MG Sports Cars

engine swaps and other performance upgrades, plus "factory" and Costello V8s

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DonB
Don Bonar
Prairie Village, KS
(80 posts)

Registered:
09/09/2011 10:06AM

Main British Car:
1971 MG-B 95 GM 3.4 V-6

powder coating wire wheels
Posted by: DonB
Date: February 18, 2016 10:48AM

Having recently read comments about powder coating valve covers.... it brought back memories of the issue of powder coating... this time on wire wheels.

DON'T!!!

Although P/C would appear a great solution, all wires need occasional tuning. More often, if you start hitting things! As soon as you loosen the wires to adjust, you crack the coating (just a hairline) between the rim and fixing nut. Now you will have a ready made "Rust receptacle". On my 1935 PA's 19" wheels, that's 45 spokes X 5 wheels or 225 possible opportunities! As time goes on, I'm about 1/5 of the way!

Chrome (if you must!) the individual pieces before assembly and tuning. Since the MGB already had wires, I replaced with used15" Healeys, bead blasted, primed, painted and cleared, for a fraction of the cost to replace with new.

I learned the hard way...

On the V6, I also powder coated exhaust headers and side mounted mufflers/ heat shields, with flat black ceramic... good shops should have the special tape to cover mating surfaces, unaffected by the oven heat, to insure no over-spray and a good seal.

After 14 years of restoring rust bucket MGs... media blasting is a 3 legged stool. Using my bench top Skat Blast for smaller pieces was invaluable!

1. Choice of blast media (from soda, walnut shells and glass beads... to sand as course as sea salt)
2. Air pressure (ALL blasting produces heat) and you can badly warp of even penetrate old British steel.
3. Skill of the operator.

If you've not experienced... carefully check out all three. Try finding a right top bonnet panel for an 80 year old MG when an idiot warps yours beyond repair.

I have NO experience with the portable water based businesses now on the market who come to your location. Working out of my residential garage, can't imagine sending streams of media and water across the neighbor's yard or down the street.

Don B.


BlownMGB-V8
Jim Blackwood
9406 Gunpowder Rd., Florence, KY 41042
(6468 posts)

Registered:
10/23/2007 12:59PM

Main British Car:
1971 MGB Blown,Injected,Intercooled Buick 340/AA80E/JagIRS

authors avatar
Re: powder coating wire wheels
Posted by: BlownMGB-V8
Date: February 18, 2016 11:44AM

Another possible option is dry ice blasting, but it does take specialized equipment.

Jim


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