Neveragain55 Posted January 9, 2012 Share Posted January 9, 2012 Please forgive this question but I have zero experience painting pulleys. I blasted all of the external parts of my engine and I plan on painting all of the parts before I put them back on. My question pertains to pulleys (specifically the inside “V†of the pulley where the belt resides) like the water pump pulley, power steering pulley, etc. etc. The question is: do I paint the inside of the pulley or leave it bare? My thought process is that if I leave the "V" section of the pulley unpainted rust will eventfully form and prematurely eat away at the metal. If I paint the inside of the pulley, the paint will surely come completely off after the first few hundred miles and I’ll be left with bare metal again anyway. If I paint or coat the inside of the pulley, which material and/or paint would stand up to the belt running around it. I know, I know, but when you’ve all stopped laughing, let me know what you think or which direction I should go. I have this aggravating way of over-thinking every little detail but it's just part of my OCD Thanks in advance gang……. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billseph Posted January 9, 2012 Share Posted January 9, 2012 There is no way rust is gonna "prematurely wear" the pulley any appreciable amount. The belt will always be cleaning the new water deposits off anyways. I'm thinking you'd have nothing to worry about pulley-wise...unless you're planning on parking it in a salt water bath between drives...but even then are you gonna be driving the car for the next 300 years??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neveragain55 Posted January 9, 2012 Author Share Posted January 9, 2012 Thanks, Sound logic, so I'll only paint the outer sides and leave the insides alone, thanks..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GOTHALOSISM Posted January 9, 2012 Share Posted January 9, 2012 You can always powdercoat them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neveragain55 Posted January 10, 2012 Author Share Posted January 10, 2012 I was thinking about powder coating them and I happen to know someone locally that could do it for me but I think they'll be fine with just painting the outer halves. The more I thought about it the more I realize that billseph is right. The insides of the pulleys are going to constantly be getting cleaned because of the belt. Your suggestion is a good one however if I were building a show car and I needed all the parts and surfaces to look sharp, and it's much appreciated. Thanks Dude......... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dershum Posted January 13, 2012 Share Posted January 13, 2012 You can always powdercoat them. I've been considering this for mine, but I was wondering how much difference the powdercoat would make in terms of the fit of the belt. Is there enough "give" there that it wouldn't matter with the additional thickness of the powdercoat? Or would I have to switch to a smaller (thinner?) belt? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
surpip Posted January 13, 2012 Share Posted January 13, 2012 Powdercoating is usually no thinker than paint. Any paint/powdercoat would be gone in a few miles if applyed to the grove anyways (powdercoating would last a lille longer).its easyer to just paint the grove and let the belt wear it off than masking the area off would be. And the paint that gets into the lower part of the grove where the belt dosent reach would protect that area as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cockerstar Posted January 13, 2012 Share Posted January 13, 2012 Powdercoating is usually no thinker than paint. Any paint/powdercoat would be gone in a few miles if applyed to the grove anyways (powdercoating would last a lille longer).its easyer to just paint the grove and let the belt wear it off than masking the area off would be. And the paint that gets into the lower part of the grove where the belt dosent reach would protect that area as well. I powdercoat and fabricate for a living, and you're wrong. Powdercoating is significantly thicker than most paints, and will last for many years on a pulley if properly applied. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
surpip Posted January 13, 2012 Share Posted January 13, 2012 Hmm i guess the guy i took all my parts to was blowing smoke up my a$$? he did show me with a magnet gauge that the powder wasent much thicker than paint i guess it depends on how its applyed? I imagine you can varry the thickness just like you can do when painting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.