CAMARO6 - View Single Post - Ceramic Coating- Downpipe

geoffchad · 04-09-2019, 08:03 AM

I got the piston tops on my Camaro (95 LT1) coated by swaine when I got the motor built up along with the turbo hot side piping, this was back in.... 2003? 2004? Still looks great except for where my greasy finger prints have left stains on it.

I don't have direct experience comparing my before and after, but similar kits built up by the same fabricator using bare steel, coated and wrapped were anecdotally compared with heat guns during dyno runs (this was years ago on camaroz28) showing that heat wraps are still the best for keeping heat in but swaine's stuff isn't THAT far behind. Add in that the wrap only lasts a few years but many have seen swaine's white lightning stand up perfectly to years of track use, and add in that wrap will hold oil and catch fire if something bursts but the coatings don't.

I also have a ZZP catted downpipe I was considering sending to Swaine before I install it this summer (Swaine is in WNY so they're local to me) but one of the concerns of coating the outside of a cat is you mess with the heat transfer for thermal dissipation and can cause the catalyst inside to overheat. We really need to get the spec from ZZP on whether or not it can be wrapped/coated without melting the guts, as I have learned from experience.

04-09-2019, 08:03 AM	#4
geoffchad Drives: 2013 ATS M6, 95 Z28 Conv M6 turbo Join Date: Apr 2017 Location: Buffalo, NY Posts: 72	I got the piston tops on my Camaro (95 LT1) coated by swaine when I got the motor built up along with the turbo hot side piping, this was back in.... 2003? 2004? Still looks great except for where my greasy finger prints have left stains on it. I don't have direct experience comparing my before and after, but similar kits built up by the same fabricator using bare steel, coated and wrapped were anecdotally compared with heat guns during dyno runs (this was years ago on camaroz28) showing that heat wraps are still the best for keeping heat in but swaine's stuff isn't THAT far behind. Add in that the wrap only lasts a few years but many have seen swaine's white lightning stand up perfectly to years of track use, and add in that wrap will hold oil and catch fire if something bursts but the coatings don't. I also have a ZZP catted downpipe I was considering sending to Swaine before I install it this summer (Swaine is in WNY so they're local to me) but one of the concerns of coating the outside of a cat is you mess with the heat transfer for thermal dissipation and can cause the catalyst inside to overheat. We really need to get the spec from ZZP on whether or not it can be wrapped/coated without melting the guts, as I have learned from experience.