Powder Coat Your Track Wheels

[RCohen]

Just got my quattro track wheels done and they look great.  The shop that did them is an automotive finishing operation that normally won't do small jobs, but things are slow right now. 

What they did is bake the old finish off at 500 F and then wire brush them clean.  Then the wheels get an epoxy electrolytic dip coat with a black polyester powder on top.  Medium gloss black is the only color.

The price is 250 for a set of 4.  Tires, weights and valve stems must be removed.  Delivery and pickup is at my place in Chalfont, one week turn around.  You can email me at mccohens@aol.com for more details.

Randy

 

[Mike Andrews]

Randy,

For track wheels, the ideal finsih would be no coating.  The powder coating, and other painted on coverages, hide cracks......

[RCohen]

Mike

Any cracked wheel would be found and rejected when stripping the old finish off.  This is a great oportunity to inspect the wheels with tires off.  I also doubt if it is good for any wheel to be unfinished and exposed to corrosive elements such as brake dust.

Just curious, aside from inpact caused damage how many cracked wheels have you seen?  I have never seen a wheel crack unless it took a major hit from something.

[Mike Andrews]

Randy,

You are correct, once all the paint is off it's a great time to inspect them for cracking.  However, the wheels should really be inspected after every event and some people inspect them at the close of every day.  They do fail in use.

Yes, I have seen several cracked wheels.  I've even been in a couple of cars when they failed.  Once without incident and the other was not so lucky.

 

 

 

[Tony356993]

Just curious, aside from inpact caused damage how many cracked wheels have you seen?  I have never seen a wheel crack unless it took a major hit from something.

I have had a wheel crack and, knock on wood, no incidents.

[RallyJon]

500ºF?!? Aluminum? Thats a really bad idea.

[pmajka]

Please explain why this is bad?

[RallyJon]

Most aluminum wheels are hardened to T6, which involves a period of time at ~350ºF. Overheating aluminum turns it to soft cheese. Powder coating aluminum wheels--when done by a manufacturer-- is usually part of the hardening process. Aftermarket powder coating of wheels is sensitive business. Shops that know what they're doing use as low a temp as possible to melt the powder without affecting the wheels.

I personally have broken wheels, all from the same batch, that were poorly heat treated and were brittle and weak. There are pictures somewhere on the web of an M3 with high temp powder coated wheels where the spokes deformed on the track.

It can be done with relative safety, but use a good shop and blast of the old finish, don't bake it off.

[pmajka]

So who in the area chemical dips then bakes at a low temp?

[Mike Andrews]

Why not just have them media blasted to remove all of the old paint?