Our66

I would like to hear the opinions for finding the best results in finishing stock cast iron exhaust manifolds, such as ceramic coating, powder coating etc.

Billygold

If you want a finish that looks like cast iron, does not look painted, yet will hold up under heat I suggest you try Prelube 6 which is a polymer lubricant available in a spray can from Quanta. When I bought my 66 roadster the exhaust manifolds had been painted with some sort of gray finish that did not look realistic. I bead blasted them to get back to the original finish and then sprayed with prelube 6 followed by baking at 350 degrees for 30 minutes more or less (smokes a lot). It can be done on the car as long as you do it outdoors. of course.The finish looks a bit darker than the blasted color but it looks very good to me. When baking be careful not to overheat or it could darken. I got the idea by searching in the NCRS online archives where the finish comes highly recommended. I can only vouch for my own experience.

96CollectorSport

I would suggest a cast gray ceramic coating, it's going to be more expensive than the above but it is going to last a long time.
As long as you are careful and don't get any oil on them they will stay looking nice for a real long time.

Here is a link to a company that I've used in the past.
http://www.classiccoatings.com/?src=overture

Here is a pic of one of the manifolds on the run stand, 4 years later they still look the same.

Joel 67

Maybe not exactly the same, but this looks a lot like cast iron. Clean the manifolds, spray this on, and bake them or run the car with them on to cure it.

http://www.superkleendirect.com/inde...OD&ProdID=3217

ricks327

Had mine powder coated three years ago.

MAGRED02

I Sandblasted Mine First. Then Painted Them With Barbeque Black High Temp Paint, Followed By A Coat Of Eastwoods Manifold Paint (stainless Steel) They Look Great And Hold Up Very Well.