Preferred intake manifold for 1956 Thunderbird

[dmsfrr]

I just received my paint from Eastwood for my exhaust manifolds. How much should it cost to have them sand blasted? I inquired at one place and they told me they could blast them and powder coat them for $100. I thought that sounded like a good price. Would that be a good option instead of the paint? Also, did you bake yours after painting?

Sandblasting cost? No clue. A fellow in our club did mine with his own machine just to be helpful.
If you can get a couple more sandblasting estimates it won't hurt.
IIRC (?) the sealing surfaces were masked off with duct tape.

Having them bolted face-to-face made brushing on the paint super easy.
I painted the bottom sides first, let it dry a few minutes, then turned them right-side up and did the top sides. It dries fully overnight. I did not bake them before installing.
The instructions say to bake them on the engine by running it 20 minutes in a well ventilated space, 'emits harmful vapors'.
You can do touch-ups on the engine and whenever because you have the paint. Your choice.
.

 

[zuburg]

I had my manifolds sand blasted for $20, and they looked great. Too bad there isn’t a high temp clear coat we could use to keep them like that. I painted them with the Eastwood factory grey, but mine look much darker than yours (almost a gun metal grey). Do they lighten in color when you cure them?

 

[dmsfrr]

Good news on the price.

.... but mine look much darker than yours... Do they lighten in color when you cure them?

Did you mix the paint well before applying? They have a couple other colors but only one 'factory gray' exhaust manifold paint I'm aware of.

I have no clue.
The engine sprung a leak when it was fired up and medical problems with family members are keeping me from getting back to it.