I have used por-15 factory manifold gray. Seems to hold fine.

http://www.por15.com/FACTORY-MANIFOLD-GRAY_p_51.html

I think I will try the stove polish, sometimes it is called stove black.

Regarding ceramic coatings, you might try:http://www.performancecoatings.com/index2.html

I used to frequent a motorcycle forum and several individuals there had this company do their headers and were pleased with the company's service.

They are located in Auburn, WA and you can deal wih them directly. I just now spoke with a fellow there and he stated and the prices shown on their website are current as of today even though the site shows current as of 06/09/11. He also said prices will be going up "soon". For a stock 6 cylinder manifold they show $145.00 for a satin finish and $165.00 for Chromex. It took forever for the fellow to answer the phone and he sounded rushed so I didn't ask any other questions, sorry.

Hope this helps.

Fred

That is who I went through to have my four barrel Weiand intake manifold done. Nice friendly guys and they do good work!
Yes, they are busy all the time and have a lot of parts going through their shop!

Doing the exhaust manifold can really reduce under the hood temps!

_________________
Aggressive Ted

http://cid-32f1e50ddb40a03c.photos.live ... %20Swinger


74 Swinger, 9.5 comp 254/.435 lift cam, 904, ram air, electric fans, 2.5" HP2 & FM70 ex, 1920 Holley#56jet, 2.76 8 3/4 Sure-Grip, 26" tires, 25+MPG

That por-15 shot looks really nice for a stock cast iron look, looks like a brand new casting...

I used that on my exhaust manifold as well. It holds up for quite awhile and is easy to touch up. To stick well you need to really clean it, sand blast first, etc...

_________________
Aggressive Ted

http://cid-32f1e50ddb40a03c.photos.live ... %20Swinger


74 Swinger, 9.5 comp 254/.435 lift cam, 904, ram air, electric fans, 2.5" HP2 & FM70 ex, 1920 Holley#56jet, 2.76 8 3/4 Sure-Grip, 26" tires, 25+MPG

I had a twin outlet cast iron manifold off a Hemi six ceramic coated once,looked great,only issue was since it lost less heat it tended to expand and move much more than when it was uncoated,Im not sure how long the cast would have tolerated it,but I ended up going to ceramic coated headers when I converted to V8,lasted very well,10 years and still like new. The VHT would be my choice for a cast iron manifold,its worked very well on my daily drive,sandblasted the surface first. The POR 15 looks very nice as well. I also knew a guy with a BBC ski boat we used to use,he used trans fluid on the headers,it tended to burn on and go black,he said it was a very smoky process,I was never around when he did it ! However it did work well,the boat was always beautifully presented and the headers look jet black with a satin type finish and never rusted.

I think the stove polish (also called stove black) looks good, but it needs to be reapplied once a year or so. Its mostly carbon black, its hard to get this stuff off fingers. It looks more natural than other coatings and is easy to renew when it fades. Home Depot or a local hardware store should have have it. This stuff works best on a stovebolt Chevy six