it wont even work with good prep? When I'm flame broiling my steaks it get pretty hot.

i've prepped the heck out of two sets of headers. Well, short of media blasting, the paint hasn't held up for more than 3-4 months of weekend use.

Thermal coating is the best if you want it to last.I have mine done locally.

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Skip the paint. First you must remove and media blast the manifolds clean,then wipe them down with a liberal coat of clean 90 weight

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I agree with Scott's oil treatment except I use ATF instead of 90 Gear oil, the ATF leaves a blueish tan/gray and it last a long time.

850 sounds about right for an engine that has been running for awhile

I have not measured more than 1280 F
at short bursts of full throttle
at the hottest cylinder
on a 1995 360,
but I would guess in the worst case
it would approach 1500 F on the inside of the manifolds
and perhaps 1400 on the outside

The black magnetite coating
(like on impact sockets)
that people are trying to make on the outside
using the oil coating will break down at those 1200 to 1400 temperatures

$150 for a thermal barrier inside and another anti-corrosion coating outside sounds like a great bargain to me for a pair of manifolds

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The black magnetite coating
(like on impact sockets)
that people are trying to make on the outside
using the oil coating will break down at those 1200 to 1400 temperatures

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Maybe true but in real world testing I haven't seen it breakdown much at all, as I mentioned a light periodic touch up is all it takes.

The ATF/oil treatment has been around for a long time. I used it back in the 80s. I don't even bother anymore...lol. No car ever looked that way on the dealer lot. They already had rusty manifolds from running and loading on trains and trucks. They were all a light cream/rust color...lol.

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No car ever looked that way on the dealer lot.

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True, but if you prefer to not see rust it's a heck of allot closer to looking original than ANY kind of paint or high temp coating. Oh yea, and it's practically free!

Scott,

You ever coat them already on the car? I really don't want to pull them off again.

I know you mentioned a light touch up, what about the initial job?

No, won't work well, you need to remove them, blast them, and then coat them if you want good results. Just slopping some on already half baked /rusty manifolds will usually result in a blotchy weird looking finish.

I was told to try mineral spirits and graphite by a older man at a car show I was attending a few years ago. I bead blasted the manifolds and rubbed it on. It is messy but they have stayed nice looking so far.