SportShiftTypeS

What's up, i've read up on past topics about this, but it lead to no where .. has any1 tried spray painting or powder coating there stock cl-s wheels? I'm interested to see what they would look like .. I have an 01 black cl-s dropped, and considering doing my wheels gunmetal .. any feedback or idea's are welcomed.

mattg

i think you should go for it. powder coating would probably be best, but a base/clear paint job on them would work well too.

SportShiftTypeS

thanks for the feedback matt G, i love the way some oem honda wheels look powdercoated gunmetal and i was wondering what our rims would look like.

mattg

maybe you could get someone to photoshop it for you.

CLASSYCLS

I just got a set of 03 CL-S wheels painted gunmetal, looks niceeeeeeee, gonna take some pics of them by this weekend!

SportShiftTypeS

that will b great can any1 photochop a picture of a cl-s w/ stock rims w/ a nice gunmetal color to them

Theres been lots of talk, but im surprised no has done this .. i'm only considering this cuz i need to save cash and dont mind my stock wheels.

SportShiftTypeS

can any good photochoppers make these wheels gunmetal? Thanks.



i took the pic from autocarparts.com

JZ

I was thinking about doing the same thing.

It's actually very easy for a qualified shop to do--they just remove your silver paint, buff out any scratches and re-paint them whatever color you want them.

My only concern is the center cap since I think it is a sticker.

I was wondering if the center caps from the TSX gunmetal rims would fit and then you could just match the cap color to the new wheel color.

The other thing is that before I do this I am going to get my chrome pieces around the windows painted black and swap out my doors handles for 2003 black handles. I don't think the gunmetal rims will good on a black CL with the chrome trim.

Lastly, I would like to smoke my driving lights and film my 2003 tails so that the entire car is dark.

That would look bad-ass!

JZ

Also, if anyone photoshops that pic paint the grill and window trim and tint the headlight housings and road lamps.

Chopsie

I thought about having mine base/cleared white. Since the dealer has fucked mine to holy hell and back. Thought it may look a little ricey, but I dunno. Guess I may post a poll.

SportShiftTypeS

well, im gettin a buddy to paint my wheels gunmetal tomorow, ill post pics asap.

JZ

You'd better decide what you are going to do with the center caps first. They are stickers!

Smitty

Here is a powder coated stock rim for you..



Website

Smitty

CHONATION

damn look how wide that rim is, in one of the pictures on that website.

dfreder371

Thanks Smitty. That wheel picture is of MY wheels.

And just by chance, I am my company's powder coating and liquid coating "expert" (boy, do I have these guys fooled) of 50,000 people.

But the powder coating on that wheel is a VERY SPECIAL process that can be done by only one person in the U.S. Gary Goodrich of
www.goodrichtechnology.com Gary charged me $100 per wheel. I paid shipping to and from Pitsburg, CA.

Why didn't I do the wheels myself? Because I do not own a vacuum PVD chamber. Physical vapor deposition. PM me if you want the details. BTW, Gary was farming the wheel business out to another guy in the area, and the rumor was the price was going to drop to $50 per wheel. If you're interested, call Gary. He is a nice guy to deal with. Gary is currently swamped by the real chrome freaks, the motorcycle crowd.

Regarding STANDARD powder coating, hold on guys! There is more to this than you think! No, it is not hard, but it must be understood.

First, your wheels already ARE powder coated, and if you want to change the look, that powder coating has to come off, either chemically or mechanically. I'll let Smitty (Carl) explain the joys of chemical stripping, as I just did his calipers and some other stuff.

Mechanically, have someone sandblast them for you (This is part of GG process, included in the cost. He also repairs wheels also. But be careful I just did some wheels for a guy (who wasn't to happy with the finished product) because he didn't have them sandblasted. Gravel blasted is more like it. Use people who have light blasting equipment (small particle size abrasive).

Don't even think for one second that you can just powder coat over the old coating. You might be able to, but you would be probably conducting a $400 experiment with a 50/50 chance of failure. Something called "intercoat adhesion" could do you in.

I'll keep it simple. It's like mixing oil and water. It just doesn't work.

Powder coatings come in different chemistries such as epoxy, polyester, polyester TGIC (Triglyceride Isocyanurate), acrylic and hybrids (mixtures). If your 2000-2003 wheels have the factory coating on them, that would be an acrylic chemistry and must be removed.

The ONLY coatings you should use are either another acrylic, or a polyester TGIC. The others (especially epoxy) will not weather well (they will "chalk") or don't have the mechanical strength needed for a wheel coating. My recommendation? Polyester TGIC.

Someone mentioned the wheel centers. Those are polycarbonate/abs plastic and cannot be powder coated and will melt. Here is how you fix that. I had 1 millimeter thick aluminum discs made in a machine shop that were the exact diameter as the center cap and had them powder coated also. While my wheels were out being powder coated, I took a center cap to a local pin striping shop, and they scanned the Acura "A" and surrounding circle into the computer and had 16 full size emblems made for $25. Make SURE they use a material that is UV (sunlight resistant. Clean the discs with alcohol while wearing plastic gloves and apply the decals. I used 15 of the 16 before I had four nicely centered decals.

A fair price for a powder coated wheel should be in the $50 to 100 per wheel, and remember, painting is very simple, it is the preperations where all the work lies. Just ask smitty.

I am off to Indianapolis this afternoon to go help design a quick color change powder coating booth at Gema, my company's powder coating equipment supplier. On friday when I am back to work, I have 5 or 6 photos I will fwd to smitty so you can see what was done.

If you find a TGIC color/effect you like but think the gloss is too low, no problem. Have the job shop add a second coat of a high gloss TGIC clear. But this will cost you more. The second coat can ONLY be applied after the first coat is applied and cured, and that is usually, for a wheel due to its high mass, one hour at 375f.

Questions? Ask here or PM me. I've been PCing for 15 years and have made every mistake possible with the stuff, so I know what to avoid.

Probably the best thing I can do when I get back for you SERIOUS guys is let me know what town you are in, where the nearest (somewhat) major city is you are willing to take your wheels to, and I can provide you with a powder coating job shop who belongs to PCI, the Powder Coating Institute.

The cleaner your wheels are when you drop the off at the powder coater will get you the best job possible.

Oh, and BTW...don't forget to remove your valve stems and your existing wheel balance weights.

NSXNEXT

iTrader: (2)

Yeah I wanna find a powder coater in the Philadelphia/Southern Jersey area. Zip code is 08054.


How do they handle multipiece wheels when you only want a certain piece, i.e. the lip powdercoated? Do you have to dissemble them or do they have the tools to do it?

Smitty

Depends on who your dealing with but my guess is that MOST of them want you have the piece prepped and ready to shoot... 90% of the process is PREP.... I am sure it would save you some money if you had the parts ready to be shot.

dfreder371

NSXNEXT: Compared to liquids, powder coatings are by comparison, quite thick. .001"=1 mil. Liquid coatings are usually 0.2 mils to 0.7 mils. Powder coatings will be between a 2 to 3 mils finish because the powder needs to flow out so there are no voids in the coating. Let me put that another way. Liquid coatings are runny or thin. Powder coatings are viscous or thick.

I don't know how to properly answer your question, bucause I don't know how three piece wheels go together. But I think I know how to answer you another way.

Imagine you have a piston for the engine and it fits nicely in the bore and slides smoothly and you are happy with the fit. You decide to powder coat the piston and the bore and you cure the whole thing up. Now you find out no way will the piston enter the bore. Don't know if you saw it, but that is why the masking on Smittys calipers that I did was so extensive.

As a rule, if one machined surface needs to mate or "nest" within another, that area probably should not be powder coated. And as a rule should be masked with a special masking tape. And that brings up a VERY GOOD POINT!

Any masking NEEDS TO BE DONE BEFORE the sandblasting step. One obvious area you do NOT wanted powder coated is where the back of the wheel mated with the brake disc so the possibility of the wheel wobbleing is eliminated.

Can you provide a link to a good "exploded" picture of the wheels apart. I'd like to give you a better answer.

I have to go to one of my business units now. Not work where the addresses to the PCI members are. I'll be back in a few hours or so. Not leaving to Indy until 5 a.m. tomorrow.

dfreder371

Smitty has my car/wheel pics. Hope he posts them.

NSXNEXT: Forgot to bring home the PCI guide. Sorry. Will try again Monday.

Smitty

dfreder371

Thank you Carl.

mattg

dave, have you lowered it yet?

dfreder371

No. I know it looks better. Right now, my focus is on paying off the house. Four years to go. And I trust the Acura engineers to do things right. I know, better look, lower center of gravity, yada,yada,yada.

But I am still relatively young. Correction, not a fossil yet. As I am single and have no kids, I am considering a new toy when I have no car payments or house payments.

An experimentally built airplane. Either a Glassair III or a Lance Air Turbo IV. I would need two partners, as the project would be pretty expensive. Fully IFR (Instrument Flight Rules equipped.)

For the Glassair, I could probably get by for $100,000. The Lance Air Turbo IV would be closer to $225,000.

The Glassair is good for 300 mph true, the Lance Air approaches 400 mph. The fuel cost for either (fuel for the Lance Air is cheaper, but more is consumed, it is kerosene, or diesel) runs about $45 to 50 per hour.

But for that cost, I could leave Chicago, and in one hour be having lunch and beers with Smitty in about 1:15.

This is still in the formative stages. Even if we build the thing, the fixed costs amount to around $12,000 per year, if it is never flown. Insurance, tie down space, annual inspections.

But if we agree to build the plane, it will be a jewel, and decked out with the very best.

Airplanes are my passion!

mattg

you can spare a few hundred for some ct springs.



i used to live in Redmond, OR. where Lance Air is located. i have a friend that did upholstery work for them.

pimpscls

wow i remember ur car, u should lower it man, its only a few hundred bucks, if i can afford u can. I only get 20 dollars a week allowence! haha

EPS CL

i may be interested in getting my wheels powdercoated in houston. do these powdercoating places do the sandblasting too, or do you have to take it to a specific place? If so, what kind of place will do wheel repairs and sandblasting and such? Also, is it possible to have the windshield wiper arms powdercoated? Mine keep fading and I'm tired of painting them black.

dfreder371

Most powder coating job shops will have sandblasting equipment. But before you go blasting away, have the powder coating job shop mask the back side of the rim where the wheel mates with the brake rotor. They will have the special tape. It is clear green mylar tape and ug good for 600 F and will leave no residue. The stuff is made by Shercon if you want to do it yourself. Wheel repair in Houston? I don't know, but look in the yellow pages or ask your Acura dealer for some tips.

And I know all too well about the faded wiper arms. I've done way to many of those. To do those correctly, remove the rubber blades and disassemble the arms down to the individual pieces. In a well ventilated area, soak the parts in MEK (methyl ethyl ketone, available at hardware stores.) Caution!: wear rubber gloves and no smoking. MEK is flammable as all hell. Do not use products designed to remove paint. That shit is methylene chloride and can be absorbed through skin contact. This shit can do you in.

Its that, or sandblast, or burn the paint off. Clean all the components with steel wool. Tell the powder guys you want a very LOW GLOSS black powder coating that is weather and sunlight resistant. Polyester or polyester TGIC will work nicely.

I'll do my best to bring my PCI book home tomorrow so you guys can find some powder coaters.

GINge!

meh... I can't get the hand of doing metallics in PS. This just looks dirty, not gunmetal.

mrsteve

iTrader: (1)

That explains 99% of your posts.



So on a single piece wheel is it possible to powdercoat the spoke section of the wheel and leave a polished lip untouched?

yi_yi

LOLOL

pnayebi

Does anyone know aything about getting the stock wheels chromed with black chrome finishing?

mrsteve

iTrader: (1)

That is all apart of what everyone here has been talking about.

Go to www.goodrichtechnology.com

They are the ones that can do this.

dfreder371

Powder Coating Locations.

NSXNEXT: Beaver valley finishing. Beaver Falls, PA. 724.847.0571 Elaine Regelman.

Cost Effective Coatings, Inc. North East, PA. 814.725.8637. Richard King.

Custom Metal Coating. Sunbury, PA. 570.988.2226. James Furlong.

Fusion Coatings, Inc. Robesonia, PA. 610.693.5886 David Jones.

Keener Coatings, Inc. York, PA. 717.764.1106. Dean Keener.

Power Craft, Inc. Exton, PA. 610.280.3763. Joe Pepe.

Tekgard, Inc. York, PA. 717.854.0005. Mike Bahn.

EPS SNIPER:

3P Industries. Tyler, TX. 903.877.3960. Dennis McInnis.

Cimco, Inc. Lubbock, TX. 806.866.9528. Tom Shoemaker.

Craftmasters Powder Coating Inc. Mexia, TX. 254.562.7060. Shane Reves.

North Basin Coating Inc. Levelland TX. 806.894.1531. Dick McCormick.

Performance Powder Coating. Lewisville TX. 214.222.4562. Gary Vaughn.

Quality Product Finishing Inc. Houston, TX. 281.469.6970. Richard Rosson.

R&L Plating Co. Dallas, TX. 214.352.9737 Scott Cooper.

BEETROOT:

I still need your approximate location.

The names mentioned generally are the presidents of these businesses.

There are probably plenty of powder coaters within 25 miles of you. These guys paid to be put in a national guide for PCI. Check your yellow pages.

dfreder371

Beetroot:

1ST place finishers. Phoenix AZ. 602.276.1300. Lore Fruciano.

Perma-finish. Phoenix AZ. 602.278.1733 Richard Quiroz.

Southwest Powder Coatings. Phoenix AZ. 602.272.0878. Jim Jemsek.

Damn, you're lucky. Only three, but right in town.

mrsteve

iTrader: (1)

http://www.powdercoating.org/members/custom/

mrsteve

iTrader: (1)

Nobody listed in MD, DC, or VA. WTF?!?!

dfreder371

Unichip: You want them? I just didn't want to publish the whole country. There are about 300 listings.

Chesapeake Coating. Baltimore MD. 410.335.4200. George Schumann.

Prestige Powder Finishing Company. Newark, DE. 302.737.7500. Allen Boyle.

Rhino-coat. Salem VA. 540.387.4300. John Merideth.

Vanwin Coatings of Virginia. Chesapeake, VA. 757.487.5080. Jim Whitham.

Like I say, check the yellow pages. This listing is JUST for the guys who figure it is worth the $1,000 annual dues to be listed.

lsuracing_RENAMED

Any in Louisiana?

EPS CL

thanks man! i'll look into getting my wheels done asap

dfreder371

Louisiana: No listings. Check your yellow pages.