white muffler

[crhbomb]

hi all -

i've noticed that very early 20th century motorcycles had white exhaust systems. with that in mind, i re-painted my bike's exhaust system matte/flat white. check out the pics.

note: i removed the muffler before painting it. it took about 3-4 coats. i used a thin layer of permatex (orange stuff) on the gasket.

after it dried, i wrapped a paper towel around the muffler - as i re-installed it.

so far, the muffler is clean.

 

[AussieSteve]

so far, the muffler is clean.

Not for long.....

 

[motorpsycho]

here's the problem that i can foresee.
the pipe & muffler were chrome right?
did you remove the chome or at least scuff it up before you sprayed the white paint?
If you didn't remove the chrome or scuff it up REALLY good, the paint will not stick to the chrome for very long. these pipes get extremely hot and altho the paint may not fail, the adhesion probably will.
I used that same paint (except i used flat black) to paint the cast iron exhaust manifolds on my 55 pontiac. that was 5-6 years ago, and the paint is still holding up like brand new...so the paint can take the heat that exhaust manifolds on a v-8 generate. I sandblasted my manifolds and made sure that there was no oil or anything on them before painting. you need to use a solvent that removes oil and residue (such as prep-sol). even the oil from your fingers on the surface before painting can make the paint not stick. prepping the surface on ANYTHING you paint is 80% of getting a good paint job that will last...the other 20% is technique and the paint that you use.
But, i think you will start to see the paint flake off after awhile due to adhesion issues on the chrome.
thin walled, chrome steel exhaust pipes gets VERY hot...much hotter than thick cast iron due to the way each one of them dissipate the heat.

 

[AussieSteve]

Regarding temperature, you raise a good point, motorpsycho. I was going to mention it earlier. White paint is the worst for heat dissipation. (Matt) black is far better and you need to scuff the chrome, then use a heat-resistant primer and paint, or it will peel in no time.
Still, if you like white, it looks good for now.

 

[crhbomb]

the muffler came painted black. i used a wire brush, then sanded it with 3 different grits - before painting it.