Q: about powder coating automobile rims | GTAMotorcycle.com

Q: about powder coating automobile rims

robmack

robmack

Well-known member
Question has nothing to do with motorcycles but I hope I can tap into knowledgable people about the powder coat process.

I've given my OEM alloy rims to a company to get them powder coated. The rims had corrosion from salt that causes tire deflation due to leakage around the tire bead and curb rash. The firm is offering to :
1. grind down the corrosion on the tire bead area to address the ai leakage,
2. sand down the curb rash,
3. skuff up the surface to create a key for the powder coat
4. then coat directly over the OEM finish.

I'm wanting to get the barrels of the rims coated as well and I know that there is contamination from brake dust and road grime that I was unable to remove. The firm is not attempting to strip the finish in a stripping tank or to media blast the rims and I can't imagine that they will sand / stuff the barrel of the rim (just powder coat over the contamination).

I'm not sure this approach is a good idea but the guy says there's no problem with this approach. Am I making a mistake? My instincts say the rims should have existing finishes removed before putting on a new finish, especially powder coat so that it can cross link and bond properly. Please help me understand whether I'm being conned here or not.
 
Last edited:
robmack said:
Question has nothing to do with motorcycles but I hope I can tap into knowledgable people about the powder coat process.

I've given my OEM alloy rims to a company to get them powder coated. The rims had corrosion from salt that causes tire deflation due to leakage around the tire bead and curb rash. The firm is offering to :
1. grind down the corrosion on the tire bead area to address the ai leakage,
2. sand down the curb rash,
3. skuff up the surface to create a key for the powder coat
4. then coat directly over the OEM finish.

I'm wanting to get the barrels of the rims coated as well and I know that there is contamination from brake dust and road grime that I was unable to remove. The firm is not attempting to strip the finish in a stripping tank or to media blast the rims and I can't imagine that they will sand / stuff the barrel of the rim (just powder coat over the contamination).

I'm not sure this approach is a good idea but the guy says there's no problem with this approach. Am I making a mistake? My instincts say the rims should have existing finishes removed before putting on a new finish, especially powder coat so that it can cross link and bond properly. Please help me understand whether I'm being conned here or not.
Click to expand...
Buy new rims.
 
I did buy new rims, which are on the car at the moment. My intent is to bring the look back to OEM, and use the new rims I bought for winter tires, the refurbished OEM rims for summer ties. That way, I won't get the corrosion problems again. The new rims are rated for winter use.

I started out thinking I'd try to use rattle cans to repaint the OEM rims, but I soon realised the results would not be up to par. That's why I'm seeking powder coating.
 
robmack said:
I did buy new rims, which are on the car at the moment. My intent is to bring the look back to OEM, and use the new rims I bought for winter tires, the refurbished OEM rims for summer ties. That way, I won't get the corrosion problems again. The new rims are rated for winter use.

I started out thinking I'd try to use rattle cans to repaint the OEM rims, but I soon realised the results would not be up to par. That's why I'm seeking powder coating.
Click to expand...
I'm not an expert on power coating but tend to be an all or nothing person. If the car is going to be judged at a snotty vintage meet then I imagine PC is out. If I was going to the expense of PC I wouldn't want anything but new coating, no residue. If neither of those choices was appropriate I would paint myself but not necessarily with rattle cans. Some of that stuff is garbage. I've had good luck with yacht paint for topsides. Looks almost as good as PC but done with a brush.

IIRC my mechanic buddy had a rim sealer for the corrosion issue. I could be wrong.
 
How fancy do you want them to end up looking ...

I picked up the rims that I currently use as summer wheels on my car for next to nothing due to curb rash, and fixed them up myself as a little winter project a few years ago.
Remove valve stems / TPMS units and remove all wheel weights.
Clean off all the debris, whatever suitable combination of wire-brush/wheel, sandpaper, spray-cleaners+washing works, especially in the bead seating area.
Thoroughly wash them.
Fill in curb-rash grooves with JB Weld.
Sand smooth.
Paint the bead seating area on the inside of the rims with something suitable. This doesn't have to look good, it just has to fill grooves and porosity. I used brushed-on Tremclad. Doesn't matter what colour, you won't see it. Black is fine.
Paint the visible part of the rims with Duplicolor aluminum wheel paint (available at Canadian Tire). Although it isn't "powder coating", I have had very good luck with this paint over the years.
Reinstall valve stems / TPMS.
Install and balance tires.
 
Once rims get porous it's really hard to permanently reseal as leaking happens most along the bead lip, an area that's scuffed when mounting/dismounting tires.

CARCCIONE can reliably restore wheels. I've never seen another restorer last more thsn a few months.

What car are they off? A good wheel shop might match up a clone for the same price as restoring.
 
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A Guide to Powder Coating Over an Existing Coating

The very short answer is that yes you can often times apply powder coating over an existing paint. However, prior to doing so there are a lot of important factors to consider. In this article we will cover why you may want to powder coat without removing an existing coating, what you need to...
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