I have run the new headers for about 45 minutes total, mostly at idle, and the paint is still smoking, burns eyes and lungs, and just stinks up the garage, house, and whatever clothes I am wearing. How long before it burns off??? This last time, I took a rag and held it with pliers while wiping the paint off the headers as it melted. It is pretty much a plastic paint, smells like burning plastic, and when it wipes off, the rag gets hard when it cools, like plastic. The problem is it only burns when the headers are "cool", but when the engine gets to running temperature, it just gels up and stays shiny and wet on the headers, but does not burn off. That is when I start wiping it off. I think if I ever do new headers again, I will blast them and paint with ceramic paint first, or at least blast them and get the paint off. This stuff is MISERABLE!!!
You sure your not running lean? Back when I did mine the first time it was running lean and made me cough and gag, eyes burning etc.. It cooked the paint off my headers. I discovered it when I was running it in a dark garage looking for any misfires. I noticed the headers were kinda glowy red. At least I had no missfires
I have not messed with the carb settings since before I removed the engine/trans for the front end swap. So there should be no further tuning needed. So, if I idled it up to warm, then ran it 1500 rpms for a few minutes, do you think it would completely burn the paint off?
A good spirited drive should get it to come off. The added load from driving makes the pipes get much hotter.
I didn't "use" any header paint. This is the stuff that was on them when I bought them. These are Hedman shorties I got from Summit, and the black stuff on them is taking forever to burn off. Here is a pic of them after 45 minutes of running. The 2nd tube I wiped off with a rag while hot, and got the paint off. The others still have paint and are smoking. Only smoking up near the heads. The rest has burned and turned chalky black. No more smoke. Up near the head, still just gets shiny and bubbles and smokes, and stinks the place up!
Here is a picture of the rag. Literally 5 seconds after I take the rag off the header, it cools and the "plastic" paint cools and hardens back into a stiff plastic consistency. Hmmm...after second viewing of this rag, looks like it would make a great Halloween mask!!!
That stuff just burns right off, it's not like "Header Paint" I think it's just to prevent rust, before they are installed.
Yes, I doubt it is supposed to protect them after they are run. Just to keep them from rusting while on the shelves. It really is like plastic. Maybe the same kind of paint as rustoleum??? There is just this 1-2" part at the beginning of the header that I cannot get to burn off. I bet a good run on the roads will do it. Just not ready for the road quite yet. Still have to hook up the nitrous hose to the trunk area, and bleed some brake lines.
Mine took a bit over an hour to burn off running in my shop..just had to set-up a couple fans because it is like you said nasty crap. what do you plan on coating yours with once they burn off? a rattle can header paint?
I wasn't planning on putting anything on them. The last headers I had were used, still had a light coating of black but also a light coat of rust. Seemed to hold up well. I sold them after I used them, still in good shape.
do everything else get it out on the road drive it around it will burn off pretty quick I used vht ceramic coated high heat paint on mine it hardens after it gets hot and is still on there and looks good after a year
