Powdercoating Wheels

[Forrest 35]

Does anyone know what limits to color there are?

I want to get these wheels powder coated, obviously I will loose the chrome lip but I can deal with that.

If only sensible colors can be chosen I want to go plain silver. If anything can be done, I want gold silver like JiB's Volks in his thread, gun metal like the current Sportmaxxes on the car or a bronze color. Something different that blends well with the silver green.

Here is the car they will be going on:

Advice, knowledge and opinions please.

Edited July 8, 2009 by Forrest

[e30plz 1]

Gun metal for sure.

[*Glenn* 855]

I'm told that powder coating chips and cracks more readily than painted wheels

[Forrest 35]

Thanks Glenn, I have done a bit of research and had some contrasting views. Anyone else got any input?

[318isCoupe 0]

I'd always thought it would be more durable than normal airbrush/can paint when it came to wheels.. but I guess we need to hear from someone who's actually done it

[DRTDVL 0]

i'd say a dark gray... think brake dust... for color

[318isCoupe 0]

have you tried them on the new car in that colour? looks like it'd work! if not then my votes in for gunmetal

[Forrest 35]

^ I will try take some pics today with them on. Surely powdercoating is more durable than can paint...which is what in on them at the moment and the finish is really soft

[Forrest 35]

Got quoted $50 each wheel for full strip and powdercoat in essentially any color including metallics, so now bimmersport please help me decide a color, it will be the entire wheel covering the current chrome lip. Here are some pics of the wheels in their current state for inspiration (Can't stand the black on a PFL car).

So help me!!!!!

Edited July 8, 2009 by Forrest

[DRTDVL 0]

body color with a black lip

[bellicose 9]

Mate, any good powder coater will just mask off the lip if you want them to and you ask them to do that. It's not that much different to painting, mask-coat-unmask. Don't let any one tell you it can't be done.

As for colour you would be surprised the huge amount of colour choice there is, i've a purple met powder coated before.

[greenday-rulz21 6]

I say gold. Similar to Johns sig above ^^

[elmarco 56]

Try

[antony 0]

As much as I want to say gold, cause they are my old wheels, and I'm a huge gold wheel fan...

But I'm going to say, since your going for a bit of a JDM feel. Body colour center, with either polished, black, or something bright like canary yellow lip.

E: like my poor photoshoping shows.

Edited July 9, 2009 by antony

[_BRS_ 209]

haha yeaaah jdm=win

But just remember the fluro is only a phase, so will get old over time... but its up to you.

If you are going for a fluro lip with body colour centres as antony has said, id rather go an orange lip, this matching the indicators and keeping it jdm, kinda ties it all in together, thats if you are keeping the orange indicators of course. Yeah.

[e30plz 1]

Or even HKS Purple that lip, Give it that Homax JDM feel that everyone loves.

[_BRS_ 209]

Or even HKS Purple that lip, Give it that Homax JDM feel that everyone loves.

Now your talking! liike the drift e30 on r3v with the purple drifteks!

[e30plz 1]

Fcuk yeah!

Droooooooool.

[JiB 2]

^beaten. I'd go orange lip.

[e30plz 1]

Yeah but those wheels are so worthy of a repost

[E30 325i Rag-Top 2963]

I'm told that powder coating chips and cracks more readily than painted wheels

The key to good powder coating is how well the surface is prepped before the powder is put on, and also how quickly the powder is added after prepping (quicker the better), really should be looking for an acid etch, and phosphate pre-wash straight into powder.

If it's not well prepped the powder sticks more to itself when baked, than to the wheel, hence it tends to crack and chip as Glenn said.

There are hundreds of powder colours now produced as "stock" items, the only drawback is it costs heaps to try and colour match to something different unless you want to order tons of the stuff (literally). Should be able to find something that floats your boat from catalogue though, so not so much of an issue.

Due to the hard life wheels get, I would go for powder over paint, but carefully choose who I got to do it.

[DRTDVL 0]

kinda on the same topic...

I'm think the race wheels are going to get scratched up a fair bit, and to be a cheap and easy solution...

Whats this stuff like?

http://www.speco.com.au/vht_wheel.html

[tibbs.james 1]

I had a kawasaki dirt bike frame powder coated 5 or 6 years ago, my uncles old shop did a stunning job for me and it certainly was very hard wearing and very resistant to chips and scratching.

like has been mentioned, its all about the preparation. I Got looked after because i was family but you get what you pay for and I still paid lots .