restoring c4 exhaust manifolds

[Greg P.]

Does anyone know what to do to restore the manifolds back to factory finish. They have rust spots on them now.

[John M.]

Re: restoring c4 exhaust manifolds

Greg: Let me quickly describe a process that is very simple and will provide a durable and factory appearance. Pruchase a product called Calyx Manifold Dressing. This can be purchased form most of the Corvette parts suppliers like Mid America. Eastwood also carries this in their catalog. This dressing comes in a small jar and can be applied with your finger without taking the manifold off the engine. This process is very easy. First clean the rust spots off. I used a wire brush. Second, apply the Calyx. If you can't get into tight areas, you can apply with an artist brush. Once applied, warm the manifold by starting the car. Simple process and looks great. Hope this helps.
John

[John A.]

Re: restoring c4 exhaust manifolds

I have used the Calyx on the tube section of the exhaust header, but if you are talking about the sheet metal heat shield then the Calyx might not be the right color for that part. I have used Nevr-Dull on the sheet metal covers. It didn't remove the rust spots completely, but it did remove a lot of the spots and took off the oxidation on the rest of the heat shields. I think the headers themselves are a Stainless steel alloy, I'm not sure about the sheet metal covers though.

[Greg P.]

Re: restoring c4 exhaust manifolds

The heat sheild on the manifold is what I need to improve. I reference them as one in thinking they were one. I need to get the small amount of rust off the heat sheild. Maybe a small wire brush would work followed up by the Nevr-Dull. I think the manifold dressing would look nice but would result in a color change.

[John M.]

Re: restoring c4 exhaust manifolds

I only used Calyx on the exhaust manifolds. Calyx is meant to be used on cast iron. Calyx returned my exhaust manifolds to a correct factory natural grey cast iron appearance. For more information regarding this product, click on the following link. www.calyxmanifold.com. Using this product on the heat shields would not be a good idea because it could change the color which might alter the factory appearance. On my heat shields, I used several different types of small wire brushes. The final brush's bristles were brass. With a little patience and time I got them looking very nice.