Packard Forum Index » Pre-War (1899-1942)

Tim- thanks for your thoughts. Prarie Auto Porcelain in Minnesota apparently does an initial ceramic coat and then a final porcelain coat, so hopefully it will be a bit more durable. For now, I'm keeping the car as a show car, so hopefully the porcelain will last a while. I agree for driver cars, ceramic is much better, but the porcelain pops so cleanly when intact. I'll post some photos when complete.

Stephen

Stephen, I use the first one you show there with teflon. While you're poking around their site, check out 'Free-all'. I have tried pretty much all the 'usual suspects' in the rust-dissolving, frozen-part-loosening penetrating sprays, and nothing comes close to Free-all for both thread penetration and rust dissolving. I know everyone has their pet product when it comes to this application, and I am retired and have zero stake in promoting this product line, but if you give both the Gasoila and Free-all a try, you will not be disappointed. Chris.

Prairie Porcelain is the top vendor for this. We did Billy Hirsch's car a couple of times. The darn stuff even burned off going to Buck Hills Falls in the middle of a January deep freeze. Fortunately the Seventh series setup is indestructible.

I've seen the Eighth and Ninth series hold up given the cars weren't driven over 45-50 in summer. John Cavalero's 840 eventually cracked, but it was done in gunmetal black chrome.

K i have been following this thread and have to ask....where all exhaust manifolds ceramic coated or just certain models or is this just done for aesthetics????

A signature feature of high-end cars like Packard, Cadillac,Lincoln, Pierce Arrow, Marmon, Stutz and the like especially during the height of the Classic era was well-dressed engines. Buyers expected features like wiring routed neatly in conduit, acorn nut fasteners, nickel or chromiun plated hardware, and porcelainized intake and exhaust manifolds. The approach of the second world war pretty much signalled an end to much of this engine dress-up.

Packard pretty much kept the full treatment on their senior engines (Super Eight, Twelve) thru 1939 but the junior cars, which had less dressup to begin with, received less and less and by the 22nd series it was pretty much gone completely.

So on my 41 110 coupe the intake and exhaust wouldn't be porcelainized???

I'm not familiar with that detail but I'm sure someone who is will respond.

Quote:

No, they would not be porcelainized

In wanting to clean up my exhaust and intake manifolds while I had my engine apart and not wanting to go the full-monty with porcelain coatings, etc., I sprayed the intake manifold with a high-heat engine paint and for the exhaust, I bought a large spray can of ceramic coating at the local NAPA store. You are supposed to put several coats on and then either bake it in the oven at 475 for a couple of hours, or go through a heating and cooling sequence with the engine. I chose the latter and it would seem the product, whatever it is, is adhering quite well. Obviously time will tell. I thought for a driver, if it cleaned it up and looked halfway presentable, I could live with it!... I only submit this as an economical alternative to the 'real deal' as, sometimes with drivers and less expensive cars, lower cost solutions are sometimes worthy of consideration.... it certainly 'cleans it up'! (see pic)

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Eastwood has an excellent high temperature stainless steel paint that produces a long-lasting appearance of fresh naked cast iron which can be quite attractive where that was the correct OEM finish.