Originally Posted by MikeR
I havent found a shop that can weld the stainless parts in my area yet. I may go with the aluminized steel. Did you have this painted with silver heat paint, or just leave it bare? I was thinking the weld would be good painted. Comments?
MikeR
If you dont drive in the snow/salt, I wouldn't hesitate for the aluminized. Most OEM exhausts are aluminized and they last 10+ years with no coatings and no salty environments.
With that said, the original exhaust is stainless so I would likely keep looking. You may have to go to a metal fabricator in lieu of an exhaust shop. Also look at any 18-wheeler mechanics in the area as a lot of them use S.S.
If you do aluminized, the welder will likely coat the weld with a primer/sealer to prevent oxidation. If not, request it - but I wouldn't worry too much about the rest of the exhaust as most spray-on stuff is temporary at best.
SQ