Astra H VXR Sprint

The thermostat housing water return pipe (which runs across the face of the head) was starting to show its age with some slight surface corrosion and the odd spot of rust on the mounting brackets so I decided to prep it and paint it Matt Black, with the same Wurth Heat Proof paint as before, to compliment the Matt Black Exhaust/Turbo Heat Shield (see Exhaust Heatshield in Build 2012):

Water Return Pipe in Matt Black

The ends of the water pipe were masked off and not painted as this is where the rubber water pipes are pushed on and secured with hose clips.

This is what a factory engine bay looks like with the original heat shield and water return pipe:

Original Heat Shield and Water Return Pipe

And this is what the two painted parts look like fitted. Finishes off the engine bay much better:

Water Return Pipe and Exhaust Heat Shield in Matt Black

Not much to report here, other than the original factory heat shield (which was looking a little tired) has been bead blasted and then painted with Wurth Matt Black Lacquer Spray, temperature resistant up to 600 degrees C. This smartens it up no end.

Matt Black Exhaust Heat Shield