Powder coating muffler

[Jeff K]

I'm getting some parts powder coated. I wanted to do the muffler. I know Powder coating is not as heat resistant as Jet hot coating.. like 400 degrees.

The muffler is stock on a stock setup. The Powder coating place said they have had no issues unless it's a really hopped up engine setup.

Any thoughts?
Thanks
Jeff

[DMCMW Dave]

Ceramic coating works great. I'll post a picture but can't get online for a fe hours.

[Delorean Industries]

I'm getting some parts powder coated. I wanted to do the muffler. I know Powder coating is not as heat resistant as Jet hot coating.. like 400 degrees.

The muffler is stock on a stock setup. The Powder coating place said they have had no issues unless it's a really hopped up engine setup.

Any thoughts?
Thanks
Jeff

Bad idea. The powder can't take the heat. Stock exhaust systems are very restrictive. If you look at it the center will look as though it gets hotter than the surrounding area.

[DMCMW Dave]

Another idea. Years ago I wire wheeled and painted my stock muffler with basic Kmart barbecue grille high temp silver paint. It held up remarkably well for over 10 years. Was a dull silver color and finally started flaking in the center after a very long time. My expectations were low and I was pleasantly surprised .

[Rich W]

Ceramic coating works great.

+1 on the Ceramic Coating on the stock muffler, if you want to retain the stock look.

The added benefit of the Ceramic Coating keeping things cooler in the engine bay,
especially the area near the lower section of the rear fascia is a big added plus.

Later,
Rich W.

[jawn101]

What kind of place does the ceramic coating? Or is it something you paint on? I hate the way my muffler looks from behind and like the idea of helping to reduce engine bay temp, even if only a little.

[Rich W]

What kind of place does the ceramic coating? Or is it something you paint on? I hate the way my muffler looks from behind and like the idea of helping to reduce engine bay temp, even if only a little.

I would check out this place: http://www.powdercoat-it.com/sacramento-ceramic-exhaust-coating.html

They seems to offer the same or similar coatings and options (colors) that are available in the Chicago area.

Good Luck.

Later,
Rich W.

[jawn101]

I would check out this place: http://www.powdercoat-it.com/sacramento-ceramic-exhaust-coating.html

They seems to offer the same or similar coatings and options (colors) that are available in the Chicago area.

Good Luck.

Later,
Rich W.

Wow, thanks Rich. That is pretty convenient too. I'll give them a call! Any suggestions on color for the most "stock" look?

[Iznodmad]

Just going to throw this out there. I have a complete stock exhaust system already ceramic coated that I'd be willing to sell. The cat is hollow and I don't have any heat shields, but I have everything else. Open to offers and I can post pics on request. Located in North Carolina.

[Rich W]

Wow, thanks Rich. That is pretty convenient too. I'll give them a call! Any suggestions on color for the most "stock" look?

Finishes will vary from shop to shop, so it will be best to stop at the shop and view the coating options in person.

If you want to save a little cash, you can go with the lower temp options (in the 400 to 800 degree range) since
the muffler does not need the same higher temp coatings as headers need (in the 1200 to 1600 degree range).

Some shops will show you what the coatings will look like on sample parts that have been heat cycled many times,
but if a shop does not display heat cycled parts, it is best to start with a little more glossy than you may prefer,
since almost all of these coatings will dull over time, with hundreds of heat cycles, over their lifetime.

Depending upon the types of coatings offered, I prefer Satin Metallic finishes or Semi-Gloss standard finishes.

Later,
Rich W.

[pezzonovante88]

One of the guys in our D club had his exhaust system powder-coated in silver. Looks great and will last. I haven't heard of anyone powder-coating a muffler before.

[Delorean Industries]

One of the guys in our D club had his exhaust system powder-coated in silver. Looks great and will last. I haven't heard of anyone powder-coating a muffler before.

Probably Marty's car. We did his complete system in 2011.

[David T]

Check out Eastwood.com. They have all kinds of stuff for exhaust including a ceramic coating you can apply. I just used the exhaust manifold coating. All of their products work well. Look under specialty coatings. Like all paints the "trick" is preparation. The better you prepare the surface the better the results. Powder coating is a thermoplastic materiel. Basically plastic that you melt over a part. It is not made to take heat well. It will soften and burn. There are better coatings for exhaust parts than powder. Look at 10020Z silver exhaust paint $12.99. Good to 800 F
David Teitelbaum

[pezzonovante88]

Probably Marty's car. We did his complete system in 2011.

That's the one!

[Mark D]

I have seen the "Cermakrome" coating that this place offers and it is pretty awesome. Looks just like chrome plating. I was considering having them do my stock muffler, but I think I'm just going to go with an aftermarket exhaust in the future since it sounds better and will hopefully be good for a few extra HP. Still tempting though:

http://www.proplating.com/specialty-coatings.php

Before and after pics
http://www.proplating.com/pdfs/night_and_day.pdf

16444

according to the price guide on the website it's $50 to ceramic coat a muffler with any of their coatings, including cermakrome.

[dmc3130]

What kind of place does the ceramic coating? Or is it something you paint on? I hate the way my muffler looks from behind and like the idea of helping to reduce engine bay temp, even if only a little.

I did mine with some VHT paint that I got from Auto Zone. It was a ceramic coat paint rated from 1300 to 2000 deg. I am going to do it again as I DID NOT prime it first with ceramic primer so it started to flake. But I do love the look soooooo much better..... I did mask off the tips just after the bend so that part is not painted.

[DMCMW Dave]

With/without Ceramic Coat

16447

16448

[m81dmc]

I've used Jet Hot ceramic coating myself many times. The imitation chrome looks ok for a while but does start to dull after the years.

I just use flat look from the start usually. It stays on very well but if the part flexes alot (say overly stressed headers) the finish can crack and chip slightly, not too much. Its a bit expensive and takes them a while to do but It looks alot better than rusted up metal exhaust, stainless or otherwise, especially turbo housings.

[Delorean Industries]

With coating.

[jawn101]

I got in touch with the shop that Rich linked above, and their prices are very reasonable. $50-$75 for a muffler, depending on size. We are going to do a big group order and drop 4 or 5 mufflers with them. Worth every penny to get that nasty looking and highly visible muffler cleaned up permanently.

[vwdmc16]

im excited, let me know when to pull the muffler!

[jawn101]

Just a follow up - the Nor Cal guys all got their mufflers back from the cerakote place this weekend and boy do they look amazing. When I finally unwrapped mine this afternoon I was shocked at how nice it was. Truly a work of art. Seriously I can't stress enough what a great job that shop did - thanks for the heads-up, Rich.

Some pics:

Before

http://dmctalk.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=17208&d=1363057026

http://dmctalk.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=17211&d=1363057038

http://dmctalk.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=17210&d=1363057034

http://dmctalk.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=17209&d=1363057030

And after
http://dmctalk.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=17212&d=1363057043

http://dmctalk.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=17213&d=1363057048

http://dmctalk.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=17214&d=1363057052