Powdercoating

[Jean]

How much are you guys paying for this? I am thinking about engine and suspension components, but I have no idea how expensive it is...so

[hugh jass]

Figure it's at least $200, but the more you powdercoat at the same time won't increase the cost much.

[Jean]

Co-worker told me he just got a quote from us powdercoating in rancho for a grand, but he brought them 4 wheels, a huge tv box full of stuff.

Any suggestions on local places?

[ditchdigger]

Get a oven for free on Craigslist, Buy the HF or eastwood gun and go to town.

I LOVE my setup. I would like to upgrade to a better gun ( I have a decade old eastwood kit) but it works great. It goes on thinner than a commercial PC'er would but you can apply multiple coats and rebake for extra protection

Did my panasports last week



some calipers for a buddy



Powder coating is easy, once you have the equipment it is very, VERY cheap, more environmentally friendly (no solvents), easy to clean up (overspray is dealt with easily by a broom or shop vac.

Powders can be as cheap as $4 a pound and a pound will cover like 200 square feet. Specialty powders are easily bought at powderbuythepound.com or columbia coatings.

Granted I had a sand blast cabinet already, that makes things much easier, but it can be done with paint strippers and wire brushes.

[BeirBrennerE30]

dont pc suspension stuff. paint it.

[Jon325i]

How much are you guys paying for this? I am thinking about engine and suspension components, but I have no idea how expensive it is...so

My $.02 - powdercoat wheels or clearly visible engine parts. Suspension is buried deep in the bowels of the car....you won't see it unless this is a showcar you plan on placing on jackstands with mirrors on the floor to really show your bling.

Save your money for more important stuff.....like hotter cams ;-)

Jon

[Jean]

My $.02 - powdercoat wheels or clearly visible engine parts. Suspension is buried deep in the bowels of the car....you won't see it unless this is a showcar you plan on placing on jackstands with mirrors on the floor to really show your bling.

Save your money for more important stuff.....like hotter cams ;-)

Jon

Only looking at this option because I suspension, among other misc. parts, out of the car and they are COATED in oil/grease/dirt so since I'll be dropping them off for cleaning I figured I'll look into the option of getting them powdercoated. Never will be a show car though lol

If it's $$$ then I'll just paint this stuff (front/rear subframe,front struts/rear trailing arms (once they are re-inforced) and the front lower tranny shield).

[Gobig_us]

Ditchdigger, you powder coated your rims? I'm worried about the rims becoming out of round or warped in any kind of way. Did you have them in a fixture or what?

[bmw325csi]

I paid 125 for my valve cover and manifold.

[der affe]

it is also cheaper if you get a common colour. most places run: red, black, white, yellow, blue, and green, at least one day a week EVERY week.
if you want a common colour, drop the stuff of and say can you put this stuff in with your next batch of X colour. most of the time they will charge you just a set up fee (around $35-$50) and not for the colour since they were going to be shooting it anyways.

[Miasma]

Very cool, powderbuythepound.com carries the HD crinkle powders.

I have a perfectly good electric oven sitting in my garage.... And access to a media blaster.... Oh man.

Gonna have to do some research into this.

[SamE30e]

dont pc suspension stuff. paint it.

Why not?

Trailing arms, rear subframe and strut housings would be indestructable.

[BeirBrennerE30]

Why not?

Trailing arms, rear subframe and strut housings would be indestructable.

In most industry (locomotive, etc.) it standard to paint all exterior parts and powdercoat all interior parts. Being that a small chip in PC will allow corrosion underneath it and it is not as resiliant in hard environments as a quility paint.

[ditchdigger]

Ditchdigger, you powder coated your rims? I'm worried about the rims becoming out of round or warped in any kind of way. Did you have them in a fixture or what?

375 degrees for a 10 minute cure isnt a problem.

Aluminum isnt that prone to warping, Folks have been welding and heating alloy wheels for decades without issue.

The internet freakout about powdercoating wheels being suicide is silly. Most of the pics of damaged wheels are cheap cast rota's.

I did this 320i wheel last night for a friends rabbit.