i just made that fateful plunge and bought a old 71 vette to play with. the exhaust is all there and seems solid, but rusty. i see all these various rust inhibiting paints, etc. does anyone have any suggestions to help contain the rust and hopefully improve the appearance. thanks. be gentle, this is my first post here.

 

Rust really won't do anything if its on the outside of the pipe. what you could do if its just for aesthetic reasons is take off the pipe all together, prepare it, and galvanize or chrome it.

 

If it's just surface rust, you might consider a coating such as JetHot. It will last whereas most paints are just a temporary fix.

 

Try Por-15.com
Great product, can paint right over rust with a brush and when dried it looks sprayed.
If you are going to paint headers etc you will need to sandblast before using any high temp paint.
Thsi stuff is great in the engine compartment!

 

I experienced the same with my under car exhaust. I purchased a good quality canister type respirator (about $35) just to be on the safe side and sanded off all the loose rust. Then I painted mine with a brush using a higt temperature paint. I used the aluminum color paint. It came in a spray can, but I sprayed small amounts into the lid of the paint can so I could use a brush. A small amount of this paint went a long way and one coat covered very well and looked great on the pipes and the mufflers. Now I am considering painting it all black, since I am interested in keeping it as original looking as possible. I read that the factory blacked out the mufflers, etc. on 1969 Vettes.

 

How long did the paint last?

 

I painted my exhaust last spring and it still looks as good as the day I painted it. The paint I used is made by plasti-kote. It is called "HOT PAINT ultra high temperature - resists heat to 1500 degrees F." the color is HP-14 Aluminum. I bought it at Auto Zone or Advance Store, can't remember which. That is all I can tell you. It may all flake off next summer, but I figure for 3 or 4 dollars it is worth trying. If you remove your exhaust system you can spray it on, but I found it easy to brush on, you just have to spray small amounts into another container to use your brush. Be safe don't breath paint fumes.