powder coating/chrome/high temp paint.

[Sasquatch]

Ok, I used the search function, but did not see what I was looking for (sorry if I missed it).

I got my new Hindle exaust system, and it came bare metal. What should I do to protect it?

Should I get it chromed (I am getting the mid chromed either way), or should I powdercoat it?

I have also wondered about that high-temp paint, does the exaust get too hot to use that? I dont really care what the headers look like (as far as chrome or paint), but after spending that kind of money on an exaust system I do NOT want it to rust away in a few years.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

here is a picture of the exaust (minus muffler):

[suzukisportrider2004]

jet-hot cermic coating

[Sasquatch]

thats it? no other advise?

What about reccomending a good shop to do the work then? There is a place near here (Guilford Plating), but I have been told by 2 different aftermarket places to NOT go there.

[suzukisportrider2004]

umm well powedr coat gets baked on at 900 degs so i am sure it would melt right off......

[md86]

Whaddya wanna spend ?
High-temp paint , if you get the right thing ,will do okay . But like any other surface , gotta make sure it's READY to be painted .
Chrome is , of course , quite costly . Sure , you can do it , and it'll last a LONG time , but can you AFFORD it ?
Jet-coating is I THINK like $120 for the whole thing last time I looked , and it should last QUITE nicely and comes in a variety of colors as well . Persoannly , I'd go cheap and get some high-temp paint . I've heard of bbq paint that is good up to 1500 or 2k and looks decent . I'll be trying that myself eventually .....

[Court93kat]

POR-15 also has some high temp paint that is good up to 1200 degrees with supposedly little to no prep work as with most of their products. (Tank repair kit excluded)

[Sasquatch]

Whaddya wanna spend ?
High-temp paint , if you get the right thing ,will do okay . But like any other surface , gotta make sure it's READY to be painted .
Chrome is , of course , quite costly . Sure , you can do it , and it'll last a LONG time , but can you AFFORD it ?
Jet-coating is I THINK like $120 for the whole thing last time I looked , and it should last QUITE nicely and comes in a variety of colors as well . Persoannly , I'd go cheap and get some high-temp paint . I've heard of bbq paint that is good up to 1500 or 2k and looks decent . I'll be trying that myself eventually .....

I would like to spend as little as possible, and that is exactly what I was thinking of using (high temp BBQ Paint). I would spend the $120 for the Jet-Coating, if I could find a place around here that does it.

Im headed out to get a few errands done, and Im going to stop by a few places and ask (performance shops) if there is a place that does the Jet-Coating, and Im going to ask more about the high temp paint.

[loudnlow7484]

Um, aren't the hindle headpipes stainless anyway? I don't think they need to be painted or anything.

If you're stuck on the idea, though, there is exhaust specific paint out there. Even engine paint should work, as long as your jetting isn't real lean.

[paperairplane]

ceramic coated inside and out - this is functional as well as protective

hi temp paint doesn't last and looks not so great
chrome will turn blue on single wall pipe and adds weight

[Black_peter]

If the pipes are Stainless steel, just hit them with BBQ paint if that's what you want. I'd leave them bare if they're stainless. But if they are really uncoated steel you should get them Jet coated.
They'll rot otherwise..

[loudnlow7484]

I didn't think that Hindle made regular steel headpipes..... maybe I'm wrong.

[The CyberPoet]

ceramic coated inside and out

Well, I'd say the outside... trying to do the inside of a motorcycle header tube is almost neigh-on-impossible because of the narrow diameter and long length (they can get the start and end, but the middle is virtually impossible).

JetCoat is a brand-name applied to a process more commonly known as ceramic coating in the industry. A mixture of about 4-6% aluminum or other metal is blended into a ceramic base (at the factory) that gets applied (at the powdercoaters) like any other powdercoat and then baked on. The advantages are multi-fold, the primary ones being protecting the metal underneath plus providing the heat barrier advantages of ceramic (think space shuttle belly tiles).

The cheapest way to go will be a paint. The problem with paints in general is that the header must be absolutely free of all rust (down to the metal-pore size), AND all oils and grease must be gone, AND most need to be baked on afterwards at some lower temp before being exposed to the full exhaust temp. Most people's experience with painted headers is horrible, because their rust issue comes back in a matter of days (almost always under a month). Unfortunately, POR-15's exhaust solution is basically the same, not having the two-part epoxy-like humidity-cured finish their other products do (but their instruction sheet on how to prep & apply is a good general primer for virtually any high-temp exhaust paint).

KNOW THIS:
Particularly lean exhaust temps can run up to 1000-1200 degrees C (1832 - 2192 degrees F). Standard "healthy" combustion temps will run in the 500 to 850 degree range (932 - 1562 degrees F) and keep the plugs in self-cleaning mode (so fouling burns off) once the chamber is up to temp.

An one-range upwards change in NGK spark plug "temperature" numbers should change the average combustion chamber temp by 70 to 100 degrees C (158 - 212 degrees F) downwards, with a corresponding change in firing-tip (electrode) temp temp of 10 to 20 degrees C. Example: an NGK CR7EK should run the combustion chamber temp about 150 - 200 degrees C hotter than an NGK CR9EK. If your pre-98 is running particularly hot, consider moving from a DR8ES to a DR9ES and it'll run the engine cooler.

Cheers,
=-= The CyberPoet

[Sasquatch]

Ok, I wasn't sure if the pipes were stainless or just some regular old metal. The part number from the place I bought it had no reference to the hindle part number, so I searched the box and found the Hindle part number of SK600SS (yes, its stainless steel!!)

Now, I don't know much about metal, but even though its stainless, wont it rust after time?

oh, and according to hindle's site, I got a good deal on my exaust. From Hindle's site:

Suzuki


GSX600F KATANA 1998-2006 4 in 2 in 1 SK600SS $749.95


I paid $598.00

[The CyberPoet]

Stainless steel has many potential combinations of metal in it's blend (there are lots of different types of SS). Some resist rusting far better than others. I would think Hindle knew what they were doing and picked a blend that doesn't rust readily in this use.

The real potential for rust would be from debris (sand, dirt) hanging against the metal and holding water to it's surface... And in that sense, keeping the pipes clean (washing after runs, or wiping down with a paper towel & windex after parking & letting it cool) should be sufficient to do the job.

If in doubt, contact Hindle and see what they have to say.

Cheers,
=-= The CyberPoet

[Sasquatch]

Thanks CyberPoet, you have been a HUUUUUUUUGE help!! I was just worried about the exaust system rusting away after I spent so much money on it. I am shooting them an email asking if there is anything I need to do to the pipes, or if I can just mount them as is (I hope I can).


Thanks again to everyone for thier responses,

Marc