The following is a copy of a discussion that ocurred on the Yahoo site. I have posted it here as a reference thread for others that may want to consider the subject. Hopefully, I have properly credited all original authors. Hey FMC Group, I am replacing the cracked drivers side exhaust
manifold on my coach. (also going with duals) We still have the org.
440 I with stock manifolds. I was wondering if any of you have tried
having the manifold and or the exhaust header pipes coated with any of
the new ceramic coatings? Thanks, Jerry #699 I have not myself, but a friend of mine who restores muscle cars (many
with 440's) swears by the process. He says it does wonders for
keeping the engine and engine compartment cooler.
Gregory Miller Thanks, I took my new manifold to my friends strretrod/ machine shop to
have it milled and he said the same thing. I just want to see what the
group had to say. jerry Jerry -
Be sure to use the center drop exhaust manifold as the headers will cost you
fuel mileage with the HEAVY motor coach LOAD.
HAPPY TRAILS - Leslie Hoagland - FMC #0938 I assume this is an internal coating and how much does it cost?
Stephen Heinrichs Hi, no this is an external coating. It has been used for sometime now
by NASCAR and high performance shop on headers, manifolds, turbos and
the like. I have not received my new dual exhaust from Les, When i do
i will take them by and get an est. but i was told $100 to $125 on
the new exhaust manifold. I don't think you would want to do the
mufflers but am considering the manifold and the pipes to the mufflers.
jerry # 699 I replaced my exhaust gaskets with the copper ones. They work great! I bought
them through J.C.Whitney. Of course, the copper gaskets don't have the shield
that goes up between the manifold and valve cover. So I used the 2" wide
woven exhaust wrap and secured it with thin stainless wire. I did this about 8
years ago, and it still looks new.
#632 (for sale)
Kevin McMullin
Bear Delaware Jerry, Subsequently to my earlier post, I did a Google search and one of the sites that came up was Swain Tech. The link follows and I found some interesting reading in some of the technical sections. I suggest you take a look. A couple of their statements follow as well. http://www.swaintech.com/ in Automotive/Technical section is this statement: "Other companies apply cosmetic header coatings that have minimal effects on heat insulation and instead are purely for cosmetics. These header coatings are shiny or colored and really will not improve performance, but they do look nice. Swain Tech is the only company to offer a true insulating thermal barrier for exhaust parts. This external thermal barrier is applied approximately .012" thick, has a white matte finish and does a tremendous job of keeping the heat inside of the pipes to improve scavenging and reduce under hood temperatures." Also this "Advanced Coating Technology Exhaust: Swain Tech’s White Lightning™ ceramic thermal barrier for exhaust parts is the only true insulating coating available. There is typically 35-55% less heat radiating from a Swain Tech Coated Header." This is an interesting subject which I wish I had looked at prior to my engine rebuild. In our application we are not looking for increased performance that much, but the redirection of heat out of the exhaust pipe instead of out via radiated heat or the cooling system is intriguing.Stephen Heinrichs,#1046 Thanks for the link, you know this about the same lecture i got when i called my local shop. They are mostly a motorbike shop and build VERY hi-pro bikes with turbo's etc. He said they have had great results. I am thinking it will be worth a try- anything we can do to reduce the heat in the engine compartment has to help. I have the parts off, so there won't be a better time than now. I guess the worst thing that could happen would be the ceramic coating coming off? jerry | 
Ceramic Exhaust Coating
