smckeown 1 Posted November 21, 2006 I fitted some silver rims to the track car the other day to see how the Oz's would look in their current colour and I hated them, so I must get he ultraleggera's painted white before they are fitted. I've read the main site articles, but i'm concerned with longitevity of the options used there. I've also done some researching and want to know a bit more about the options: Here are the options as I see them: 1 - Spray myself. Not sure the finish will be great or if they will stil llook good in a year's time. Plus DIY job will just paint over existing paint 2 - professional spray. I've been quoted £40 a wheel, but I think this is jusy spray over the existing paint, with some prep I assume 3 - Powdercoating. I've read this may result in a tougher finish ? 4 - Mix of sandblash and paint/poweroat ?? What is the cheapest option to remove the existing paint and paint/powedercoat with a finish that will look good over time ? Ideally i'd like option 4 done for max £40 a corner..any ideas ?? cheers sean Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Alastairh 47 Posted November 21, 2006 Shop about you may get that cheaper. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
B1ack_Mi16 67 Posted November 21, 2006 The existing paint can be removed by using some chemical gel paint remover. I would get them powdercoated white, not sure if you need to remove the existing paint first or not, but you'll maybe do it anyway to save weight? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Butler 0 Posted November 21, 2006 You can get powder coating done for less then £40 a wheel, so the spray option seems expensive. Powder coating really tough. The way to go for sure. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
pdd144c 0 Posted November 21, 2006 Powder coating is the way to go, spraying is time consuming to get a good result, especially on wheels like yours, due to the number of spokes. £40 per wheel sounds cheap to me for that. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Butler 0 Posted November 21, 2006 £40 per wheel sounds cheap to me for that. Yeah I meant if spraying is £40 per wheel, then may as well go powder coated because I am sure you can get it done for that or less. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Ahl 4 Posted November 21, 2006 You say power coating is tough, but I always heard that while paint will dent or chip, powercoat tends to come off in big chunks when damaged? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
yeti-dj 7 Posted November 21, 2006 i had all my 1.9 wheels powder coated about 5 years ago, i do clean them most weekends but they are still in great condition and got them all done for £100 cash. Defo the way to go.... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sonofsam 5 Posted November 21, 2006 If you want a decent powder coated finish, they will need to be shot/bead blasted first and if you want an ultra tough finish get them cured before a final lacquer is applied. www.ele-flex.com is in Chichester and do alot of Industial powder coating for us..satelite dishes etc... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Paintguy 0 Posted November 21, 2006 £40 a corner for painting sounds good actually, providing they're doing the whole wheel for that. You won't really get away with just painting the faces (fronts) as you'll see the silver backs through the spokes. Also the insides (where the tyre sits) needs just as good a finish as the rest of the wheel. Any roughness or overspray could cause the bead not to seal properly, leading to leaks and thus slow punctures. Paint can be just as durable as powdercoat if done properly (I'm assuming the use of 2 pack paint), but it's slightly more difficult to do on a wheel like that. Paint can be thought of as going on in 2 dimensions - it goes where you point it. The electrostatic process used in podwercoating means it wraps itself around 3D objects much better, making an even finish much easier to achieve on complicated shapes. One downside of powder' is it's inherent 'thinness' on sharp external corners. Have a look at some OE wheels, they almost always start to corrode from the sharp rear edges of the spokes. With reference to Ahl's comments, the slighty more flexible nature of paint tends to make damage more localised. Powder can be quite brittle, so it can split or crack in chunks when damaged. Having bored you with all that, I'd personally have them painted over the existing (well rubbed down) finish. If you take them down to bare metal, you might save yourself a few gramms per wheel, but you're are unlikely to get the same sort of adhesion and corrosion resistance as the manufacturer did. Old damaged, pitted, kerbed alloys would definately benefit from blasting, but on brand new wheels, I'd leave them be. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
silent_running 0 Posted November 25, 2006 I'd powdercoat without a doubt. When you see a proper quality powdercoated wheel you'll know why. It will shrug off hammer blows. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Red_SLR Posted November 28, 2006 I was quoted £211.50 to powder coat 4 wheels. Is there anyone in the north west who can help? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
chunkymonkey 0 Posted November 28, 2006 I was quoted £211.50 to powder coat 4 wheels. Is there anyone in the north west who can help? im in the north west and i can get them done on sundays only!! for 40 per wheel black or white.these are bead blasted then powder coated and baked cheers gaz Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
