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Orange Powder Coat on Intake & Manifold ?

Mike Gaines

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Ahwahnee, (Fresno) California
I have seen some of our B-Body friends with (Hemi) (Wedge) Orange Painted Valve Covers, Intake Manifold, Valley Covers.
I presume it is powder coat ?
Please let us all know.
I think it is really, really cool
Thanks !

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I dont think it will hold up to the heat Mike.
 
To powder coat a part it needs to bake at 400 degrees to melt the powder.
Correct, and TGIC polyester coating will take about 250F-275F continuous heat and epoxy powder coating maybe 300F-350F continuous, so I think you could powder coat everything except the exhaust manifolds (need ceramic/etc. for that) and "maybe" some spots on the block (or heads) might get too hot (awfully tough to heat a whole engine block hot enough to powder coat, but it can be done). Heck, I don't see an obvious problem doing it.
 
Mine is painted. Standard single stage urethane car body paint. Not only that but there's body filler in the valve covers a they were not very flat. The "INDY" logo on the heads are filled also. I experimented years ago trying to make a factory cross ram look smooth. Tried high build primer, it cracked. Then I tried body filler. That was the trick. The intake is still in use on my friends Max Wedge Fury over 20 years later with the same paint. The race car motor paint is now 5 years old. Still looks the same. Here's a pic of the motor in my wife's car painted 15 years ago. Powder coat works as well. My sons car has powder coating intake and valve covers. Paint has more gloss.
Doug
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My intake is powder coated, holds up fine. Only issue is it’ll come off around the bolts that hold the intake on if you put in on and off a few times. Valve covers are powder coated also. I did both with the Eastwood kit myself.

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My cross ram is also powder coated, had it done professionally over 10 years ago now.
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I sold this car a while back. Everything orange on this motor was powder coated. I did not have the hedders coated. After five or six years the powder coating was still holding up very well.

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Everything orange (including aluminum heads and intake) is all painted with VHT self etch prime then Duplicor HEMI Orange engine paint.

I know @CudaChick1968 has done some intakes and of course valve covers, but I don’t have experience with it.

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Ive only done Harley engine parts from cases to heads being they are air cooled motors i never had any issues even with the cast iron cylinders
 
Mine is painted and holds up ok but it has peeled a little in some places. I found some model car touch up paint in little bottles that matches mine and I have used it with a small brush to touch mine up. But I like how Doug (DVW) did his as it really looks to hold up good. I am seriously considering pulling my eng in a year or two and repaint the whole eng so I want to know how some painted theirs and how it holds up. Mine is eng high heat spray can paint. The powder coating looks good if it holds up good. Has anyone clear coated the eng after it was painted and how is the clear coat holding up ? Thanks , Ron

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I shot my 511 with Eastwood using a gun. Looks and is holding up good. Nice thing is it matches their powder coat. after watching graveyard cars I think I’ll DP90 my next one and shoot it with single stage acrylic urathane.

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No powder coat on my engine. Just duplicolor Hemi orange engine enamel for me on the heads, block, intake, water pump housing & oil pan. Duplicolor gloss black engine enamel on the pulleys, brackets, etc. Duplicolor's wrinkle finish paint on the valve covers. These were a polished version originally. I sandblasted them & did the wrinkle finish. I wanted that OEM look even though a race engine.

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No wonder my ears were burning!!! Thank you for the mentions gentlemen -- I LOVE my job!

Powder coating is available in thousands of colors, finishes and textures now. My favorite replica for Hemi Orange is an identical match to the DupliColor paint version. Now in business for over ten years, even my earliest pre-pro work "looks as great as the day it got here" and has held up fine on the street, strip and show circuit according to the fine customers who share their feedback.

There are a couple versions of clear, both shiny and matte, which do not yellow or discolor over time unlike the commercial spray versions. Most shiny powders do not need to be cleared separately (unless you prefer a matte finish instead), but all silvers, golds, and even some reds are not UV stable on their own so they require it. [Talk to me if you're interested in a chrome replica powder -- it needs its own paragraph lol.]

I could sit here all day and tell you how awesome it is but pictures and feedback tell a better story. I'm not exactly the World's Best Salesperson. LOL

Here's a few samples involving my Hemi Orange with dozens more on my website and right here on FBBO in my Garage. The two-color belt buckle shown below is probably my closest match to that engine you first posted @Mike Gaines ... it more resembles the late model Header Orange to me but I may be mistaken -- monitor settings can change appearance.

If you like what you see, don't forget that FBBO Members always get a discount! Military (active / retired / Veterans) and Law Enforcement get a bigger one. Hit me up with some pics of your parts if you'd like a personalized quote; I bill at $35 an hour across the board before your discount is applied. Intakes average $150-$300 and my custom valve covers are all over the map depending on metal condition and how many colors you want. You dream it up and I'll make it happen.

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Customer photo by the owner of OC Performance for his personal new Hemi ...

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I have a few questions

No wonder my ears were burning!!! Thank you for the mentions gentlemen -- I LOVE my job!
Disclaimer;
Please don't take this what I say below the wrong way,
it's not meant as a bad thing !!
,
I love "all your work" I've seen so far
you're a great contributor & great giving person too :thankyou:

BUT;
I think some stuff I've heard over the many years, building & racing
is an old wifes-tale & but it still has made me very weary/hesitant anyway...
Could you verify or denie !!
If you could or know please ?


I've rarely ever had engine parts powder-coated
"mainly used on my many different racecars"
I've had a shitload of stuff like, rear axle housings, brake calipers,
suspension components & even a full F/C chassis powder-coated,
hands down tougher than paint ever was,

My concerns & what I'd like clarified
#1 extra weight is a big deal too,
how much different is it than paint ? if any

#2 concerns about heating certain parts up to 400*+
warping or distortion, could be a factor on some stuff too


I like the durability of powder-coating
IMO it looks better & doesn't distort or yellow like paint...

#3 allegedly retains the eat in the part longer"
less porosity or something like that, so the part doesn't dissipate heat as well
{like as raw alum., intakes, cylinder-heads, water-pumps etc. or what ever is being powder-coated}

In my case really I didn't do powder-coating on "engine stuff"
{again it's all mainly dedicated racecars}
because there was rumors about the "powder-coated parts"

Is any of that stuff actually true ?
or is it just wifes-tales ?
I do trust your professional opinion...

it seems paint would be very similar too...

Seems most the parts, block & heads etc. painted on my altered
or my Pro-Gas & Top Sportsman stuff Outlaw Pro-Stock "would yellow some"
show signs of heat, it's/they're no street car, they were dedicated racecars
it's a real racecar, that goes thru sever heat cycles, especially hot-lapping
no matter who's paint I used, especially when using a base/clear-coat
style paints

but;
I was hesitant to use powder-coating for the few concerns/reasons stated above,
by friends & fellow professional racers alike...
I hope you could set the story straight...
Are my fears & concerns founded or reasonable ?
or is it just BS ?

I do know the piston coatings & header coatings are both
proven HP makers & engine savers...
do you do any of that type stuff ? Cudachick/Leanna

Thanks in advance...
 
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