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Location:
South Australia
Registered:
July 2002
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Powder coat v. high temp enamel.
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Thu, 08 April 2004 00:26
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Okay, aside from the obvious difference in cost. I'm trying to neaten up my engine bay, painting various bits and pieces such as the alternator, power steering pump, rocker covers.
I'm wondering, spray can engine enamel seems to chip like buggery, is there like a hi-temp lacquer or something that I can use on these parts like thalternator. Does this stuff last or melt or anything?
Secondly, powder coating seems to be very durable, but will this be able to handle the temperature underneath the bonnet etc etc
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Location:
Brisbane
Registered:
May 2002
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Re: Powder coat v. high temp enamel.
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Thu, 08 April 2004 01:06
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Powder coating is very durable and it will handle under-bonnet temps without a problem. Some coatings are designed to go on exhaust manifolds so extreme heat is not a concern. My turbo dump pipe is HPC coated and after 12 months it shows no signs of coming off.
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Location:
South Australia
Registered:
July 2002
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Re: Powder coat v. high temp enamel.
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Thu, 08 April 2004 04:44
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I was under the impression that most powder coats are plastic or something? But you can get ceramic ones as well for exhausts, is that right?
So if I want the 'paint' job to last I should get the parts powder coated instead of just spraying them?
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Location:
1st street on the right
Registered:
November 2002
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Re: Powder coat v. high temp enamel.
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Thu, 08 April 2004 05:37
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Best bet at least for cast exhaust manifolds is to have them coated like a cast iron bath. Find a restoration service for bath tubs and they can do it. Looks absolutly fantastic.
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Location:
Montrose, VIC
Registered:
May 2002
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Re: Powder coat v. high temp enamel.
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Thu, 08 April 2004 08:45
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Ceramic coating is the go for all the parts, comes in a range of colours and is FAR tougher than powder coating ever is. Oh yeah, it costs more too  Otherwise, for some parts electroplating is an option (zinc, chrome, gold(!) ). 
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Location:
Melbourne
Registered:
May 2002
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Re: Powder coat v. high temp enamel.
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Thu, 08 April 2004 10:08
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Powder coating is a very durable finish on all metals, it is a electorstatic process, which means it requires that you ground the surface your applying it to, makes it very strong. As for temps under bonnet, when baked a powder coating oven is set to temps between 180 - 220 degrees Celcius, i doubt it would then inturn have any trouble under bonnet. However powdercoating is not cheap by anymeans and the surfaces need to be completly stripped of all rust and impurities, otherwise the power will not bond with the metal, and if you are powdercoating over aluminium surfaces, it will aslo require an addition prepration of a coat of etch primer, otherwise it will just not adheare to the aluminium. Last but not least the high temp enalmals that you can buy in a can, VHT make some very nice high temp sprays though if you read the instructions on the back you will find that the process of application is not just spraying it on and letting it dry. You will find that it needs to be baked in a oven for it to stick really well. Having experimented with this product i can say that if you apply it and for most of the part dry it with a heat gun you will have better results and it will be more durable than what you may have expirienced in the past.
Good Luck
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Location:
South Australia
Registered:
July 2002
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Re: Powder coat v. high temp enamel.
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Thu, 08 April 2004 13:20
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Yeah I used a heat gun on engine enamel once but it still didn't quite come up right, didn't take long for little bits to chip here and there when doing minor work on the car  Usually before something gets powder coated you'd get it blasted (sand?) as well to remove all crap?
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