Good header gaskets! Header paint?
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Senior User
Joined: Jul 2007
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From: Germantown, MD
Good header gaskets! Header paint?
My headers are leaking (of course). It has the junk paper gaskets right now. The bolts loosened up on me, too. I'm thinking Mr. gasket copper gaskets for about 30 bucks from Summit. And, I'll have to be sure to check the tightness of the bolts every once in a while. MRG-7160 Any suggestions/objections/comments?
Also, I painted them when I put them on a year or so ago. I used high temp primer and high temp header paint. Supposed toleration of 1,200*F. Of course the paint has long since peeled off. Is there a place that does ceramic coating, or could I do something different??? They're a terrible eye sore, and they'll probably rust through if I leave them be.
Also, I painted them when I put them on a year or so ago. I used high temp primer and high temp header paint. Supposed toleration of 1,200*F. Of course the paint has long since peeled off. Is there a place that does ceramic coating, or could I do something different??? They're a terrible eye sore, and they'll probably rust through if I leave them be.
Methanoholic
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 6,442
Likes: 8
From: Maine (NorCal Native)
I've found the gaskets are not as important as keeping them snug, header gaskets always need to be re-torqued after each increasing heat soak until they stay snug.
I prefer the Fel-Pro Performance.
Ceramic coatings that are worth using are not cheap!
And there is only one IMO Jet-Hot!
Jet-Hot held up the best of all we tried and we tried several.
The Silver looks good for awhile, however it does stain from crap getting splashed on them while hot and cleaning mars the finish, it also cracks and flakes off with heat cycles.
The JH2000 is permanent and can not be removed, This stuff is AWESOME and the only one we use!
The Jet-Hot 2000 is the only one that has stayed on looking like it did the day they were done, Pretty much impervious to anything, I have header tubes that are completely buckled and the JH2K is still there even in the deep sharp creases!
Get something on them when hot, no worry, once cool use a wire brush wheel and they'll look new again!
Unfortunately the JH2K only comes in Grey and Black, I have always done black and they look AWESOME!
-Enjoy
fh : )_~
I prefer the Fel-Pro Performance.
Ceramic coatings that are worth using are not cheap!
And there is only one IMO Jet-Hot!
Jet-Hot held up the best of all we tried and we tried several.
The Silver looks good for awhile, however it does stain from crap getting splashed on them while hot and cleaning mars the finish, it also cracks and flakes off with heat cycles.
The JH2000 is permanent and can not be removed, This stuff is AWESOME and the only one we use!
The Jet-Hot 2000 is the only one that has stayed on looking like it did the day they were done, Pretty much impervious to anything, I have header tubes that are completely buckled and the JH2K is still there even in the deep sharp creases!
Get something on them when hot, no worry, once cool use a wire brush wheel and they'll look new again!
Unfortunately the JH2K only comes in Grey and Black, I have always done black and they look AWESOME!
-Enjoy
fh : )_~
Senior User
Joined: Nov 2008
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Re-torquing is the answer to header leaks. Normally the cheap header bolts strip on the hex side so look into better bolts or studs. Ive used brush on black header paint from eastwood for decent results on something thats not show, but basically you get what you pay for in header paint.
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Senior User
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From: Germantown, MD
Thanks for the responses guys. I checked out the Jet Black site. Looks like good quality stuff, but it also looks expensive. I did shoot them an email for an estimate, that will be the determining factor.
I looked around on Summit at header paint. Wow, what a selection! I am leaning towards the POR-20 header/manifold brush on paint. It's like 30 bucks for a pint. It should be much better than the VHT 9 dollar spray on paint I used last time.
Any recommendations on good gaskets? Sounds like if I keep the bolts tight it should be okay. But, I did get these headers used, so a decent gasket should be used, but maybe I don't need to spend 30 bucks on copper gaskets. ?
I looked around on Summit at header paint. Wow, what a selection! I am leaning towards the POR-20 header/manifold brush on paint. It's like 30 bucks for a pint. It should be much better than the VHT 9 dollar spray on paint I used last time.
Any recommendations on good gaskets? Sounds like if I keep the bolts tight it should be okay. But, I did get these headers used, so a decent gasket should be used, but maybe I don't need to spend 30 bucks on copper gaskets. ?
Thread Starter
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Senior User
Joined: Jul 2007
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From: Germantown, MD
Okay. Also, I'd like to do a simple port match job. There are a million gaskets available with different port sizes. What are the exhaust port dimensions on my heads? (It's all stock, '86 302 F150).
Fasteners are 3/8 X 16, correct? Stainless steel is what I'll get, just want to make sure I get the right thread.
Fasteners are 3/8 X 16, correct? Stainless steel is what I'll get, just want to make sure I get the right thread.
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Senior User
Joined: Jul 2007
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From: Germantown, MD
I used: POR20 Aluminum brilliant header paint, S/S ARP fasteners, and SCE carbon gaskets. Due to time constraint, I temporarily used two right angle pipes after the headers with glasspacks shooting out the sides. Way too loud, I will have to change it soon. 
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