Pipe Painting?

Rather than go into the expense of another bolt on exhaust, someone mentioned to me that I could paint the exhaust to cover up the scratches on it. Do I have to sand it down, primer it and then paint it, or can I just get some high temp paint and spray it on? Also, what's the best high temp paint to use and where would I obtain it? Should good old home depot have this stuff? I've got pics of the damage but no where to host them so everyone can see what I'm trying to cover up! Basically scratches on the pipe are on the base and upper third. It's a black V&H bolt on, semi gloss finish.

strat1701

As long as theres no rust then painting it straight would be fine. Make sure its clean and dust free first. If there is any rust at all then you need to sand it off or use naval jelly. Then clean dust and paint. No primer is needed.

You could even go BLUE!

Would powder-coating work?

No. Unfortunately the powder coat cures somewhere around 600 degrees F. Your headpipes get much hotter than that and would melt the powder right off. Ceramic coating is very popular though, and lasts quite a while. You can get ceramic in several colors now, and one that looks like chrome .