To Powder Coat or Not to Powder Coat

[mrglaeser]

When cleaning my shop over the weekend one big task was taking care of all the empty aerosol cans. I had 56 Rustoleum primer and semi-gloss black cans, 4 bed liner cans, and then some engine and exhaust paint/sealer.

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This got me to thinking that is probably $600 worth of paint and probably 30 hours of work (cleaning, hanging, painting, etc). At first I didn't mind doing it but now I'm kind of tired of process. Should I do another build in the future I think I would look to fit all of the aluminum as step one and then send it to powder coating at one go. I was wondering for those that have done that what was the ballpark cost? With so much into paint and time I would think powder coating wouldn't be much more if you gave them everything at once. Additionally it would be more durable. Are any draw backs to this way of finishing the panels? Maybe I just went overboard in painting everything....

[JimStone]

How have your panels held up with painting them?

[PNWTim]

I think the only downside is powder coat is difficult to repair if it is scratched or chipped. Of course, it's relatively difficult to scratch or chip so there's that. I personally am going to powder coat all my panels purely for ease and consistency. I think your point of money and time spent is valid. Painting with rattle cans can be time consuming and relatively expensive but it doesn't feel that way because it's an incremental expense - a can here, a can there, but it definitely adds up.

[cv2065]

I got every panel powder coated for $650 on my last build (2018) and $850 on this build, as prices have gone up. I'd say paying the extra $250 over buying the spray cans, prepping, spraying and getting a more durable coating is tremendously worth it. Not to mention, you can get virtually any finish or color that you want, as spray cans are limited in selection.

[cv2065]

I think the only downside is powder coat is difficult to repair if it is scratched or chipped.

There are companies that make touch up aerosols for powder colors like CRL and FHC. You just need the RAL number. Cardinal powder coatings also make touch up aerosols for their powder. Not sure if they make every color but have a pretty good selection. But to your point, the paint won't have the same durability as the powder and might not blend that well unless you have a good skillset.

[mrglaeser]

How have your panels held up with painting them?

Just getting to go-kart stage. I keep a can of touch up paint handy. Most panels get 2 coats of primer and 3 coats of color. The fire wall I think I did 6 coats. So I get scratches here and there normally not down to the metal but yeah I am routinely touching up. I think it won't be so bad once I'm done with the build. Most scratches come when I'm fitting the next panel(s).

[dbo_texas]

I inherited my kit from another builder and he had coated some of the visible engine panels panels w/ POR-15 and they had runs all over the place and flaking off in others. I wanted a cleaner look, so after drilling all the panels I sent off the entire lot of panels (visible & non-visible) to a powder coater and they stripped and powder coated them all for $400. I think I've seen folks say expect to spend $400-$800 depending on the shop. I went with satin black which they do tons of so it was easy for them to work my parts in with other jobs.

[nuhale]

for my current coupe build I opted for several options. Any panel that was in the open and seen as the front tilts on coupe (exposing a ton) would be powder coated. This represents maybe 30%-40% of the panels. Went with a light wrinkle satin finish as my roadster build was all gloss and shows everything. Where panels are seen but not direct (ex Tunnel/cabin panels from under car) I used a vinyl wrap that I picked up on amazon. High temp vinyl that is used for signage on those cricket machine things. A little elbow grease but not too bad. Came out looking great. Panels facing the engine on footbox I wrapped in a gold heat reflective material that Erik Trevis used. I'm pretty happy with the result as all looks great and professional. The powder coated parts were $300, the gold foil was around $60 (3 rolls) and the vinyl material was $20. I would have spent roughly $1000-$1200 on powder coating all the panels.

[gbranham]

I powdercoated all my aluminum. It was $700. Would definitely do it again.

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[narly1]

for my current coupe build I opted for several options.

Hot rod, but taking a similar approach. The parts of the firewall & foot well pieces that you can see with the hood up are getting powder coated. Road facing sides of of those and any other pieces get a coat of etching aluminum primer and Raptor undercoating. Anything you can't see (non-road facing surfaces) either get a coat of my homebrew Lizard skin or Nyalic (Sharkhide alternative).

Earl