My local industrial powder coater offers it, they did a set of 308 for me this year.Try somewhere around there
One word: Swain. Swain Tech Coatings | Industrial Coatings | High Performance Racing Coatings | Technical coatings to solve problems of heat, wear, corrosion, and friction
I tried a product that works very well. I was building a hotrod engine for a Toyota pickup and sprayed Cerakote on some exhaust parts. I did have one issure and made a call to their technical department and they made a suggestion. The solids settle and one needs to put 4-6 large stainless steel nuts like 3/8-16 and shake the heck out of the bottle for a good 3-5 minutes. I painted the exhaust system and some of the hot side tubes and brackets. The finish is nice and hard shell to the surface. They also have a "Chrome" that looks good. There was very little smoking coming the exhaust system on first start. I painted these using a paint gun that I have used off and on for 35+ years. Cerakote has two web sites, one for automotive while the other supports the firearms world. Cerakote for automotive is Cerakote Coatings: Finishes The one to support firearm industry is Cerakote Coatings
I had these guys do my Stebro exhaust. It turned out great. Doing headers yourself I'd worry about whether it adhered inside properly or not. Exhaust Coatings | Ceramic Exhaust Sealing | Auburn, WA Image Unavailable, Please Login
I had my 308 headers done a few years ago in a ceramic powder coat. It has held up well overall, but it has lost some its luster with time or heat cycles. Which is actually good, it was a bit too bright, a bit too chrome like for my wants in this application. Funny, in the 308 I thought the brightness of the chrome finish was too much, but it isn't chrome enough that I would use it in a motorcycle application as a chrome replacement. So now it has a nice patina and looks good and clean but not over the top shiny. For some reason the best picture I can find right now is where the header is in the trunk waiting for install, but it gives an idea of the just-finished look. I'm happy with it. I would do it again. Accessories Plus in Belmont, California did mine. They say: CermaKrome is our most popular metallic ceramic. Cermakrome offers excellent thermal barrier properties. This coating can withstand a base metal temperature of 1300°F and has a salt spray resistance of 5000 hours at 5% salt spray. This coating is also very maintainable. We apply Tech Line CermaKrome, which is a metallic ceramic coating that polishes to a near chrome finish. This finish can withstand a base metal temperature over 1300°F. This coating can be applied to any metal that can withstand the cure temperature of 600°F, except magnesium and pot metal. ***Edit - found better pics*** Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
These guys use a tumbler to remove scaling inside and outside of the pipes pre application. After curing they use a polishing tumbler which again works inside and outside of the pipes. The finish turns out as described above and will dull out over time. Heat in a 308 is not problematic, they tend to run much richer than the later models with hi tech injection management systems. FWIW, cost was under 200 for both, 2 day turnaround.
Yes, they cleaned mine inside and out and polished them in some sort of polisher that used little ceramic balls. I know because there were a bunch trapped in the heat shield at the collector and were rattling around when I got the parts back. I don't remember my price, but I was pleasantly surprised, I think in the $200-$300 range also.
I had a motorcycle that I was concerned about chrome turning blue due to heat. I found this coating material called Kareem Blue Shield. They say it only works on new pipes, partially to having a contaminated surfaces, and secondly, it will not help a set of already blue pipes. Kreem | Blue Shield It worked pretty well, I only had a tinge of blue after several thousand miles.
