit, and has been washed and dried. It is ready for its primer coat.
I went to the hardware store and asked an Associate for the best spray paint for a muffler. He handed me the bottles for an "Engine" paint, which is listed to withstand up to 500 degrees.
I'm unsure whether this paint will work, as opposed to the ones used for BBQ grilles. Can anyone who has experience painting mufflers recommend something that will work best for mufflers? Or will the engine paint suffice?
i used bbq paint on mine said rated to 1500deg and so far i've repainted it i think 4-5 times in the last year or so. it fades burns off whatever. i think the only way to avoid that is to have it ceramic coated, there was a thread here last year that had another product it may have been a diy ceramic though not really sure. keeping the muffler and the fiberglass wraps black is just part of maintenance to me.
I had good results using Tremclad high temp paint. Gloss black. Typical wear on the front after 5000km. Heat is not a problem for the paint and it was easy to apply.
the VHT exhaust paint is rated up to 2,000 degrees i think. It basically a DIY ceramic coat. You can get several different colors at Autozone or another auto parts store and they last a really long time depending on how hot it gets. I used silver on my M2 headers and it stayed nice for more than a year. Also used silver and black on my SRT-4 big turbo and it lasted for well over a year too. Just make sure you follow the instructions on the can to heat treat it.
I used 500 deg. engine paint on mine and it turned a chalky white for about the fist 6" where the headers attach. Apparently it get a little warmer than 500 deg there. The rest of it looks ok. I think my headers and muffler are getting either ceramic or Jet hot type coating this winter.
I used regular header rattle can paint from autozone on my chopper project sportster and it worked pretty well. Its definitely not gloss black, but you aren't going to really be able to get and keep a gloss finish on exhaust. Like others have said you can ceramic coat it which would be much more expensive. One of the nice things about header paint is that it is easy to touch up.
Posted on Wednesday, September 14, 2011 - 01:38 pm:
years ago, i used gun-kote on some sporty straight pipes. matte black finish. worked rather well. brownells carries it in rattle can. a little pricey though. i used a propane torch to heat and cure it. kgcoatings.com is the mfg.
Posted on Wednesday, September 14, 2011 - 05:21 pm:
My Xb one is powder coated high temp smooth black rated at1100 degrees. Has been beaten bottomed and everything else imaginable and you'd never know it. Little more expense now but will only have to be done once
Posted on Wednesday, September 14, 2011 - 05:40 pm:
I worked for KG Industries about 10 years ago. They have some really good products. When I was working for them I coated the exhaust pipe on my RM250 with a header coat they had at the time. 10 years on and it does have some rust on it now towards the front where all the shit kicked up from the front tire as worn the coating but it was good stuff. Their coatings are probably even better these days.
I don't have any experience with my Buell yet, but had plenty with the Kerker Header on my old KZ. Of course it bolted right onto the heads so it had to deal with higher temperatures for the first six inches or so. I tried just about everything over the years including paying a guy to do the flat black jet coat finish. Nothing lasted more than 1-2 seasons. For a gloss black I recommend the Bill Hirsch Gloss Black Antique Manifold paint. It worked really well on my Kerker except for near the heads. I do think if you are looking for a really durable finish you have to pony up the cash and go ceramic.