Ceramic Coat Your Exhaust at Home FAQ

[Westfabulous]

So, as part of my engine, transmission, etc, refresh, I also decided to refresh my exhaust system and try to put it back to original. The plan was to ceramic coat it for $500, but to make a long story short, the color selection in my area is extremely limited and nothing close to the original VW / Leistritz blue/ grey. I drove all around my area in Canada, and Washington State to see the offerings, and they were limited to say the least. The closest I could get was a dark gun metal gray with metallics, and that was not good enough.

I researched like crazy for alternatives....stove paint, high heat paints, etc, and I eventually came across VHT FlameProof Header Paint. Through my research I learned that a lot of the guys at the Porsche 356 Registry were using VHT paint for durability and to match the original VW / Leistritz color. Some of the testimonials showed that the paint lasted and was still looking good after 5 years, and had not burned off. VHT Flamethrower Paint is listed as durable in temperatures from 1300 to 2000* F.

I did a lot of reading on this paint and some information suggested that it is like ceramic coat in a can, and contains something like a pound of ceramic and silica in each can. With no real options, I decided to give it a whirl, and I bought the three shades of grey that were offered; I was in search of the closest I could get to the blue/ grey original color.

The substrate needs to be prepped, and then the product painted on. It then needs to be cured in an oven, or through a very specific process while on the car. I am going to cure mine on the car through the specified regimen. So, here is where I am at; please let me know your thoughts on the question that I ask at the very end, as I am looking for some feedback before bolting this on to the car.

Here is the system (most of it) sandblasted and ready for coating:

This is what very close to or the same as what your Leistritz exhaust color was like when your car came from VW; this will help to put things in perspective. There appears to be variations in the shade of gray used:

This was the first VHT grey that I used (104 - flat grey). It has blue in it, but I personally found it to be almost neon when the sun shone on it, and I couldn't quite imagine looking at the back of my bus and seeing a neon light blue cat, muffler, and tailpipe.

Cat:

Crossover Pipe:

So, I repainted everything in VHT 100 - primer grey, and here is what the final product looks like. It has less blue, and it is a more subdued grey:

And, once again, the original Leistritz color:

Based on the reading I have done with respect to VHT FlameProof paint, it seems to be a very decent poor mans ceramic coat, and it seems to last for a very long time, or possibly forever, without burning off if applied to a sandblasted surface. I am keeping my fingers crossed. Now, my question.....

Before I cure this paint:

Your preference on whether I should stay with the grey that I have now, or go back to the bluer version?

My goal has been to get close to the original color, and as far as I can see, neither is exact; so I opted for the one that was most pleasing to my eye.

Your thoughts please. I will post a longer term experience with this paint once I have cured it and driven the bus for a bit. Hopefully, somebody finds this info useful.

PS: If someone has one of these for a '79 bus that they want to sell (EGR), please PM me. Interesting thing, this is a NOS piece, and the gray is different from the Leistritz gray exhaust that was posted above:

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"I will gladly pay you Tuesday for a hamburger today."

[BUSBOSS]

Nice work.

I vote for the primer gray color.

Does it have the same durability and properties as the blue grey?
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All the redemption I can offer, girl, is beneath this dirty hood
1976 Westfalia
1970 Karmann Ghia Convertible (sold - but not forgotten)

[rustbus]

Looks good in the second color, I think


No chance you can find an oven? What might cure the pipe to spec might not be good enough for the exchangers and heat shield...that won't see the same heat... Maybe your favorite powdercoater will let you cook it in their oven? Anyhow, looks good!
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May of '72 Deluxe. 2.0L L-Jet CS & 091 trans conversion
my Bus thread

[Westfabulous]

[hiwaycallin]

Does the time interval between when you paint it and when you cure it matter? For some reason I thought you had to put it all back on the car as soon as possible after painting in order to get the best curing results, but sounds like maybe that's not necessary?

[Desertbusman]

Couple comments FabulousWestyGuy-

Do a small sample of each and bake them in your oven per spec and see it the color changes after a proper cure.

As mentioned, once you decide and get them coated them do an oven cure as opposed to an installed cure. Surely you can locate someone locally with an ample size oven.

It's in aerosols? Do a can in each hand and blend the colors. Once you have a wet coat a misting of the other will flow right in.

Now I realize you want everything OG perfect. That's cool and it will be wonderful. But you realize that you will never show it at some venue that has the combined expertise to judge the finite accuracy of all of it. It's not like a vintage bug. In a public arena like Barrett-Jackson most people wouldn't even notice if it was coated green.

Not sure where you could locate the pictures of Colins flawless detailed exhaust. Except he painted the exhaust nuts bright red Just don't do something wierd like that.
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71 Superbug
71 Westy

[old DKP driver]

My Vote is also for the Primer Gray also.

And 2 or 3 hundred board ft. of what looks like Ash ? Poplar?
Obviously cabinet grade. And some also looks to be Alder?
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V.W.owner since 1967

[Westfabulous]

[Westfabulous]

[Amskeptic]

[Westfabulous]

[Amskeptic]

[curtis4085]

Like the primer color myself. Although being a painter by trade I would never just leave primer as my top coat as it does not have the same properties as top coats.
I also am really digging how cool my engine is staying with ceramic chrome. Seems it keeps heat from radiating into engine compartment, ALot.
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Special Thanks to:
Headflow Masters - Vista, CA
www.headflowmasters.com

[ccpalmer]

I used that VHT product on my muffler and intake manifold (T1) about 4 years ago. I didn't have a sandblaster at the time so I just cleaned/sanded/painted. New Dansk(?) muffler and old intake manifold.

The main sections of the intake manifold still look great, the heat risers are starting to rust a bit again and bleeding through.

The muffler is totally rusty. I cured the paint properly in an oven. So I hope you sandblasted!
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'71 Westy

[ccpalmer]

[Westfabulous]

[busdaddy]

[SixStringMadMan]

The primer grey looks great! I have my original 2.0 motor on the floor of the garage in pieces as it went boom when I purchased my bus. Think I will start cleaning the exhaust pieces up, sandblast, and then slap on some VHT and find a nice shelf to put them on for the time being.
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1978 Kombi
http://www.vw-mplate.com/mplate-10020.htm

[Desertbusman]

[SGKent]

I went with a gray VHT ceramic and after a few weeks hated it - looked too primerish. Then I used silver over the ceramic. Love it. Occasionally a touch of rust comes thru - mostly from sand blast off the wheels when on snow. Takes 5 minutes to touch it up and it is good again.

vs

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"Most people don't know what they're doing, and a lot of them are really good at it." - George Carlin