Exhaust Manifold Restoration

[Larry M.]

Re: Exhaust Manifold Restoration

Googling 'VHT cast iron paint' will show SP998 in the results.

[Larry L.]

Re: Exhaust Manifold Restoration - What it really looked like.

Manifolds are too nice -
Back in 65 I took a tour of the Flint plant with a friend who was a process engineer. This was in the middle of the second shift. The block came down the track and before assembly they were picked up and dropped on a hard surface, turned over and the process was repeated at the next station. The block is now upside down and it get fit with, main bearings, a crank (depending on what they were running), Main caps were with engine,full set of bearings, windage try. installed with a driver that drove all as a gang to specified torque. The block receive a white check mark and a set of initials. Next came the pistons a compete set with rings were in install tool bore. Looked like big fish hook with a cylinder on the end to hold pistons. Each rod assembly had rubber tubes on it shaped like a narrow V. A shot of lube and the piston rod assembly went in. Now the interesting part - the installer dropped the rod cap and bearing in the conveyer. A new complete fitted piston rod assembly was to be installed.. The guy looked around and winked at me, reached into his pocket pulled out a new rod cap with bearing, quick as wink it was installed. My friend - looked at me and said "you didn't see that"
Both right and left hand guy did a yellow crayon check and put their initials some were on the side of the block. The engine disappeared down the truck. Its cousin cam up to the dyno test stand. It had exhaust manifolds, flywheel, clutch. They plugged it, filled it with oil, checked dip stick, installed distributor assembly, installed plugs - hand torqued, It was placed on dyno and exhaust manifolds mated with exhaust nipples. Next the coolant was connected up to the water pump, no belts or fan blades etc. The starter was an air drive motor. The fuel was natural gas and the utter - like in a cow came down to the intake manifold. The operator fired it up. Set the timing, walked around the engine with a stethascope with a tube on the end listing for unusual noises. He next took a hammer and chisle and indexed the distributor / manifold with a sometimes not to straight a line. if it sounded good, It was run for a minute and then it got a power check.
If it didn't sound good - he held the throttle open and let it run full power for a few minutes and it didn't have a terminal oil leak, he checked it and it went to the paint line. It didn't over rev because of the dyno load.
If it had an aluminum manifold it got a cover that set on top of the manifold - It fit pretty well, The Valve covers were covered with another set of boxes. The track moved in front of a water fall back drop, The engine was held by a chain, and am arm rotated the engine and a limit switch actuated the paint gun and it got painted as it twirled in the mist. The manifolds were painted and when you looked you could see the shadow of the manifolds on the block. There for all to see was the check marks, initials in personal script. So when I see an engine with nice pretty manifolds on it and no paint, paint on the side of the block - it get a serious oragionality deduction. Especially with all the bogus pain splattered over hoses and manifolds. I was never that way. I have a dam good memory for mechanical things.

[Timothy B.]

Re: Exhaust Manifold Restoration

I used the VHT on my 63 2 1/2" exhaust manifolds, it's very good paint and after you bake it in the oven it holds up very well.

Don't even think about baking manifolds with wife home..

Dinner may taste a little different..