Powder Coating Advice Needed

[trukman1]

I'm contemplating powder coating my new inner fender wells.

Is this a good option and, if so, should I have the shipping primer coat bead blasted or is sand blasting okay to give a good bonding surface and finish.

Not sure yet what service the different companies will offer for removing primer but I have done bead blasting and sand blasting before and want to get a smooth surface but with enough "texture" for the coating to bond well with.

Is there a better finish recommended for fender wells such as just painting?

Thanks for the help. I only want to do this once and get it right...LOL!

trukman1, out!

[67C10Step]

What is the final usage for the truck? Driver or show truck? On a show truck it would probably work great and look good. Most quality powder coat places do their own prep work as they don't trust anyone else to get the surface right for their coating.

For a driver truck I don't know that I would do it. Unless you are coating the wheel side with something else I would think the powder coat would get rock chips that would then be hard to touch up.

I was home powder coating 20 years ago and fell in love with it but also found places it didn't make as much sense.

[mongocanfly]

I agree..hood side ok...but not wheel side...all powder coaters around here media blast before powder...
But I've still seen powder jobs turn out with crappy results..

[trukman1]

Thanks guys, that's what I was wanting to know.

Will be driven so I'll go with paint.

You guys are awesome! Thanks!

[LS short box]

Powder loves a sand blasted surface. And because powder is basically plastic my expirence it's much tougher then paint. The company I used to work for has a big powder coat shop. They didn't do any blasting. If the part needed prep it was up to the owner or they took it to a local sand blasting place.
I've had my 98 Wrangler frame and additional parts powder coated about 12 years ago and its still in really good shape. One tip about bolting on parts when they are powder coated is don't use cheap washers the have a sharp edge on one side. That sharp edge can crack the powder (paint also) as you tighten the bolt.
Here's a pic of my powder coated inner fenders. I did the radiator support also.

[trukman1]

Wow, LS! That does look really good! Thanks for the feedback and picture. trukman1

[ChevyRacefan]

I am going to try bed liner on the wheel side.
How does power coat hold up to brake fluid,oil, gas?
I like ease of touch up on engine side. but never used powder coat there.

[weasel29gm]

Rust-oleum hammered used for years. If scratched you can touch it up,,hard to do with powder coat

[LS short box]

It's not going to be easy to powder coat only one side. You would have to completely tape off the inside of the wheel well to prevent "overspray" of powder. You have to use high temp tape.
I've used Rust-oleum with very good results also. I just happened to work for a company with a big powder coat/plating shop. We manufactured packaging machines that needed to painted one way or another. In the mid-80"s the EPA was restricting emissions from paint shops so we switched to powder so no emissions

[old Rusty C10]

on a couple of trucks i did the inner fenders.. like others said it doesnt work well on wheel side of inner fenders, but i undercoated those and the hood side looks great

[71CHEVYSHORTBED402]

I read someplace powder coat doesn't do well for inner fenders because the metal is thin. But I had my inspection cover done & it looks great so far.

I had the inners painted and the underneath like these bed extensions.

[Black_Sheep]

Originally Posted by 71CHEVYSHORTBED402

I read someplace powder coat doesn't do well for inner fenders because the metal is thin. But I had my inspection cover done & it looks great so far.

I had the inners painted and the underneath like these bed extensions.

Bed liner? I did the same on my ‘58

[trukman1]

All these look great. I guess it will come down to cost including coating for underside if powder coated. All seem to be viable options. Thanks to all!

[ChevyRacefan]

Originally Posted by LS short box

It's not going to be easy to powder coat only one side. You would have to completely tape off the inside of the wheel well to prevent "overspray" of powder. You have to use high temp tape.
I've used Rust-oleum with very good results also. I just happened to work for a company with a big powder coat/plating shop. We manufactured packaging machines that needed to painted one way or another. In the mid-80"s the EPA was restricting emissions from paint shops so we switched to powder so no emissions

I would assume most mean, they will powder coat the whole thing, then put the undercoating or bed liner material on the tire side.
I don't like powder coat on the underside of a driven vehicle, a chip and the rust starts and it is hard to stop it from getting under the coating, same with frames, the coating cracks from flex and the rust migrates from the crack in the coating and spreads under it.
Show vehicles that If driven at all, are treated to days of cleaning and spend their life in a temp controlled space, sure.
I am sure that the issue with this, in very humid areas, is different than those areas that are dry. So depending on where you live, can change things.

[LS short box]

No question if you crack the powder coat and the it sees a lot moisture rust will start to creep underneath and lift the powder. My LS swapped Wrangler is a true mall crawler. I use it the summer as a daily driver and in the winter as my drive way plow vehicle. The Wrangler frame is more less bent tubing so I don't think it sees much flex.
One reason I used powder on my hot rod projects is that as an employee I got the "special" rate. It was very inexpensive as long as the parts were properly prepped.
Pics of my Wrangler.

[Tx Firefighter]

Cracking of powdercoat due to flexing is a problem with the shop doing the work. When I had my powdercoating shop I did more coil springs than I could ever count and they never cracked. The spring manufacturers use powder on them when you buy new springs too. I can't think of much that flexes more than a coil spring.

[71CHEVYSHORTBED402]

Originally Posted by Tx Firefighter

Cracking of powdercoat due to flexing is a problem with the shop doing the work. When I had my powdercoating shop I did more coil springs than I could ever count and they never cracked. The spring manufacturers use powder on them when you buy new springs too. I can't think of much that flexes more than a coil spring.

Funny you should mention that, I remember hearing "don't PC coil springs". The guy doing my PC says it's ideal for flexing parts. Those and my hood springs are PC.

Originally Posted by Black_Sheep

Bed liner? I did the same on my ‘58

I think that's the gist of it, on the lighter side I'd say but TUFF.