coupeguyz51

Well, yes, I know its some sort of finish, but what exactly is it and why is it supposed to be the gold standard of wheel protection, if in fact it is?

I have the Z51 black wheels, about 2600 miles on her and no serious issues yet (except keeping them clean), but from other posts I have read, I will have...

So, to reiterate, why is powder coating good...and what type of shops do it?

As an added bonus, for any of you in the NE Tri-State area (NJ, PA, DE) can anyone recommend a good shop? TIA

flaagan

I'll save you a quote from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Powder_coating (but I recommend looking it up on there for a thorough explanation), but essentially it's baked on powder. It's a lot stronger and resilient than paint. When restoring our Barracuda (see sig) we powder coated pretty much any of the parts that could withstand the high heat required for baking the coating, which included the wheels. There are a lot of color options, and last time I talked with our preferred local shop, someone had even come out with a proper chrome finish for the process.

A good place to start is any local wheel customization shop, as they'll usually do that kind of work. Though past experience with local shops has proven a headache, so a solid recommendation would be advised. Look up shops that specialize in finishes or powder coating in particular, and if you can get friendly with the shop owner they will often cut you a good deal for something like car wheels (especially for a "common" color like a gloss black).

fredl11

WAY better than painted ones

3 Z06ZR1

I have the silver Z51 wheels! I'm darn sure yours are like mine and full of rock chips in the ultra CHEAP wheel paint GM used!
Just look close at them!

Powder Coating coating in so much better and tougher than paint and it a completely different process!

3 Z06ZR1

Powder coating is electronicly attached to the surface not baked!
Put on dry with power. Not wet spray or baked!

Glen e

Wrong, it is sprayed on and held by current and then baked to cure it...read the wiki article...

Powder coating is a type of coating that is applied as a free-flowing, dry powder. The main difference between a conventional liquid paint and a powder coating is that the powder coating does not require a solvent to keep the binder and filler parts in a liquid suspension form. The coating is typically applied electrostatically and is then cured under heat to allow it to flow and form a "skin". The powder may be a thermoplastic or a thermoset polymer. It is usually used to create a hard finish that is tougher than conventional paint. Powder coating is mainly used for coating of metals, such as household appliances, aluminium extrusions, drum hardware, and automobile and bicycle parts. Newer technologies allow other materials, such as MDF (medium-density fibreboard), to be powder coated using different methods.

Second Vette

Same with my original Silver Painted Wheels, especially on the forward rotating Spokes on the Front.

Had my Wheels Powder Coated Black months ago and no more chips.
Used Primo in Huntington Beach, CA for any of you local Guys. Got them done for under $500, including dismounting / remounting the Tires and having them Rebalanced at a Tire Shop down the Street from them. Turn around was 24 Hours.

3 Z06ZR1

I watched them do it several times! Not sprayed on like a wet paint, it "find's" the surface.

They hook a charge to the item or items and the dry power is air borne and is electronicly attracted or drawn to the surface. Didn't stick around to see the baking

I have two powder coating places I can use. I would not waste my time painting a wheel!

Jack Be Quick Racing

I have had a lot of various parts powder coated in the past and our local Cobra club president owns a powder coating shop that does work for the Detroit OEMs.

The part is hung up, typically with a charge, and a dry powder is sprayed on it. Then it goes into a large oven and is baked at high temp for a long period of time.

The frame of my FFR Cobra is powder coated as is all of the aluminum panels and so forth.

It is very durable, resists chips and scratches better than paint as it's typically pretty thick.

You can match up pretty good with factory paint colors and there are matte, satin, high gloss, metallic type finishes. There is even a clear finish that you can apply for example on top of brushed aluminum to keep it looking 'clean' without constant maintenance.

yes, people have done exterior car bodies in powder coat.

Nonstop

I'll point it out for you, now it's clear you where both wrong to the same amount...I know you probably meant to say dry, and that you know it is applied dry, but man you are quick to hammer people lately..
For all the good you offer maybe you should do it gracefully. Taking this the right way is good start. Just sayin.

coupeguyz51

Thanks for all the info guys!!!

Don't care if its sprayed on or electrically attached, as long as it works!

Two other practical questions about the process:

Can you take wheels that have been "used" and have them powder coated or is this a one time only virgin option?

In addition to being more durable and road chip resistant, is it any easier to clean, say by just spraying off the brake dust with a garden hose, or is the same old PITA scrubba dub dub with a brush?

RussM05

There are many wheel repair specialist that do this in 24 hours. One of that know of us Wheels Technologies in Texas.

flaagan

Yup, used wheels can be coated. They media blast the surface to prep it and remove any 'contaminents' before the coating. The Barracuda wheels were clean-ish but were originals so were faaaar from new when we had them done.

As for the cleaning.. talk with the folks doing the coating. Should give you a clean surface that should be easy to wash, though stuff like brake dust tends to cling to most any surface. A wipe-down with a wet rag should suffice as long as the brake dust hasn't been given time to sit around, similar to any painted wheel.

I haven't looked, but I recall someone once (somewhere else on the 'net) mentioning they sprayed their wheels with some clear coat finish that repelled dust pretty well, may not hurt to look around on that.

$$$frumnuttin'

Thank you to all for getting the terminology correct....I get the jitters when someone writes 'power coating'!

Just to add, I've seen the process using Nylon powder over metal sleeves used in accelerator cables. The process takes the Nylon above its melt point in what everyone here is calling a 'baking' step. As a result, upon cooling, the Nylon becomes fused to the substrate permanently. I suspect the same occurs with wheels using polymers with much lower melting points, most likely acrylics. Nylons typically melt beginning around 450-500F.

flaagan

Spray-on horsepower!

coupeguyz51

Thanks flaagan! Definitely look into this option!

Zymurgy

Glen e was 100% correct. It is obvious that he was referring to the comment that it was not baked, which is wrong - it is baked. Glen also clearly stated that it is a dry powder.

red 08 ca.

I'm thinking about getting the OEM wheels on my C6 powder coated. Can anyone recommend a quality shop in Ventura County, CA? Also, if you have the same wheels (see pic), and have powder coated them, what's your opinion on the work?

FEEDMESLURPIES

I asked this a few weeks back in a powdercoating thread but don't think it got answered so I'll try again: is it most ideal to do this one new wheels, or is it more economical to use a wheel up until it's chipped to hell and back and then do this as basically a free new paint job, or is it all personal preference?

Glen e

I have always understood that the surface must be media blasted in both situations, so there's not a lot of diff as long as the metal is not damaged and is just paint chipped....