Painted intake manifold

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Yamifz1

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Recently I was looking around at modes that I could do to my engine bay to make it look a little cleaner and show better. I came across pictures that Challengers posted and they have painted their intake manifolds, they look great. So I was wondering if anyone here has done it and if so how hard is it to do and what kind of paint would you use to paint it? Do you need high temp paint or would just a normal automotive paint do the job? If anyone has done it could you post pictures and maybe a video or step by step for the process.
Here is a sample of what I've seen that has caught my eye.
 

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CrispyBacon

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I own a small painting company. We do commercial and industrial coatings.

Don't buy automotive paint from your local hardware store. Go to a proper paint store like Sherwin-Williams or Dulux and tell them what you are trying to do. They sell lots of industrial grade paints that will outlast anything you might find in a spray can, etc.
 
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Yamifz1

Yamifz1

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I was going to get a paint gun, some automotive paint and do it properly but didn't know if it would require a high temp paint or not. Thanks for the info Crispybacon.
 

chrisp2493

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Following. I want to paint my third gen manifold. Not sure what to use either
 

Tach_tech

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the challengers intake manifold in your picture is a aluminum manifold where as your hemi is plastic. Keep that in mind if you’re going to attempt it. Just take your time and spend the money to do it right. Nothing looks worse then a half assed paint job that’s flaking after a month.
 

chrisp2493

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This is what I’m working on now. Hopefully it turns out cool 46191abbd01d1fd801710e8482d7ff72.jpg
 
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Yamifz1

Yamifz1

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Please continue to post pictures and feel free to post a step by step instructions as this project is in my near future.
 

chrisp2493

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This is what I started with
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Started shaving off whatever I wanted with a dremel
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Now I have to find some kind of a filler to smooth over all the dips and dimples left from the dremel. It takes a smooth hand to cut stuff out. There’s also a lot of small spaces to get into to clean all the oil and hunk out of before painting. For painting I’ve read about using a high build primer to help smooth it out
 

Kingsize

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Props to you for taking on such a task. That honestly looks like a major pain in the ass. I hope it turns out nice for you!
 

chrisp2493

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I had a spare manifold and I’m no stranger to sitting at the bench for hours on end doing stuff like this. Throw on a set of Taylor shortie wires and it should be worth it to clean up the mess under the hood
 

Kingsize

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I had a spare manifold and I’m no stranger to sitting at the bench for hours on end doing stuff like this. Throw on a set of Taylor shortie wires and it should be worth it to clean up the mess under the hood

Well good luck to you. Please post up the finished product once completed. :happy107:
 

ivey_usmc

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Good for you. Can't wait to see the finished product!
 

charonblk07

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Standard auto paint will work just fine on the intake manifold if you prep it properly. There are industrial coatings out there that will be more durable and lay down nicer but you have to be careful with some of them because they'll cause heat soak issues because they'll retain a lot more heat in the manifold. It's less of an issue with the Nylon6 manifold vs the aluminum manifolds but it'll still affect performance.

I have the 6.1L manifold that's powdercoated with a metallic black flake and clear to match the truck and I used to have several painted pieces under the hood which I've eventually removed over the years as mods have happened.
 

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chrisp2493

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Looks good. I would love to have the 6.1 manifold, just can’t justify the cost of it right now with all the other stuff I’m doing. So we will see how this turns out
 
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Yamifz1

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Looks good charonblk07, how long did it take you to shave and paint the intake? I ask because my truck is my daily driver too and I don't want it down for too long. Also what kind of rad hose is that, is it killer glass? I have been searching for a clear rad hose as well as braided hose sleeves.
 

charonblk07

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Looks good charonblk07, how long did it take you to shave and paint the intake? I ask because my truck is my daily driver too and I don't want it down for too long. Also what kind of rad hose is that, is it killer glass? I have been searching for a clear rad hose as well as braided hose sleeves.

Mine is actually the 6.1L intake manifold, not a shaved 5.7L, but to properly shave the nylon manifold will take at least a solid weekend provided you have a dremel with plenty of sanding sleeves, cutter disks, and possibly a die grinder with rasps. You could do it in stages if required since it's fairly straightforward to R&R the manifold.

The rad hose is KillerGlass, it doesn't fit properly anymore since I had to use an angled thermostat housing to get the cog drive kit in. I'm looking to replace it with either a modified factory hose or I'll get KG to build a custom tube for me.
 

Pull Ya

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^^^^^^ Do you have a specific vendor for braided hoses for 4th Gen trucks?
Jay
 

charonblk07

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Most of my hoses are oem hose with a covering on it. The green hose covering is from Hose Candy, it's durable stuff and looks good, I removed it because it didn't match the green I wanted under the hood. The Stainless braid is just more hose covering from the local speed shop, I believe it was Vibrant brand. I don't know anybody that makes formed braided hoses for the Ram, I just use -AN hose for all my lines that i order in bulk and cut to length.


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Yamifz1

Yamifz1

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I've seen these braided hoses, but how do you determine what size they are as they come in AN6, AN7 ect...
 

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