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Going to use small hubcaps on my 62. As such I wondered if I should powdercoat. If powder, how do you color match? I will be using black semi gloss everywhere else on the wheel and Roman Red on the face. Taking wheels to the blaster tomorrow and will have him powdercoat if it’s possible to match the color. I am very ignorant of this process. If paint, what steps to use. Primer? Rattle cans? Thanks everyone. Did a search but didn’t find an answer on colormatching powdercoat.
easy process
they will blast them and pc them
if you want the wheels red - take in a example of the paint to match
might not be exact but you can get real close
Do both, powder coat the wheels for longevity and then paint the outside. Most powder coaters will not guaranty color match. After powder coating scuff up with scotch pad or sand paper, prime then paint, will last for years.
Do you drive in bad weather, are you close to the beach! If so powder coat, if not epoxy paint!
I’d use epoxy paint over PC any day. PC does not impress me at all. On the salty winter roads, powder coat on work trailers has not held up nearly as well as paint. Also PC seems to promote deep rot when compromised.
There are newer P.C. powders today that can be used to prime, then coat surfaces exposed to harsh chemicals or environments. It is no longer as simple as clean, spray, bake and go. It still has the issue that you cannot completely color match as you can with paint. P.C. is a great solution for many applications, but imo not steel wheels.
You have to think about service life and maintenance. In order for P.C. to remain effective and pristine you first have to remove every speck of rust and second prevent any damage to the P.C. coating that could allow corrosion to penetrate the coating. And there lies the problem. Installing tires runs the risk of scratching the P.C. Torquing lug nuts runs the risk of damaging the P.C. The damage may look minor, but when rust gets under the P.C., it spreads eventually causing the P.C. to separate and peal creating a big ugly mess. Then you have to remove it and start over. While paint has some of these same issues, the time and maintenance requirements are much easier. Paint all the way.
Do both, powder coat the wheels for longevity and then paint the outside. Most powder coaters will not guaranty color match. After powder coating scuff up with scotch pad or sand paper, prime then paint, will last for years.
That's what I did. I started with some Craigslist find 15x7 steel wheels, and found a company to blast the wheels and and powdercoat them black. Then a local body shop scuffed the wheel faces and painted those in body color (using catalyzed paint). I was originally going to DIY, but my little Harbor Freight blaster was like a pop gun against those wheels. The painter did a nicer job than I would've too.
I’d use epoxy paint over PC any day. PC does not impress me at all. On the salty winter roads, powder coat on work trailers has not held up nearly as well as paint. Also PC seems to promote deep rot when compromised.
There are a lot of people not doing the power coating bake correctly! And also the prep! They never get the wheels clean enough to powder coat! You have like brake dust, salts, greases, etc. The material can fail in an improperly prepped spot, and compromise the finish! Some people won’t bake like aluminum wheels properly, afraid to compromise the wheel strength. Some people have switched to an Electro method, where precision at like near 400 degrees can be done accurately or some are two lazy to pull out the valve stems, in some production houses, as that takes time, so they may not be baking them adequately to bond the particles together as is supposed to happen!
I would also oven bake the enamels and epoxies!
Last edited by TCracingCA; 02-22-2019 at 09:01 PM.
I’d use epoxy paint over PC any day. PC does not impress me at all. On the salty winter roads, powder coat on work trailers has not held up nearly as well as paint. Also PC seems to promote deep rot when compromised.
My thoughts exactly. Powder coat is thick, and when it starts to peel, it traps moisture. Paint merely gets chipped and can be touched up. Not a fan of PC.
When I got my 63 a previous owner had powder coated the wheels, they did hold up well and looked good but personally, I wouldn't have gone to the trouble as they still chip and reveal bare metal to the elements...
Powder coating is like anything else, some people know how to do it right some don't. Do your research. You wouldn't let a painter that nobody heard of paint your car. If done right it will last for years with no problems. I have a close friend with a 2004 Tahoe that has had the rims on his Tahoe powder coated 12 years ago, lives here in northern Ohio, drives the truck almost everyday, gone through 3 sets of tires, has 269,000+ miles on it and they still look great. I think it boils done to personal preference and the usual, you get what you pay for.
The failures in powder coating I’ve seen have been mostly all on factory done PC, both high end and cheap items. My sand blaster told me he hates powder coat because of all the rot he has seen it cause. Again keep in mind I’m talking about Minnesota where we spray the roads with brine and rock salt.
Has powder coat coat gained in popularity because it is less regulated than spraying paint?
Thanks guys, great information. Taking them to the blaster on Tuesday and probably going to see if he can do the powdercoat primer and then epoxy paint the faces.
02-21-2019, 10:29 PM
Paint or powdercoat wheel faces
