I called Jet Hot yesterday for a quote. They said that it would be $120+return shipping for the manifold in their 2000 degree stuff. They asked whether I was interested in coating just the outside, or both the inside and outside. They said that most people do not get the inside coated with a turbo because they are concerned about the coating coming off and getting ingested by the turbo. That was actually a question I was going to ask him (whether there was a concern with the coating coming off into the turbo) and when I asked for his advice on that he seemed willing to say that it was not a concern -- but he wasn't very convincing and just reiterated that that was why most customers don't get the inside coated. I also asked what he thought of Swain coatings and his response was that Swain and Jet Hot did essentially the same thing but the Jet Hot looked a lot better.

I think I'll give Swain a call today...

 

EVO8LTW....u can checkout my 2000 degree coated manifold @ https://www.evolutionm.net/forums/sh...d.php?t=125971 Did it inside & out, they didn't say anything about problems with inside flaking...but I didn't really ask.

 

Swain quoted $150 plus shipping and they said that they don't coat the inside because it's impossible to prep it properly. They said that it wasn't uncommon for other companies to coat both sides because it was easier and there's less concern with the coating hurting the turbo if it's only thin paint flakes.

 

I have first-hand experience with both company's products, and this person misinformed you...severely. Anyone who has seen both can tell the difference blindfolded, and that is no exaggeration.

 

Swain coating is amazing stuff. I have an EVO in here that has it and it looks great. It does have a textured look and it does help tremendously with keeping the heat in there. They only coated outside.

 

The Swain coating is not a paint. It is actually a thick, textured coating. The texture is grainy, somewhat like a sintered metal. This is because the coating consists of actual ceramic particles. There is only one color - white, because that is the color of pure ceramic.

You can actually see the texture in this photo...

 

I'm going with Swain.

 

I definitely agree that the Swain coating looks to be the best and a true ceramic coating.

However, I would urge people that are thinking of getting this coating to use a higher-temp and strength SS, such as 321 instead of 304. 321 has a much higher resistance to heat/cracking, and if you just coat the outside of the manifold, all of the heat is going to be reatined in the metal. Since Swain does use the thicker ceramic coating, they can't coat the inside, as was already mentioned.

Just thought I would share. I am by no means a coating or ceramic 'expert', but I do have a Materials Engineering degree, which dealt with the physical and metallurgical properties of different alloys, as well as properties of ceramics, polymers, etc.


Eric

 

How about this...

Have the inside of the header coated with JetHot or something similar, and then have Swain coat the outside? Kill 1 bird with 2 stones ; )

 

Based on what little I know, a move to 321SS versus 304SS would help with the heat issue, however it seems that most if not all tubular header fabricators use 304. I'm not sure if it's cost, availability of the bends or if the material is harder to work with.

Anyway, the header I'll be using has a lifetime warranty against cracking. I'm thinking that a coating like Swain's will actually help me identify cracks sooner.

Rich, thanks for opening this up and following through with Swain Tech. Did they give any indication on turnaround time?

 

1-1/2 to 2 weeks in their hands + return shipping time.

 

Without a doubt, 321 is a more heat-stable alloy, and contains a bit of Ti (which possesses extremely good high heat stability).

What I'm hoping to attain with the coating is better heat retention in the manifold, less radiated heat in the engine compartment, and hopefully better resistance to oxidation from the comparatively oxygen rich air outside the manifold. How well it works is anyone's guess, but this treatment (Swain) appears absolutely legit.

 

why dont we just wrap the header with thermo wrop...simple solution

 

The problem of coating the outside only is rust. The manifold will rust just as fast as without coating because it is rusting from the inside out. Water is a by-product of combustion so it is ever present in the manifold. I'll stick with the jet-hot since it's inside and out. Jet hot if I remember correctly is an aluminum suspension paint that is baked after spraying.

And the whole flaking thing is BS IMO. As stated it's pretty thin and if you think it is going to damage the hot side wheel I say your crazy.

 

I don't buy into the theory that flakes will damage the turbo. Nevertheless, I had a manifold that was Jet-Hot coated inside and out begin showing visible signs of rust within a year.