yellowed headers and side pipes

[aa909]

Hi Guys, this is my first post on Club Cobra!

I've been doing my research for the past month and I've settled on purchasing a BackDraft cobra. I've been reading a ton of posts and looking through pictures and I noticed yellowed headers and side pipes on many of the backdraft cobras in various posts. I know this is typically cause by running the exhaust super hot but why do some cars develop the yellowing and others don't? is it the polished steel vs ceramic coating that makes a difference?

thanks in advance
Art

[Cashburn]

More HP = hotter pipes = quicker Golding on stainless pipes. We ceramic all headers and if you don't want gold pipes then ceramic the Sidepipes too. Most people don't realize you can polish ceramic pipes with billet polish for more shine.

[6t8stang]

In addition to what Jay said, it depends how often the owner keeps up on the polishing. I've found that doing it a few times a year makes it easier than waiting until they're really bad. The powerball cone on a drill makes quick work of it. Also, how rich you're running will definitely have an effect on heat/discoloring.

[aa909]

Originally Posted by Cashburn

More HP = hotter pipes = quicker Golding on stainless pipes. We ceramic all headers and if you don't want gold pipes then ceramic the Sidepipes too. Most people don't realize you can polish ceramic pipes with billet polish for more shine.

this is very helpful. So it sounds like ceramic headers are now standard on all backdrafts. probably makes sense to get the pipe ceramic coated as well. I will definitely consider this option when ordering

[Cashburn]

Originally Posted by aa909

this is very helpful. So it sounds like ceramic headers are now standard on all backdrafts. probably makes sense to get the pipe ceramic coated as well. I will definitely consider this option when ordering

It is not standard from Backdraft, we (Vintage) include it on all our car builds. Hope that helps.

[lovehamr]

I use a scotch bright pad and wd40 on mine. They are no longer polished but I don't mind that either.

["Q"]

Deoxidine rust remover (purchased at local hardware store) worked wonders for me to remove the heavy yellow heat discoloring on the stainless side pipes. Using a rag, applied it to cold side pipes, waited an hour or so, rinsed with water and allowed to dry. A light polish with a metal polish brought back the original finish again.

PS. Did a test with hot side pipes. Again using a cotton cloth (make sure the cloth is not made from a material that will melt) soaked with Deoxidine. Basically wiped the yellow off on contact (heat works as a accelerant). Beware of fumes and possible burns from the hot pipes!

PSS. Different degrees of success have been obtained with different grades of stainless, so it is advised to first do a test on a obscure piece of the side pipe.

[trularin]

I went through three sets of ceramic - they are challenged for everday driving. Rocks and road junk beat them. Then there is the ability to clean in between the pipes.

So, we moved to steel pipes ( stainless if I could have had them made ) and painted them black. They get just as beat up, but I glass bead them and paint them blackl again.

You need to determine what you are goigng to do with your car. If you are driving regular, you may grow tired of polishing again and again to maintain appearance. If you are going to build a trailer queen, polish and chrome may be your preference.

Just my $.03 worth.

[aa909]

Originally Posted by trularin

I went through three sets of ceramic - they are challenged for everday driving. Rocks and road junk beat them. Then there is the ability to clean in between the pipes.

So, we moved to steel pipes ( stainless if I could have had them made ) and painted them black. They get just as beat up, but I glass bead them and paint them blackl again.

You need to determine what you are goigng to do with your car. If you are driving regular, you may grow tired of polishing again and again to maintain appearance. If you are going to build a trailer queen, polish and chrome may be your preference.

Just my $.03 worth.

wow, this is very helpful. so it sounds like rocks and other road debris chipped the ceramic, I hadn't considered that.

at the end of the day I am going to use this as a weekend cruiser, run some mountain roads here in the San Francisco Bay Area and put ~2K miles a year on the car. I really love the polished look of the stainless steel, but I wonder how quickly the polished pipes would yellow and how often I'd have to polish and clean them to get them back to their original polished finish

thanks

[Cashburn]

Originally Posted by aa909

wow, this is very helpful. so it sounds like rocks and other road debris chipped the ceramic, I hadn't considered that.

at the end of the day I am going to use this as a weekend cruiser, run some mountain roads here in the San Francisco Bay Area and put ~2K miles a year on the car. I really love the polished look of the stainless steel, but I wonder how quickly the polished pipes would yellow and how often I'd have to polish and clean them to get them back to their original polished finish

thanks

Have not seen the chipping of ceramic here, but it could be the quality of the roads and/or environment. A standard set of pipes in the polished stainless will yellow in about 100 miles with an engine in the 400HP range.

[aa909]

Originally Posted by Cashburn

Have not seen the chipping of ceramic here, but it could be the quality of the roads and/or environment. A standard set of pipes in the polished stainless will yellow in about 100 miles with an engine in the 400HP range.

thanks, that's what I needed to know. Ceramic it is!

[cbreez]

Some folks would look at color on the side pipes as a symbol of horsepower...a red badge of courage of sorts...you might not want to worry about that color at all.

[SpecOp1]

Some here have mentioned a metal polish, which one ?...my BDR yellowed in less than 200 miles...not real bad but apparent....thanks Bill

[6t8stang]

I'm very happy with Busch polishes (Busch Enterprises, Headquarters for Premium Shine-Zone Products). I've used the aluminum polish on everything including the sidepipes because I had it for my wheels - not sure if the stainless polish would work even better or not.

[pjmoore2003]

I like my yellowed pipes... but my car is silver, needs color in the equation anyway.

[Flygirl]

I thought that bluing was a sign of extremely high temperatures, whereas yellowing is considered more normal, especially with an engine putting out lots of hp.

[Rare Iron]

Originally Posted by lovehamr

I use a scotch bright pad and wd40 on mine. They are no longer polished but I don't mind that either.

Scotchbrite pads will scratch glass! DAMHIK! That's the last thing I'd use!!!