I pulled the cover off my engine today to put the mini starter on and to my surprise my coated headers are starting to rust. I called speedway motors and sent them pictures. It is a shame since I haven't even ran them yet. Anybody else have this done to their headers.

 

Hi Tracy,

what headers exactly do you have?

 

If they are just the black coated headers I think that is only to prevent them from rusting while in the packaging...

 

The AHC coated headers. The picture isn't that great

 

Well from what everyone tells me that has dealt with Speedway they have very good reviews and I'm sure will treat you right. I feel your disappointment..

 

Hi Tracy,

AHC coating should prevent he headers from rust. Something is wrong. On the pics it looks to me as if the coating is bad (spots with insufficient thickness...). Contact Speedway and send them the pics as well. I bet they'll help you...

 

I sent them the pictures and I am waiting on a reply from them. I hope they make it good

 

Speedway called me today and they want me to buy a purple polish they sell and try to clean the rust off. I told her that I and fellow members on this site think it was from not having enough coating put on. She kept pushing the polish and I told her that it will not put more coating on and the header. That was all they were going to offer and I told her that I am about to spent thousands of my hard earned money on this truck with them and that I was done with buying from them and they weren't the only place that sells parts I need and she then ask me to hold. When she came back she said her manager was listening to our conversation and said to try the polish and if it don't work to send them back for consideration of being replaced. I just don't have a good feeling about this

 

I'm sorry. I feel your pain. From what you describe it sounds like they don't want to help you, which really sucks because every customer is vital.

Let us know what happens. I'll stop looking at their site until you are treated right.

Hope it gets figured out man.

 

I work in manufacturing, and if a surface treatment is not doing its job, no amount of
"polishing", treatment, or the application of some crap in a bottle is going to rectify the underlying problem.

All metallic coatings fail in time. Some take longer than others. Well deposited chromium can last decades. Zinc and tin type cladding not near so long. Nickel works well, and can last many years. Some of the others such as black oxide are forms of controlled corrosion that seals the base metal.

The key to all these treatments and coatings, is that they be properly applied so they bond well with the metal.

The shop I work at sends all manner of tools, fixtures, dies, whatever, out for heat treat and coating. The vast majority of the time, the stuff comes back just fine. However, nothing is perfect, and sometimes a part doesn't "take" for a variety of reasons. In such cases, we send it back for correction.

Your headers fall into that class of parts that for some reason didn't take. The only cure is to send them back and get another set. Period. Speedway can then return them to the manufacturer.

That is of course, unless they are utter crooks.

 

If you can get them back to Speedway at no cost to you; and they have the chance to show their supplier it may turn out that they will look out for you.

With the high heat, no coating is going to last forever, but polishing definitely isn't going to "fix" the fact that the coating isn't up to standard.

Good luck with it.

 

I cleaned them with never dull but that will not stop them from doing it again so I am going to send them back and see what happens.

 

Update. The headers came back today. All they did was polish the set I sent in to them. I just talked to Melody and she said they compared them to the ones on the shelf and they all looked the same. I ask about the rusting and she said they all rust and the coating is good on them. I told her I was done with speedway and would tell all about this. thanks for letting me vent

 

The question is whether it is surface rust or coming from underneath. After a couple years I had some surface rust on my ceramic coated Reds Headers. I just figured that I was cleaning the frame and may have gotten some iron filings on it. After a couple more years it has not gotten any worse. Call Jim Davis at Reds Headers and ask him. He will give you an honest answer about the durability of ceramic coating.

 

Thanks Pete I will call him. I would understand if they were outside in damp weather but they were in dry covered up in garage. Thanks again
I got a email from speedway offering me a refund if I want to return them. My luck if I get them at another place I would have the same trouble