I've tried many high temperature paints over the years, and so far
nothing has stayed put on the hotter parts of the exhaust system for
more than a year. I have obtained some of Restomotive's latest
manifold paint, but haven't had a chance to try it yet. They make
POR-15, which is practically indestructible as a rust coating, but the
manifold paint is a different formula. The POR-15 works on the cooler
parts of the exhaust, such as behind the muffler, but burns off the
hotter parts.
Eastwood also sell a couple of manifold paints, and since they are
in the restoration market, they may work better. Anything not
specifically designed for exhaust manifolds will probably burn off. If
you plan to keep the car a long time, and want the manifold to be
maintenance free, ceramic coating is probably the best solution, even
though it's obviously more expensive initially than paint.
|