Originally Posted by cas3
I have almost always painted my wheels myself. I once had my pickup wheels powder coated by a place my former employer used, because it was cheaper than I can buy good epoxy primer, urethane paint, and sand to do it my self. Now granted, I took the cheap price, but they only lasted about 2 years and looked like crap. This is on my old diesel dodge that never gets driven in winter. Certainly due to the minimum wage kid doing the blasting. No different than paint...bad prep=bad job.
I used to have a big portable air compressor when I was younger and more active, blasted lots of stuff, then the mine would no longer sell me bags wholesale, so it got so I could hire blasting done for what it cost me for sand and gasoline to do it myself, not to mention the time, and getting the compressor running that had usually sat idle for a year or two.
Next, I had a local guy who was really cheap, really nice guy, sometimes won't even take my money for one or two parts, BUT ! he uses like 3/4" rock as his business is mostly dump trucks and snow plows etc. very rough, lots of brown "specs" left, not what we want for car parts.
Now, I use a guy who charges a little more, but the parts look like new steel. Smooth, not a single spec of rust remains. Classic car parts is his business.
I also now have made a machine to paint wheels, small parts, clean gas tanks etc.
It turns at 5 RPM, no skill required, just gob it on and watch it flow out to a perfect job every time. You can also make it free wheel to check a wheel for true before you spend the money to paint it.
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