I have had good luck with Eastwood's manifold paint, even on stainless steel or cast iron manifolds. It is a brush on paint. You first must take the manifold off and bead blast it, do not handle it with your bare hands due to the oils on your skin. You then paint it with their paint and I put it in the bar-b-q to do the initial cure on it so I can handle it putting it back in. When you drive the car it will cure all the way and is supposto take up to around 1500 degrees. I have used it on several old cars and newer ones. Go to my profile and check out my web site. It will show the exaust manifold which was stainless steel tubing,on the Buick V6 I put in my PV444. I coated it after building and it stayed looking good after doing it with this coating. The brush marks dissappear after curing and it looks like cast iron that is fresh. It will look good on the tin also. But any surface has to be sandblasted or bead blasted first.
Dennis Flynn,Howell Michigan

What about painting the heat shield in front of the manifold, this might make the rusty manifolds we all have a little less unsightly, what do you all think?

Anyone has done it? What paint (color, brand, etc.)?

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'89 244DL M47 161K miles

Nothing wrong with that one. The thing gets HOT, I mean HOT, over 750° on a long run, up close to the head. No paint in the world will stay on it. Some ceramic coatings will, but it's not needed. As long as you don't head "lawnmower" sounds from that area, you're just fine.
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Rob Bareiss, New London CT ::: '87 244DL/M47- 230K, 88 744GLE- 220K, 82 245T-181K Also responsible for the care and feeding of: 88 745GLE, 231K, 87 244DL, 239K, 94 855GLT 189K

Looks fine to me...

All 3 of my 240s have exhaust manifolds just as, if not, more rusty, and they are just fine.
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If you listen to the radio in Portland, OR, you may know me as 'Portland's Favorite Soul Brother!'