Painting new headers

[K10Scottsdale78]

Hey guys, this week I will be putting a full new exhaust system onto my truck. The headers I ordered are just a painted set, since I can't afford ceramic coated ones on what I call the "poor college student budget."

I'm planning on painting the headers before I install them. Any specific techniques to prepare the headers out of the box before painting? Should I sand/score the paint on them before spraying them down with VHT so the paint sticks better? Also, how thick of a coat should I put on? If anyone has done this before post some pictures so I can get an idea so I can do this correctly. The last time I painted my old headers the paint didn't stay on very well...