When I put my new turbo on, painted it with VHT Flameproof paint. Here was my procedure.
First, I removed the turbo cartridge from the manifold.
Then I removed the VNT vanes and mechanism from the manifold.
I prepped the manifold by wiping down several times with lacquer thinner to remove any oils or residues.
Next I masked off the machined area when the turbo cartridge mounts. I didn't want any paint on the surface where the cartridge meets the manifold.
I painted the manifold with VHT Flameproof paint, color "Cast Iron" SP998, hitting it with several coats.
I then followed the directions for curing the paint:
- Paint must be completely dry before curing
- Heat to 250°F (121°C) for 30 minutes
- Cool for 30 minutes
- Heat to 400°F (204°C) for 30 minutes
- Cool for 30 minutes
- Heat to 650°F (343°C ) for 30 minutes
Fortunately, I'm buds with my local machine shop and used their oven that they normally use for straightening heads. Otherwise, you'd have to do it in your kitchen oven and deal with the odor of baking paint in your house.
To my surprise, after baking the paint went from a cast iron color to a nice, soft gold. Mmmm, looked very sexy! Here it is ready to go in.
Re-installed the VNT vanes and mechanism. Used nickel-based nuclear-grade anti-seize on the bolts so I have a chance to remove them if I even need to in the future.
I installed it at 400K. I'm currently at 518K and about 2 years later and it's just starting to show signs of rust poking through. Maybe a proper ceramic coating would last longer, but it was cheap and worth my time IMHO.