I currently have the 2-1 chrome D&D Fat Cat exhaust on my '15 SG. The heat shields cover the headers very well, so I was thinking to paint them satin black with VHT paint, along with the muffler since they don't get as hot as the headers themselves. I did some research but can not find any concrete answers. I did spray the headers on my 69 Olds 442 with a 455 a few weeks ago and it looked pretty good until my radiator hose exploded - then it turned a little grayish in some spots and I'm sure those headers are exposed to a lot more heat than the 103.
Has anyone tried VHT paint on heat shields and/or muffler with success? Or is ceramic/powder coating the only option here.
Any tips or advice appreciated. Thanks

 

No exhaust paint is very durable and if the shields are chrome that inteferes with paint adhesion. I've used VHT, Rustoleum etc and one is as good as another. I say try it and see how it survives for you. I'm a bit harder on my cosmetics than most and often leave my scoot out in the rain.

You can also have pipes metal sprayed. I'm looking into that now for my Thunderheader. IRL all exhaust parts should be made of stainless steel but that's more money. Mild steel is cheap so it's popular.

 

it will not hold up, i put the vht on my 1974ch pipes. if the pipes are prone to rust, it blisters, will change color over time but the good is you can repair yourself.
professionally applied ceramic holds up but $$$. damage is not a home fix.
all in all, on shields, try it, you can always upgrade. on the mufflers, if they were chromed, they will have to be scuffed (media blasted) so once done, no going back.

 

Why not buy the ceramic and spray yourself? Go to cerakote's website... you can buy 4 oz.. for $35. This and a $7 detail gun from Harbor Freight is all you need. When I bought my black Big Louies I did just that and did my heat shields. It was a perfect match (Glacier Black- is air cure and doesn't require baking) and they still look new almost two years later. As with every black muffler I've ever bought, the Big Louie finish is failing in a big way (rusting and generally just looking like hell). I'll be blasting and recoating the mufflers with cerakote in a couple weeks and expect them to look great for the rest of their life. Sure the cerakote is a little more expensive then a couple rattle cans but doing the labor yourself makes it very reasonable, especially when considering amortization over the life of the muffler. Follow the instructions to a T (this includes sandblasting with fine grit) and your results will be great.