My truck’s exhaust piping is a dull black. If you wipe it with a rag lightly the black comes off. There is some surface rust so I wanted to get that off and clean up the piping and mufflers.

What is the best option for finished product? What is more desirable or period correct?

Should I clean it all and paint it with a black high heat paint or try to polish the heck out of everything?

 

Not sure what type of finish is on this? The whole exhaust looks like 💩 when you look under the truck. Everything else looks pretty nicely redone. Did they just use a cheap aluminum or galvanized steel?

Looking for suggestions on how to dress this up

 

Looks like the galvanizing is burning off. that's what your original exhaust did as well.

It's normal, but if you want to make it look better you can wipe it down good with thinner or a prep agent and use a high heat silver or galvanizing replica paint. these paints look good , but I haven't found one that doesn't get dirty and stay dirty, it's like they absorb the mud and hold onto it.

 

Is this a show truck? If not, who cares? Even if it is, again, who cares? It’s exhaust dude. Nothing you do will keep it pristine.

 

kind of. I want it looking right. Been in a few shows already. Its not a cheap fixer upper

 

Well, there is stainless steel. Not cheap, but it stays pretty longer.

Another alternative involves a creeper, sand paper, cardboard for masking, and a can of spray paint every now and then, like just before a show?

 

Even stainless is going to tarnish over time and not look great under the conditions exhaust components face. The only thing I can think of is to pull the mufflers and pipes off and have them powder coated black or silver. Silver powder coating doesn't look so great though in my opinion. Anything else is going to require constant maintenance.

 

Polished 304ss on garage kept show rig will look good for a very long time.

 

Used this VHT brand paint on my tractor's exhaust stack about 10 years ago, still looks great.
Have to apply a coat, run the engine to operating temp, let it cool, then add another coat.



VHT #SP-102 Flat Black

 

If you say it is black now but can wipe it off with a rag I bet someone spray painted it with normal spray paint.
Now that it has gotten hot it is burning off and you are seeing the normal pipe color under it.

I did a 4 year cab off rebuild of my truck.
I built it to use and enjoy (read drive).
Yes I do take it to shows but not to win anything just to be with others who like cars & trucks.

As some have said pull the system off sand it down and hit it with high temp paint, not black as factory was never black, and be done with it.
Dave ----

 

I offer the following advice based on my 36 years of car show experience, both as a participant and as a judge. If you're showing in a "street driven" class rather than a "judged undercarriage" class, don't worry about what the exhaust system looks like. Getting the system to look "show worthy" will be a lot of work and a lot of expense, and keeping it that way will be a lot of work, especially if you drive the vehicle any more than off/on your trailer.

 

As mentioned, 300 series stainless will stay nice for many years, polished or not. 400 series will oxidize to a point that it looks "rusty" but will last the life of a vehicle; this is what most OEMs use today. 400 series is slightly more ductile than 300 series and makes a better exhaust material if you can tolerate the discoloration. 400 series can be cleaned and will hold a polish for a while, certainly for a show truck build.

Trying to bring back the aluminized system you have will be a lot of work, and probably not last as long as you would hope. I have had the best luck with cleaning with a scotch brite and painting with grille paint, and then running the system while it is still wet to help cure. Might have to do it in sections, and if your truck is detailed underneath, you'll have to be really particular with masking. If you don't want it black, silver VHT would accomplish the same.

Alternatively, you can replace the system with stainless. I am having the exhaust done on my '76 long bed 4WD next week. Manifolds to rear bumper in 409 SST. No tips, but I will polish the last 18" of the system. My truck is an old school build so I went with regular steel (could not justify paying $350 for SST mufflers) Porter Mufflers, which I am going to clamp in with polished lap joint band clamps. Total cost with mufflers, clamps, and the shop doing the piping and hangers is around $850. I am in CT, other regions may be more or less.