Time for replacement headers?

My headers are in rough shape. What do you guys think? Grind off the rust and paint or are these toast?

if its uniform rust...not flaky.....i would take a shot at painting them with hi-temp black.....i would try to find something to nuetralize what corrosion is left after sanding...its gotta hold up to high heat though....and pb blast those bolts holding them on....i m sure the more experienced in this area will chime in.....good luck...

Got some nice ceramic paints out today that seem to hold up well IF u get the rust off and prep the pipes. Much cheaper than new ones.bj

sand blast then powder coat.

I don't know if it's still out there,but I used a product called "Naval/Navel Jelly" to clean up some rust on some car parts a few years back.It did a good job to get most of the surface rust off.It just brushed on and then washed off.Also,to check for pipe integrity,you can take a pair of Channel Locks and GENTLY squeeze the pipes to see if they easily deform,and to feel for weak spots.If you punch thru,then yeah,it's time for new ones.Sand-blasting may be too heavy a medium and actually put holes in the pipes if you're not careful.

Jody, Experiance is that the biggest prob. with rusted headers is at the bottom, where moisture collects, & contact w/speed bumps et;all cause "flattened" pipes. If this area is still "sound" I'd simply sand as much of the rust off as is feasable, & spray w/ your' choice of hi-temp. (mine's Dupilcolor's ceramic) If cosmeticly intrested, after 8-10 hours of use, re-sand & re-spray, usually after 3-4 repetitions most of the old rust dimples will dissappear as the "old" coats act as "seasoned " primer. If collecor area is weak/or has rusted thru, start shopping, luck G

Thanks for the advice guys. I will give refinishing them a shot after I check their integrity. I'll try the naval jelly before using a mechanical/abrasive method. I'll be sure to update this post with results.

Mine too are showing their age (KERKER 4-1). Almost dropped the cash for a new system $$$. Got some direction from some other folks about shops that offer ceramic coating. Did some research and for about $125ish you can get something real nice. They sand blast and then apply the coating. Some companies out there offer up to a 3 year warranty on the coating as well. Do a search in your state and I bet you'll find guys who do ceramic coatings. It seems to be very popular.

Well here's how they turned out. Not bad for $30 and some elbow grease.

kzrider.com/index.php?option=com_kunena&...=11&id=363157#373203

And a pic of the lower end

Looks good! I ran black painted headers for years, and the paint will burn off after a while. But using some aluminum foil and/or pieces of carboard to mask the engine, they ain't hard to touch up every once in a while. VHT is good paint, but I usually opted for cheaper BBQ paint.

The VHT will last longer if you force cure it before running it. I hang the pipes on a coat hanger in the garage and take an industrial heat gun to the pipes inside and out.