Powder coat VS paint for wheels

[Zax40]

It's time to refinish the wheels on my '40. Which holds up better to the hub caps and rings being installed and removed? I know powder coat is pretty tough, but will it stand up to the caps and rings being removed without having scratches and gouges? I know with paint I can just sand down and repaint when they get scratched up.

[oldbugger]

I powder coated my 35 rims, and they are holding up very well. However, i don't have trim rings.

[Krylon32]

I've powder coated lots of steelies and wires and no kind of powder is tough enough to resist scratches from the gripping fingers of trim rings. Better be sure you'll like them before installing them.

[woodiewagon46]

The wheels on my '46 Woodie are powder coated and have held up well for 20 years. The trim rings on my car really bite into the wheel so yes, they will scratch when you remove them, but in reality how many times do you remove the trim rings. I found that the powder coating actually hold the hubcap better than paint.

[miniceptor86]

I’m not a fan of powder coating on steel/iron. Once it is scratched and rust starts the powder coat separates from the metal but does not flake off like paint. It holds moisture against the metal which does not have the benefit of a rust preventive primer coat. And refinishing?? I’ve not had luck touching it up with paint. That being said it sure makes an attractive finish.

[Kube]

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Originally Posted by miniceptor86

I’m not a fan of powder coating on steel/iron. Once it is scratched and rust starts the powder coat separates from the metal but does not flake off like paint. It holds moisture against the metal which does not have the benefit of a rust preventive primer coat. And refinishing?? I’ve not had luck touching it up with paint. That being said it sure makes an attractive finish.

What you have experienced is the result of poorly applied powder. Most likely from a place that caters to the commercial side more so than to the custom side.
Scratched and rust starts? No different than painting. Exposed metals rust. That's what they do.

How does powder finishing hold moisture against the metal? Do you realize the powder is baked at around 350° to 375°?
Commercial coating is down and dirty to make it pretty.
Powder finishing done properly requires very good prep work, the application of a powdered primer and then the finish powder application.
Similar to painting, there's more to it than simply spraying and praying.

[fordor41]

Our 2011 Jeep has powder coated wheels from the factory and the P/C flakes off. Once it starts it continues. Also our aluminum running boards do the same thing. an air nozzle will blow it off the surfaces. I will go with paint to refinish them.

[deuce_roadster]

Getting custom matched powder to match you paint is an expensive and time-consuming task. What I have done on the last 3 of my cars I have painted is this:
Have your wheels checked for run out and if all 4 (or 5) are true, have them sandblasted and powder primed with epoxy powder primer (there is a cheaper less durable powder that is styrene based). This is just as important as priming metal before you paint it. Anything powder coated needs to be powder primed, don't get cheap here if you are using a stock black powder or something like that.

Ok, now you have a baked primer on your wheels that is superior to anything you could spray on them yourself. After a light sanding with 320 for adhesion, you can now paint the wheels with whatever color you want with your automotive paint. I always use urethane as it is pretty tough. If you want the wheels to match your car, you use the same paint, and the match will be perfect. Any needed touch up can be done as needed.

I have not had to touch up any of the wheels I have done in this way.
My 2 cents.

[miniceptor86]

Originally Posted by Kube

What you have experienced is the result of poorly applied powder. Most likely from a place that caters to the commercial side more so than to the custom side.
Scratched and rust starts? No different than painting. Exposed metals rust. That's what they do.

How does powder finishing hold moisture against the metal? Do you realize the powder is baked at around 350° to 375°?
Commercial coating is down and dirty to make it pretty.
Powder finishing done properly requires very good prep work, the application of a powdered primer and then the finish powder application.
Similar to painting, there's more to it than simply spraying and praying.

Yup, just my experience with purchased powder coated things.

[wga]

Add my experience to Krylon, Woodiewagon, Kube. Trim rings on my 49 wagon, think I removed them once? Hub caps hold on just fine. For my wheels, I chose a slightly darker gray than the stock, the PC suggested adding clear PC over the color. The wheels look awesome. Colors? There are a plethora of colors.
My local PC has some many shades of colors, it is easy to find the color you want. Quality PC are out there, visit several, check with the local V8 group.

[Newc]

Note: The lug nuts contact surface prefers to be bare steel to bare steel. Excessive coatings there can lead to a loose wheel. Newc

[Zax40]

Thanks for the advice everyone

[Kube]

Originally Posted by Newc

Note: The lug nuts contact surface prefers to be bare steel to bare steel. Excessive coatings there can lead to a loose wheel. Newc

Good point and true of both painting and powder finishing.

[deuce_roadster]

I used to do woodgraining and to avoid having chips where the screws hold the parts, I always used a counter sink by hand to clear out the high build primer in the screw holes to keep the layers of paint (base and graining and clear) from being on a thick, softer substrate. I also put wax on the tapered part of the screws and didn't reef them down.
I also clean out lug stud holes of wheels after painting or powder coating. I had forgotten that step until Dale brought up the lug nut issue. I was just focused on the application. The right size counter sink in a cordless drill makes pretty quick work of it on wheels.

[Kurt in NJ]

If you have powder coated wheels and brake drums they can bond together if the brakes get real hot

[Kube]

Originally Posted by Kurt in NJ

If you have powder coated wheels and brake drums they can bond together if the brakes get real hot

Man oh man, if the brakes get that hot, you have bigger issues to deal with than melted finish!

[Kube]

Originally Posted by deuce_roadster

I used to do woodgraining and to avoid having chips where the screws hold the parts, I always used a counter sink by hand to clear out the high build primer in the screw holes to keep the layers of paint (base and graining and clear) from being on a thick, softer substrate. I also put wax on the tapered part of the screws and didn't reef them down.
I also clean out lug stud holes of wheels after painting or powder coating. I had forgotten that step until Dale brought up the lug nut issue. I was just focused on the application. The right size counter sink in a cordless drill makes pretty quick work of it on wheels.

I had never done my own graining but all the sets I did have done had a relief at the screw adjacent surfaces.
I did do much like you with rims even though I always painted mine.

[ford38v8]

When I had my wheels sandblasted years ago in prep for the powder coat, I didn't accept the blast job due to sand inclusions captured between surfaces. Not just a few, there were many, which also prevented full blasting coverage. I called the powdercoater, who told me to bring them anyway, as he had his own blaster. They came out beautiful. I've had my wheels off and on a number of times, including two sets of new tires installed. Not one blemish to date.
As a side note, my experience with leftover sand on my wheels is the reason why you never sandblast anything from which errrant sand can find its way into bearings.

[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.

[petehoovie]

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.