DIY ceramic coating....

[turbonator]

has anyone tried any of the DIY ceramic coatings that are sprayed and then heated in the oven to bake them on? on our last motor i used VHT rattle can ceramic coating on our pistons.... first i washed the pistons good with thinner, then i sprayed on the first coat, heated with the heat gun and sprayed the second coat... in all i did 2 coats and 4 heating cycles... seemed fairly resistant to scratching ( did a test on one corner of piston with a screw driver) dont know how it as held up though, as peninsular has not introduced a see-through head for the 6.5l....yet...LOL..... anyways, if anyone has tried these products, i am interested to hear the results.... something like this..
http://shop.ebay.ca/i.html?_kw=ceramic&_kw=coating#

 

[SmithvilleD]

I've used www.techlinecoatings.com internal engine thermal barrier coatings on a few projects as well as their external ceramic exhaust coatings (did the exh manifolds, turbine/exh elbow housings & the exhaust cross over pipe). These can be seen on the 2nd page of my album.

They work well, long as the prep, application, & post application polish are done as prescribed. I have never had the nerve to apply their coatings to rod/main/cam bearings. Just couldn't bear to lightly abrasive blast those surfaces as you're supposed to do before application.

I like the appearance, heat resistance, & corrosion resistance of the exhaust product called either Cermakrome or sometimes Cermex. The black satin is supposed to be a better thermal barrier, but it's not particularly chip resistant so not as durable & parts done in black satin are tougher to get installed without nicking them.

Lori at Pendry Powder Coating (some of their listings were on the ebay page your link went to) is a good source for some of the Techline coatings.

If you decide to do these, I can provide some tips on application, polishing, etc.

 

[Pepperidge]

JMHO, But I wouldn't put rattle can anything on my pistons...there are even certain specs each good brand of "non rattle can" ceramic (ex. Techline)coating has regarding cylinder temps/egt's... you need to follow those guidelines if you want to do it right...if it flakes or chips it will create hot spots on the pistons which can lead to failure...and that even applies to the good coatings.

 

[turbonator]

I've used www.techlinecoatings.com internal engine thermal barrier coatings on a few projects as well as their external ceramic exhaust coatings (did the exh manifolds, turbine/exh elbow housings & the exhaust cross over pipe). These can be seen on the 2nd page of my album.

They work well, long as the prep, application, & post application polish are done as prescribed. I have never had the nerve to apply their coatings to rod/main/cam bearings. Just couldn't bear to lightly abrasive blast those surfaces as you're supposed to do before application.

I like the appearance, heat resistance, & corrosion resistance of the exhaust product called either Cermakrome or sometimes Cermex. The black satin is supposed to be a better thermal barrier, but it's not particularly chip resistant so not as durable & parts done in black satin are tougher to get installed without nicking them.

Lori at Pendry Powder Coating (some of their listings were on the ebay page your link went to) is a good source for some of the Techline coatings.

If you decide to do these, I can provide some tips on application, polishing, etc.

just looked in your garage... we did not realize that you are running a vgt turbo, how do you like it? we run them as well and they rock!! did you use a turbomaster to control it? is that the housing that you ceramic coated?

 

[SmithvilleD]

The techline external/exh (Cermakrome) and the internal thermal barrier I've used (believe it's called CBX) needed to be applied at or very near the correct thickness for best durability. Getting it on too thick leads to delamination problems. I use an inexpensive doorjam spray gun - often called a "jamgun". There are some tricks to getting the material well mixed/suspended & keeping it suspended while spraying - it's a pretty high solids solution.

I put CBX on piston tops, combustion chamber of the head, valve faces, & exhaust ports on one highly turbocharged engine that routinely saw 1600 degrees F at the end of runs & the product held up well. I pulled that engine's head after about 40k miles and the coatings were still intact/well adhered. This experience leads me to believe the coatings I used, if properly applied, would likely be durable beyond cyl/exh temps most 6.5's could survive.

The Mahle 18:1 pistons used in my 6.5 build have an OEM piston face coating & I didn't want to mess with that. Thought about coating the exhaust ports, IDI cups/chamber & head/valve faces, but didn't as it's rather time consuming trying to apply the product correctly to internal passages like the exhaust ports - it's tricky to get it sprayed on in a uniform & correct thickness layer, similar to spraying nooks & crannies on exh manifolds. You need to get all the surface covered but not get too much applied to the surfaces most easily sprayed.

As is often the case afterwards, I kind of wish I had taken the time as I think this IDI engine might benefit a bit more from the thermal barrier & additional reflective qualities in the IDI chamber & combustion chamber - as it might promote better/more thorough combustion. Would also figure any amount of heat it kept from exiting the IDI chamber & exh ports would lower the load on the cooling system.

 

[buddy]

I purchased some products from Car Chemistry, that you spray on with an air gun. They have ceramic piston top coatings and piston skirt coatings like this, as well as exhaust coatings. I also purchased a dry lubricant thing they have that you hone into the cylinder walls. I have yet to use them though. I need to get the air gun and a cheap used oven for the garage.

I intend to coat the precups inside and outside and the pistons after machining the tops.

 

[SmithvilleD]

I haven't installed the VGT turbo yet. My previous job was lost in a company merger/buyout, which necessitated I stop spending on extras like car/truck projects. I've recently secured a very good job, so will start making progress again soon. I intend to use the original Holset electronic actuator & a controller from Fleece Performance. Fleece has had a standalone controller in development for some time. If it ever gets finished & becomes available, it should be an ideal control solution - although a bit expensive (prolly around $500).

No, the Cermakrome coated exh components are the stock exh manifolds, turbine housing etc. - they're on the 2nd page of my album. They really should have been polished more (you can polish it w/ 0000 steel wool). Where the surface was roughest was most difficult to polish & didn't get done as well as it should have. Those areas are where it's more white, than shiny silver. It's basically small bits of aluminum that make the shiny & corrosion resistance. I think once you've polished it smooth, the outer layer is mostly Al & it just oxidizes & seals over, stopping any additional corrosion - more or less like polished Al wheels, intake manifolds, etc.