To Powder - Or Not to Powder....

[Leon]

I've got some stuff I got cheap and have been cleaning things, repairing a couple bad threads, etc.  An example is a Moroso dry sump tank that I got on Ebay for $30 and did some minor repairs and now have a tank that looks like a just slightly used unit.  The question now is to keep it clean and make it easier to clean while in use, is it better to powdercoat it, or should I leave it bare?  I don't figure that it has much value uncoated as to heat dissipation being that it will be mounted in a compartment where it won't get much air, and in that area I'd probably be better off with a cooler anyway.  What do you guys do?  Salt on the bare aluminum would not be good, powder would help preserve it.  Is there any reason that I'm not thinking of that coating it would cause problems?

[SPARKY]

I do not paint anything that I don't want to retain heat---not an engineers opinion---just a farm boys!!!!!!!!

[dwarner]

Your car must be almost cold to the touch. Remind me to wear mittens next time.

DW

[Cajun Kid]

I was going to ask this same sort of question concerning chassis and suspension for my Studebaker which I plan to run on the salt.

To paint the chassis and suspension components or Powder Coat ?

There has to be advantages and disadvantages to each.

Am I correct that Powder Coating would be more durable and hold up better than paint alone when exposed to the Salt ?

Just need some of you experienced salt guys to give me a bit of wisdom here ?

Charles

[Freud]

Just make certain that ALL the welding is done on it before u coat it.

FREUD

[dwarner]

We never powder coat the chassis. There is always something that needs to be added/removed, brackets and such. This will require cutting or welding. If you paint in a color available in a rattle can you can touch up areas that have been worked on.

DW

[manta22]

I got an estimate for powder coating my BGMS tube chassis-- $1,000. That will buy lots of paint!

Regards, Neil  Tucson, AZ

[Cajun Kid]

Thanks

[SPARKY]

Dan,  You will need welders gloves now courtesy of Home Depot rattle cans.lol

[willieworld]

manta---go to a paint store and buy SEMS black out paint --comes in satin and shiny---paint over bare metal ---very light coats much better than one--buy one can (aerosol) and try it out ) i usually use two cans to do a roll cage --it also touches up perfect----7 dollars a can---i like the semi-gloss-----willie buchta

[jl222]

   Just drove by Capps powder coating and they were loading a coupe type frame in a pickup and boy did it look nice. Good for rust at bville but like previous post do all welding you can.

                  JL222

[Rex Schimmer]

My friend, Steve Nelson, had his new lakester frame powder coated and it really looks great! (Car no. 221 4V/Easy to clean and certainly resist the salt. I think he told me it was $750 which is probably less than the cost of sand blasting and good paint. As everyone has said you really need to make sure that you don't need to weld anything else to the frame once it is coated. It can be done, I did some welding on a steering link on my roadster that had been powder coated and one thing that you can do is to grind off the powder coat and then heat the sh-t out of it with the "blue wrench". Welds pretty good then. You can keep the area that the heat affects by using wet rags around the spot that you have heated.

Rex

[manta22]

Thanks, Willie-- I'll check out SEMS the next time I'm in town.

Regards, Neil  Tucson, AZ

[willieworld]

neil--sems is not as good as powder coating but it is a do it yourself deal --wipe the metal down and paint ---3 cans 21 dollars or 1000 dollars  an easy choice for me ---willie- on a budget- buchta

[saltfever]

The FAA prohibits powder coating on tubular mounts for piston engines. The superstructure must be cracked-checked at every annual inspection. You can't see cracks under powder coat. Paint is approved.