Hi Jeff:
As you may know from my previous postings on wheels, I am a great fan of
powercoating. I powdercoated everything possible on my MGB engine and am
very pleased with the results. The bugs and dirt wipe off and the finish
has remained as new after 6,000 miles.
I powdercoated the fan in yellow, the heat shield in silver; and the
firewall rt.side panel, rad support and braces, radiator, air cleaners, and
other small things in semi-gloss black.
The best part about powdercoating is that the cleaning and preparation is a
part of the process which saves many hours of grungy work. I also
powdercoated the transmission cross-member so that it is easier to clean
for engine removal, and I did all the bumper brackets. The cost is
surprisingly low for such an effective process. The heat shield has shown
know discoloration or deterioration.
Today many restorerers are powdercoating things like rear axles, wheels,
bumpers, bumper brackets, oil pans, valve covers, etc. Motorcycle
restorers are powdercoating frames, engine parts, suspension parts and all
manner of bracketry. The powercoaters are also responsible for protecting
threaded bolt holes and bolts from the coating so you don't have to worry
about this aspect. The coatings are almost impossible to tell from paint
so that you don't have to worry about a non-authentic appearance.
Try it. You'll like it.
John McEwen
>I've been bead blasting and painting various engine ancillaries during
>my ongoing engine rebuild and engine compartment restoration and have
>come to some pieces that I'm not sure how I should finish.
>
>The first is the carb heat shield, I know it should be silver, but
>should I just bead blast it and leave it unfinished (and destined to
>rust) or should I paint it silver? Type of paint recommendation?
>
>The other item is the brake and clutch hydralic lines. The lines are
>currently removed from the car and seeing that there is nothing
>physically wrong with them, I'm planning on just bead blasting them and
>refinishing them somehow. False economy? Any recommendations here?
>
> Thanks,
>
> Jeff
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