Steel wheels: paint vs. powdercoat?

Danny_Ocean · 08:22 PM

This is sorta 911 related, but pertains to my 914-6 (I grow cobwebs waiting for answers on the 914 forum)...

I have 4 steel wheels that need refinishing. These are temp wheels until I complete my five-lug (Fuchs) conversion (could take a few years before I get around to it). Powdercoating shop wants $100+ per wheel to blast/powdercoat. I figure if I have them blasted myself ($50 for 4), and bring to an auto body shop, it shouldn't cost more than $100 (+/-). So, $150 vs. $400...

Question is, how will regular auto paint hold up on wheels?

Joe Bob · Joe Bob's Garage

Powder coating ain't rocket science. You can do it yourself with a electric rotary wire brush.....then take some "00" steel wool and rattle can them. Use Wurth's silver.

You can powder coat them and don't have to use the steel wool as it's thick and fills real well.

rnln · 12-25-2007, 12:17 AM

?? what you are saying is paint, or the same as paint. I thought power coating involve some heat treating?

Quote:

Originally Posted by mikez

Powder coating ain't rocket science. You can do it yourself with a electric rotary wire brush.....then take some "00" steel wool and rattle can them. Use Wurth's silver.

You can powder coat them and don't have to use the steel wool as it's thick and fills real well.

Joe Bob · Joe Bob's Garage

Yes it does.....if your single.....and have an oven, it shouldn't be a problem.

gamin · 12-25-2007, 05:21 AM

I had my steel wheels powdercoated for $50 each but I did the sand blasting. Bought a
cheap blaster from Northern and some playground sand from Lowes and had at it. A face
shield is essential. The finished product looks great. I may leave them on the old T even
though I have a set of Al Reed refinished deep sixes. He does GREAT work by the way.
Good luck with your project.
Gary

Grady Clay · 12-25-2007, 06:37 AM

Danny,

Good questions and you are getting good advice.

First, exactly which steel wheels do you have? I assume normal Porsche 5-bolt, what date codes, size and Type? Are all four the same? What condition, run-out measurements, curb damage, rust, etc? Were they ever chrome? What is the finish condition now? Are these just interim use until you find suitable Fuchs?

Depending on your answers here, you may find you simply want to apply some steel wool, elbow grease and rattle-can paint (I think the exact correct color is available).

On the other hand you may want to do some ‘high-end’ refinishing.

I would caution against chemical stripping and be very careful with mechanical media, depending on what you want. Regular painted steel wheels were primed and then painted a ‘non-metallic’ silver-gray. You should take the ‘non-metallic’ with a grain of salt. There is some ‘metallic’ to them but not like a multi-part metallic automotive finish.

If they are in good enough condition you can have them chrome plated.

I won’t claim to be an expert in the exact paint formula. I think the regular automotive priming process and Acrylic enamel looks just right and wears well.

Hub caps are important with painted or chrome steel wheels. There are three types; plain (no crest), silver Porsche crest and enameled Porsche crest. Condition is everything. I don’t think I have ever seen a ‘repaired’ hub cap that didn’t look repaired. A good set of original hub caps will be worth more than your wheels.

Welcome to the 911 Forum. Most of what you need you will fine here (other than body, chassis, trim). I too have several 914-6s.

Merry Christmas
Best,
Grady

Danny_Ocean · 07:15 AM

These are just the 4-lug basic (early) steel 914 wheels (VW markings, 5.5 x 15). I'm going with all (gloss) black, no hubcaps. Car is a 914-6 "conversion", so authenticity is not an issue. I will eventually be converting the car to 5 lugs (911 front suspension, 914-6 rear suspension) and installing polished Fuchs, but need something to roll on now. I was thinking about the rattle-can route, but previous experiments didn't come out looking good.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Grady Clay

Danny,

Good questions and you are getting good advice.

First, exactly which steel wheels do you have? I assume normal Porsche 5-bolt, what date codes, size and Type? Are all four the same? What condition, run-out measurements, curb damage, rust, etc? Were they ever chrome? What is the finish condition now? Are these just interim use until you find suitable Fuchs?

Depending on your answers here, you may find you simply want to apply some steel wool, elbow grease and rattle-can paint (I think the exact correct color is available).

On the other hand you may want to do some ‘high-end’ refinishing.

I would caution against chemical stripping and be very careful with mechanical media, depending on what you want. Regular painted steel wheels were primed and then painted a ‘non-metallic’ silver-gray. You should take the ‘non-metallic’ with a grain of salt. There is some ‘metallic’ to them but not like a multi-part metallic automotive finish.

If they are in good enough condition you can have them chrome plated.

I won’t claim to be an expert in the exact paint formula. I think the regular automotive priming process and Acrylic enamel looks just right and wears well.

Hub caps are important with painted or chrome steel wheels. There are three types; plain (no crest), silver Porsche crest and enameled Porsche crest. Condition is everything. I don’t think I have ever seen a ‘repaired’ hub cap that didn’t look repaired. A good set of original hub caps will be worth more than your wheels.

Welcome to the 911 Forum. Most of what you need you will fine here (other than body, chassis, trim). I too have several 914-6s.

Merry Christmas
Best,
Grady

Danny_Ocean · 12-25-2007, 07:11 AM

I've looked at the Eastwood home powdercoating set-ups, but I'm trying to downsize...if I buy any more tools, I'll need a bigger shop!

Quote:

Originally Posted by mikez

Powder coating ain't rocket science. You can do it yourself with a electric rotary wire brush.....then take some "00" steel wool and rattle can them. Use Wurth's silver.

You can powder coat them and don't have to use the steel wool as it's thick and fills real well.

Danny_Ocean · 12-25-2007, 07:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gamin

I had my steel wheels powdercoated for $50 each but I did the sand blasting.

Everything is cheaper in NC. That's why all us Floridians are moving there.

bhaubold · 12-25-2007, 10:21 AM

I recently had to refinish a wheel on my wife's Acura. I went to a body shop supply and found they could supply a basecoat clearcoat system in rattle cans.

The basecoat was a regular spray can The clearcoat was a two part spray can. You activate the paint by pressing a button on the bottom. This mixes the two parts and away you go. It's a one time deal and costs about $20 per can. I would say you could clear two wheels with about 3-4 coats each per can. The results are really very nice. The finish is high gloss and very durable. Much nicer than any regular clear in a spray can.

David 23 · 12-25-2007, 10:29 AM

You should be able to have your wheels powder coated, professionally for $50 ea or less. I paid $40, that included all the prep. The results are far more durable, and better looking than any rattle can, and most auto paint. Powder coating provides a remarkable gloss that is more durable than auto paint.

the · 12-25-2007, 10:38 AM

From the factory, wheels come painted with regular automotive paint. Plenty durable.

Nothing wrong with powdercoating, but it isn't necessary.

If they were my steel wheels, I'd just get a can of silver Wurth spray paint and Wurth clear and paint them that way. They will be the proper shade of silver for a porsche, and plenty durable and look great for many, many years.

Danny_Ocean · 12-25-2007, 08:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by David 23

You should be able to have your wheels powder coated, professionally for $50 ea or less.

I am in SoFLA. Nothing is cheap here. If I do locate an inexpensive powder-coating service, it will be guaranteed to look like crap. The powdercoating company that was recommended does most of the high-end business in the area (automotive parts, building railings, etc.). They want $100/wheel.

I'll do some research on the 2-part stuff mentioned above.

Thanks, all.

gshiwota · 12-27-2007, 10:41 AM

I was a powder coater for about 7 years - my family has been in the business for 30 years now in Southern California.

I highly recommend powder coating for steel wheels since wheels take a real beating during installation, mounting, balancing and road use (brake dust, heat, etc...). Powder coating is tough stuff and is very easy to maintain. Especially for rust prone steel wheels, it is very important to have a good coating for them. "Wet painted" wheels look fine when new, but try hosing them off a year of normal use and you'll likely have paint chipping and peeling.

I powder coated steel wheels on several of my personal cars over the years and they look great after many years of service. The strength of powder coating lies in the preparation of the metal surface and not the coating itself. Therefore, I do not recommend DIY powder coating since home-based equipment does not typically include proper pre-treatment equipment. Especially for parts like wheels that take a lot of abuse, you'll want proper metal preparation before coating. Preparation for your wheels should include sand blasting and chemical phosphate cleaning prior to coating.

Note, steel wheels are tricky to powder coat since the seam between the wheel center and rim often resists powder coating due to the faraday cage effect. A professional coater will know how to overcome this and properly coat the wheels. DIY systems may not have voltage contols on the applicator to overcome this.

If you want to save some money, I have found that you're better off calling a large commercial powder coating shop. Smaller "speciality automotive" powder coaters are more expensive since they service retail consumers. Larger commercial shops tend to shy away from retail since they don't like a jobs with lots of small parts since they tend to be a PITA. However since you're just coating 4 wheels, they should not have problems doing the work. BTW... steel wheels are easy to powder coat and it shouldn't take an specialty shop to coat them.

I agree with others on this post that chemical stripping is not recommended. It's messy, time consuming and does remove rust. In fact, you may increase surface rust since you'll have to rinse the stripper off with water.

There should also be commercial sand blasters in your area. If you find one this may be your cheapest way to have the wheels blasted. When I was in the business you could typically have a set of wheels blasted for about $40 and powder coated for $100 - however this was 10 years ago and prices are probably a little higher.

Pick up a phone book and start calling around to find some shops.

Good luck!

Gabe

'82 911SC targa
'61 356 Karmann Notchback

gshiwota · 12-27-2007, 10:46 AM

One more thing... here's a good site to find a powder coater in your area. This is the Powder Coating Institute (PCI) website for commercial powder coaters. Most shops belonging to the PCI are larger commercial shops. I don't know the Florida area but there are several on this site that are members. I'd give each of them a call for a quote to see if they can beat your other quote.

http://www.powdercoating.org/members/custom/

75blkcarrera · 12-28-2007, 05:01 PM

gshiwota, I have been powder coating for a few years and have some experience. You are right on it, with your discussion. I could not have said it any better. Thank You

Danny_Ocean · 12-28-2007, 11:26 PM

That's who I called. The largest shop in town. Mostly commercial work, some automotive work. $100 ea/ wheel is the quote.

I will call around, thanks.

Quote:

Originally Posted by gshiwota

If you want to save some money, I have found that you're better off calling a large commercial powder coating shop.

Danny_Ocean · 12-28-2007, 11:28 PM

The only company on the list that's in my area is the company I called...first listing under "FL" heading...

Quote:

Originally Posted by gshiwota

One more thing... here's a good site to find a powder coater in your area. This is the Powder Coating Institute (PCI) website for commercial powder coaters. Most shops belonging to the PCI are larger commercial shops. I don't know the Florida area but there are several on this site that are members. I'd give each of them a call for a quote to see if they can beat your other quote.

http://www.powdercoating.org/members/custom/