Powder Coating Wheels

[mickeymoose]

My new 74 tradewind has some pretty bad looking wheels.

1. Can I get them powder coated?

2. Has anybody got pictures of powdercoated wheels?

Thanks,
Cassidy

[centennialman]

Cassidy,

I don't have any pics of my wheels but I had them sand blasted and then powder coated and they came out great! They look brand new.....

[CaddyGrn]

Hi,

About 3 years ago we had the wheels on our 1968 Ford 4 x 4 truck (our tow vehicle...) sand blasted and powder coated. They looked great the first year. We live in the mountains and have snow, etc. The road stuff is pretty hard on them and now 3 or so years into time... they still look okay, but small rust areas have shown up and we are a bit disappointed. But, we do use our truck as a daily driver as well. In addition our wheels were powder coated a light cream color. Maybe we should have chosen a darker color.... but we feel they have been "protected" better.

[mickeymoose]

Thanks for the replies. That is what I wanted to hear. I am pretty lucky as my father has a 20 foot powder coating oven and paintbooth. I can pretty much get anything up to the size of a car coated in any color. So I will be looking to coat everything I can.

Any ideas of what else I should coat?

Did you coat the entire wheel, or just what showed?

Does the coat affect the tires mounting on the wheels?

[nbka1bm]

Just had mine done they coated the entire wheel. Three times to be exact. Lava black is the color I went with. It hides any pitting that might have happened over time on the old wheels. It is ver similar to a satin sheen. The powder coating is so thin that it will not change the thickness enough where tire mounting is an issue. The only thing they suggested was when mounting the tires be sure you take them to a shop that has worked with powder coated wheels or nice rims so they do not chip the coating. Powder coating is not bullet proof.

[mickeymoose]

How much did it cost you, if you don't mind me asking? I get it done for free, minus the sandblasting (I get to do that), but I would like to be able to do something for my dad of a relatively close value.


I think I will go with black also.

Thanks

[nbka1bm]

175$ total that included chemical strip, media blast, and three coats of powder coating. 3 wheels. The company I used did not sand blast they blasted with glass beads. They claim it leaves a smoother finish for the powder to stick to.

[mickeymoose]

Thanks nbka1bm,

Sounds like I should get my dad something nice.

Even though, he will make me work for it!

[Action]

Originally Posted by nbka1bm

175$ total that included chemical strip, media blast, and three coats of powder coating. 3 wheels. The company I used did not sand blast they blasted with glass beads. They claim it leaves a smoother finish for the powder to stick to.

Sand has a tendancy to dig out some metal so it isn't recommended for sheet steel like fenders and such. Also sand stays in small places and is hard to get out making the refinishing process more difficult.

Glass has a tendancy to break down so the freshness of glass beads can be important.

Some places will use other things like walnut shells.

For rims it usually won't make much difference since the metal thickness is not an issue and rims are very easy to clean.

>>>>>>>>>>>Action

[mickeymoose]

Thanks moderator dude!

I think I will just use sand for the wheels, but will keep glass in mind for other applications.

Have you had your wheels coated?

[Action]

I have not. However I have assisted in powder coats about 12 wheels for some vintage Lincolns at a friend's home.

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[mrauch]

I'm restoring a 66 Caravel and just had the wheels powder coated in red. I put on some new whitewall tires and baby moons and they look just great. I had it done by Les Schwab Tire for $30 per tire. They had them about a week (They send them to their main plant in Prineville, OR. I think). If you have access to a Les Scwab Tire Store I highly recommend you look into this. I hope to get some pics posted in the near future.

Mark

[Ganaraska]

Many tire shops will bead blast and paint your wheels for $20 to $30 apiece. They have a special booth to bead blast wheels.

This is a good deal. I have a sandblaster and a paint gun but for that price they can have them LOL.

Some shops will also check wheels for straightness and true them up. This is a big help in balancing and smooth running and well worth the cost.