I have them sandblasted inside and out, and especially the mating/gasket flanges. Regarding the latter, I don't have them blast them any harder, but the guys at Kenny Sandblasting in So. El Monte really know what they're doing and even mask off areas I don't want blasted. When I asked about the mating surfaces was told that it actually helps sealing a tiny bit because it slightly roughs up the surface - but doesn't remove any metal.
I use black VHT rattle can paint. It is (actually) good for up to 1500 degrees and stays on for years. If you drip oil on it when it/they are hot, it will make them darker in that area. VHT is available at hot rodish type stores or, of course, the Internet. About five months ago I checked with Jet Hot and at the time they were in the processing of moving and not taking any new orders. All of the places that offer Jet Hot send the work to Jet Hot itself. This is a by-the-by comment but a fellow on the ABB swore that cast iron is a reddish color so one should not remove the (rusty) 'finish'. My belief is that cast iron is dark(ish) black, though it probably varies according to what is in the casting material. In any event, (okay, in my opinion) all exhaust systems should be black except for the tips. And, yes, once the manifolds are sandblasted they are a light gray. Biba Irwindale, CA USA -- to be removed from alfa, see http://www.digest.net/bin/digest-subs.cgi or email "unsubscribe alfa" to [email protected]
