paint vs powder coat suspension parts

[redneck1545]

Ok so ive stripped all my suspension down to nothing...cept for the dreaded spindle pin...BUT i have access to a shop with a hydrualic press that will hopefully be up to the job.

 

 

Now with that being said i have a bunch of parts that im blasting an going to be either painting or powder coating. I have a shop next door that does powder coating for $3.00 a sq ft.

 

i will be blasting all the stuff myself so that will cut down on the $60/hr labor they charge. My question is this, would you powder coat or paint suspension parts??? I have a gallon of black zero rust that i was planning

 

on using for the interior and undercarriage but im not at that stage yet so Im wondering if it would be better to paint the parts right after they are blasted to aid in easy touch up down the road or to pay the money to have

 

em powder coated now???

 

 

I've heard mixed reviews...everyone says powder coating is the way to go as far as durability but if you get a chip or a scratch in it you gotta start all over if u want it looking good again whereas paint would just be a scuff

 

and a spray away.

 

 

any help and opinions would be appreciated!

[Empire]

I went with Tremclad primer and then paint on my stuff. Went this way for the same issue of powdercoat possibly chipping. I only like to do stuff one time, but I just couldn't fathom spending the time and $ for powerdercoat. If I had a really mint shell to start maybe I'd care more. Also, my car won't ever see winter, and hopefully never see rain.

[LanceVance]

I've powdercoated brake calipers before and while it looks great and has nice consistent coverage, it does chip. For something thats going to be seeing time on the road I would probably go with paint just for the thicker less brittle coating. I know there are some powders that are more durable, so you might look into those if your powdercoater offers them.

 

If your going the powder route you might also see if you can get a discount for getting all your parts done at the same time, in the same color. My powder coater will usually give me a job quote which usually works out better than the by-the-foot rate when I bring multiple items.

 

Good luck, and post up some pictures when everythings done!

[bobbyc]

i've painted pieces...it chips with rocks and begins to rust again. powdercoat will not chop...you could beat it with a metal rod and it wouldn't give. i decided to powdercoat all my stuff this time around...i want it to last a really long time.

[LanceVance]

i've painted pieces...it chips with rocks and begins to rust again. powdercoat will not chop...you could beat it with a metal rod and it wouldn't give. i decided to powdercoat all my stuff this time around...i want it to last a really long time.

 

Any details on what kind of powder you used?

Edited December 11, 2010 by LanceVance

[Lazeum]

Have you considered cold galvanize solution followed by paint?

 

Cold Galvanize solutions will bring a layer of zinc that will avoid your steel parts to be corroded. It's a very similar effect as electric poles or barrier you may see everywhere on the street. If it chips or get scratched, potential difference between Zn and Fe will make the zinc to corrode first (White rust) living the steel in good shape.

 

I'm going to redo my suspension very soon, this is the route I'm going to take.

 

 

 

3 randoms links for info:

 

http://www.zrcworldwide.com/p_zrc.asp

 

http://www.alvinproducts.com/Products/Products.asp?id=4

 

http://www.clearcoproducts.com/cold_galvanize_sprays.html

 

 

Edited December 11, 2010 by Lazeum

[bobbyc]

i have a guy that does all my stuff here local....sorry no details.

[redneck1545]

Have you considered cold galvanize solution followed by paint?

 

 

 

 

I dont think im gonna go that route as im trying to just do a budget build for the moment....funny thing is i say budget build and right now she's getting the full up rotissirie treatment.

 

honestly, is it even legal to say budget and ground up rebuild in the same sentence??? haha

 

but really i was just trying to get opinions as to which option to take right now...i could paint them as i have the paint already $80/gal or i could get them powder coated for who knows how much...but he did tell me they are competitively priced at $3.00 per sq ft which i think is very reasonable...im figuring i could get the sway bars, crossmember, a-arms, control arms, struts, springs, upper hats, hood torsion bar, and various brake parts done for under $200.00

 

course this is me estimating costs and u know what happens when we try to ball park prices in our head. But either way im blasting all the peices and then deciding what to do. Im figuring i got a couple days before they start gathering surface rust so even if i took a week to blast all the parts and some got surface rust building up on em it wouldnt be that much for the powder coating shop to re-prep the surface before coating.

 

my question is which road is better to take considering this will not be a trailer queen and will be driven regularly. Is the $200.00-300.00 bucks on powder going to be wasted money a year or less down the road when the coating starts to flake or chip and there is no other alternative other than strip and re-coat?

[Flexicoker]

my experience has been that powdercoating is quite a bit more durable then paint. Another option would be zinc-dichromate (gold) or black zinc plating

[heavy85]

I powdercoated some pieces and they haven't chipped at all. Very durable. Paint sucks but is cheap. Zero rust has worked well on my floorboards but chips very easily in my wheelwells. If it were me I would powdercoat. Locally you can take a box full of parts and for a couple hundred bucks they will strip and powdercoat.

 

Cameron

[redneck1545]

looks like everyone is leaning towards powder coating!

 

do you have to completely dissassemble your steering rack to have it powder coated or will taking the boots and tie rods off do just fine?

 

thanks

[johnc]

looks like everyone is leaning towards powder coating!

 

 

I lean against because powder coating tends to hide cracks. I've seen cracks in a customer's powder coated front diff cross member only after blasting off the powder coating prior to modifying it. Same on a rear lower control arm.

[Lazeum]

I dont think im gonna go that route as im trying to just do a budget build for the moment....funny thing is i say budget build and right now she's getting the full up rotissirie treatment.

 

FYI, I bought some cold galvanized spray for 7/8€ (should be about the same in $$), Spray size is 500ml. I would not do the whole car with this but one can should be good for at least the rear end... Not so expensive IMHO. You should be able to find some at hardware stores.

Other solution could be hot galvanized process, locksmiths in France are the ones in contact with companies who should be able to it... I don't think it would be more expensive than Powder Coating... This time, it is a guess, I haven't looked very closely at prices.

 

 

 

 

Good luck though with your rebuild  

Edited December 12, 2010 by Lazeum

[dsommer]

I powder coated my suspension. Everything plus rotor hats, front X member, JTR mounts and set back plates. $450.

 

Sorry just like showing off the poweder coating

 

 

 

 

Kevko oil pan in the raw...

 

 

Powder coated with crinkel finish.(going to do the roll bar with the same finish)

 

Thermal coating on intake (and rear dif cover).

Edited December 12, 2010 by dsommer

[redneck1545]

I lean against because powder coating tends to hide cracks. I've seen cracks in a customer's powder coated front diff cross member only after blasting off the powder coating prior to modifying it. Same on a rear lower control arm.

 

 

maybe i should have made this a poll thread...

 

Your expertise is infinite jonh!

 

I cant even recall the amount of info i have referenced from you on here!

 

Im starting the blasting process this week so I guess ill make a decision after im done with all the peices but if i go paint i gotta get me another quart of silver paint...gotta have some contrast ya know

 

OH yea...I GOT THE SPINDLE PINS OUT TODAY!!! not really as much of a pain as i though it would be really...bout 30 mins for both and two 3/8" extensions destroyed...not to bad in my mind..and no the pins are not re-usable just in case u were wondering.

 

Im thinking all the a-arms, control arms, TC rods, springs and doglegs in silver and all the cross members, sway bars, struts, brake backing plates and rotor hats in black ... im gonna have the whole underside of the car painted in zero rust black when its all said and done...any comments or suggestions?

[redneck1545]

I powder coated my suspension. Everything plus rotor hats, front X member, JTR mounts and set back plates. $450.

 

 

 

did you sandblast all the stuff yourself or take it to them straight after being torn off the car and left all the blasting and prep to the coaters for that price???

thanks

[240zip]

If you're going for a pure track/race car then paint the chassis white and paint the suspension pieces black. If you're going for a street car, then I think powdercoating is appropriate. I've done two and swear by the powdercoating approach. Check around for prices. I got an entire suspension (really more like 1.5) for under $200 including sand blasting. I went with a satin black. It's common for some shops to do poor masking jobs and they'll sometimes powdercoat various holes. Doing the blasting of the pieces yourself allows you to work with them in masking. I did this one some critical pieces (like the struts). The bigger industrial shops are the cheapest, but will sometimes have limited patience for the one-off restoration job. If you go with a common color, like satin black, they'll sometimes waive the set-up fee because they'll add you to an existing job. That's what mine did. If you're in Denver, it's called Roadrunner Fabrication.

 

Here are two more shots of one of my powdercoated suspensions.

 

 

 

There are some pieces, like the steering rod and rack that you can't or shouldn't powdercoat. For those I used the Eastwood chassis black paint. I have a bead blasting cabinet and use that to prep all metal pieces prior to painting.

[redneck1545]

thanks for the info man!

 

im hoping if i blast all the stuff myself it will bring the cost down considerably.

 

im still wanting to do some contrast and im willing to pay a little money to have those parts done in silver...even a sleeper deserves a little POP ya know haha

 

what other parts besides the steering rack would you not recommend powder coating?

[240zip]

It's going to be heated to over 450F, so any parts that have rubber / plastic and those parts with u-joints and all. I wouldn't do the springs because the heat cycle may mess up the spring rates. I've been told galvanized parts may out-gas during the powdercoating process and thus can cause bubbles.

[h4nsm0l3m4n]

If you're going for a pure track/race car then paint the chassis white and paint the suspension pieces black. If you're going for a street car, then I think powdercoating is appropriate. I've done two and swear by the powdercoating approach. Check around for prices. I got an entire suspension (really more like 1.5) for under $200 including sand blasting. I went with a satin black. It's common for some shops to do poor masking jobs and they'll sometimes powdercoat various holes. Doing the blasting of the pieces yourself allows you to work with them in masking. I did this one some critical pieces (like the struts). The bigger industrial shops are the cheapest, but will sometimes have limited patience for the one-off restoration job. If you go with a common color, like satin black, they'll sometimes waive the set-up fee because they'll add you to an existing job. That's what mine did. If you're in Denver, it's called Roadrunner Fabrication.

 

I have not had anything powdercoated for my own car but we order a lot of powdercoating done on various prototype parts where I work. This is definitely excellent advice. A custom/rare color will cost you a lot more. We always order the same gray they've been stocking for years, turns out great every time. Check with the shop you plan to use, talk to them about what colors they have in stock right then. You can still get some decent colors without having to pay extra.

Edited December 15, 2010 by h4nsm0l3m4n