Currently cleaning/painting small pieces (coil box, valve cover, spare tire holder, bumper mounts, etc.) prior to vehicle reassembly. I keep eyeing the new muffler/exhaust pipe sitting in the corner of my shop and wonder if there is any recommended treatment for it. They are the standard steel items - not stainless. It appears to me it will rust rapidly if not treated in some manner. Any recommendations?
I just spray them with silver,seems to burn in and hold up fairly well.
I used some silver furnace paint I got from ACE hardware. It is still on the exhaust manifold even after a few years of a lot of car use. One rattle can or so should be enough and it should hold up for a number of years.
Weld the muffler together or later it will fall apart. The end nut will fall off and or the end stud will break.
I put one on 20 years ago, and had to bend the exhaust pipe a little to get it to fit square on the manifold. Likely caused by a sagging frame. We took a tour to Tijuana on the '94 national tour, and just before crossing the border the muffler fell apart. I put it together by buying an eye bolt and then when I got home tack welded the ends on. I have had no problems with it since. They last just about forever if you tack them. I think they were made to be disassembled to clean out carbon, but I haven't had to even take carbon out of the engine. I tack welded all of mine to prevent them from falling apart.
Norm
James,
Most muffler shops use aluminized exhaust pipe. It holds up quite well against rust. Is this what you have or is it really uncoated pipe?
I'm not sure what the vendors are providing.
Not factory correct, but I use black hi temp paint made for BBQs. On the exhaust manifold I learned a trick from Tom Carnegie that worked great. Wire wheel the rust off then rub all over with antisieze paste (the silver, not copper, unless you like that look). Do wear gloves if you do this.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/bruckzone/6427897747/in/set-72157628213067397
http://www.flickr.com/photos/bruckzone/6495197831/in/set-72157628213067397
I bought the muffler from Macs - It is uncoated steel but I ordered it already welded thanks to comments I have previously read on the forum. I like the idea of the silver furnace paint Michael - prefer a little color contrast instead of everything black. Furnace paint should be formulated to take significant heat but probably not the amount generated near the exhaust manifold. Will expect some peeling or discoloration in that area. Your manifold looks great Erich. Believe I will give that idea a shot also.
Thanks for the advice.
Try some wood stove polish , works great !! After a few years , put some more on , rub it good , then forget it thereafter , won`t need anything more done to it . Works on the manifold , pipe , and muffler .
My muffler stud snapped off so I welded a grade 5 bolt in place of what was on it. My muffler had been painted with some sort of silver paint. It was black from leakage every where there is a seam. I don't know what's correct so I just painted it with high temp flat black paint. At least it's all the same color soot and all. If it falls apart again, I'm going to weld it together. Luckily my exhaust pipe is stainless steel so it always looks good.
Were the manifolds origionally just bare cast Iron? Mine is a repop and is sort of an off white/grey paint on it.