So it appears, having upgraded the engine to 107", that my wrapped-up Thunderheader won't hold on to that BBQ paint anymore. It keeps flaking off in huge chunks after about 8 miles fom the driveway. My next solution will be to strip the thing down with Aircraft Stripper and try some engine paint instead, but I'm not optimistic. My question-would it be possible (or advisable) to just ceramic coat the muffler portion (it is all one welded piece-headers and muffler) and still wrap the headers? Or would it be wise to Ceramic the whole thing and then just wrap over it?

 

Which paint did you use? I used VHT Flameproof flat black on my buddy's head pipes and it held up great. Touch up with a light sanding and a thin coat like once a year.

 

Did you "cure" the paint as per the instructions? Also I've found that Rustoleum holds up better than VHT you might want to give that a try. I had mine sandblasted down to bare metal then painted it with VHT which rusted almost immediately so I sanded it lightly and resprayed it with Rustoleum which seemed to hold up allot better.

 

I used flat BBQ paint (Rustoleum High Heat) on it the first time, which held up. But after building the motor I repainted it with the gloss BBQ paint (Rustoleum Ultra High Heat). I did also used high heat primer under it this time, which could be the reason for the chipping. Probably should try a higher quality paint.

 

VHT is great. I used it on my pipes this year and so far so good.

 

I did try curing it by running the bike, but that did not seem to help the situation. It could be a fault in the prep work, but I just about sanded the chrome off of it everytime I painted it.

 

buy a can of VHT primer/clear and paint. follow the instructions and you'll be fine.

prep is the most important thing.

 

For what it's worth, I had my chrome Thunderheader stripped, then painted it myself with VHT and cured it on the bike. I've never had an issue with paint flaking.