Subject: DML: Paint muffler?
Andy,
A coat of paint on the muffler won't hurt. However, most of the corrosion
that causes muffler failure starts on the inside. Running the truck long
enough on each trip to heat the entire exhaust system to vaporize all the
moisture that is produced is the single best way to ensure the muffler will
last. Rust starts on the welds first and then spreads.
As to choice of paint, I've found that Krylon, while drying quicker,
produces a thinner film layer that is more brittle and prone to chipping.
The "washing action" of driving through standing water, creates a lot of
force. This can peel paint off in a single winter season. The chemical
composition of our winter puddles doesn't help either. My choice would be
high temperature Rust-olium. The drawback is longer drying time but it
builds a film thickness faster and is a little more resistant to wear.
Now comes the fun part, I'm guessing that the muffler you have is
galvanized. Most paints don't stick well to the zinc coating, especially
shiny new galvanizing. Rust-olium has a product that is used as a first
layer for galvanized surfaces to enhance the paint bonding but I don't think
it's intended for high temps. The alternative is to lightly sand the surface
with fine abrasive to scuff the galvanized layer without affecting its
thickness much.
Neil
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : Fri Jun 20 2003 - 12:03:42 EDT