Has Anyone Ever Had Their Exhaust Coated?

[That_One_Person]

Hey all.

I have been busy working on my 4th Gen body this summer.

I wondered if anyone ever had their exhaust coated with anything to prevent surface corrosion.

Living in the southern tip of Indiana, they smother the roads with salt if it drops below 40F.

My FLO~PRO is looking a little crusty just from daily driving.

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[ricky_bobby]

Do you have stainless?

If not, and you have salt, why?

Any coating will fail over time with salt/corrosion/heat cycling.

With the proper prep, an engine enamel on the exhaust would likely be the best bet.

When my black MBRP tip was welded on, he sprayed the section where the welds were to make it look cleaner with black engine enamel, and it had a thick coating and held up great.

I didn't even ask him to do it.

He just wanted to since he said it would look cleaner.

However, I'm in the South and not subject to the salt you guys are up there.

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[That_One_Person]

I do have the 409SS version.

I wanted to see what others may have or have not done because diesel EGTs are warmer than a typical car’s.

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[ricky_bobby]

If I had stainless and lived in salt, be mindful in winter to rinse it down when temps allow surface corrosion from salt sitting will be the worst of it.

As I said, an engine enamel may help, but it's the prep work in it, and if you have actual surface corrosion, it might need more prep.

You'd be surprised if you got under the truck and used some excellent oil with some 0000 steel wool to see if that crusty corrosion is actual or just surface grime.

The factory puts an oil coating on the exhaust parts anyway, so it might just be where you clean it up and maintain that cleaning regimen 2-3 times a year to clean and re-lubricate the exhaust (it might be cheaper than trying to coat it).

If the 409SS looks pitiful, though, thats is a different story.

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[That_One_Person]

I do try to keep the underside looking as nice as possible.

You can still see all the tightness check marks on critical bolts.

It’s not pitiful, I would say, but slightly “streaky” compared to the 8-year-old 304SS exhaust parts on my Camaro.

I didn’t know if, say, ceramic coating would harm anything.

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[ricky_bobby]

It won't harm, but like I said, it's all in the prep if you get it coated.

If it's stainless already, I would do a test spot, like I said, with some oil and 0000 steel wool, and you'd be surprised by the surface grime you remove, which may show the exhaust looks better than you think.

I would go the least invasive/expensive route first if it were me to see, and yes, 409 stainless will never be as pretty over time as 304SS.

I lived in the South and went with stainless anyway; I know aluminized 'is fine' for my climate, but it doesn't make sense not to spend the extra $150 for stainless.

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