I am having my 34 coupe's wire wheels bead blasted this week and for an additional $15 per wheel they will powder coat them. I have found a Toyota color that is very close to the original medium cream color.

My experience with powder coated products has been positive but limited so I am asking for opinions on powder coating the wire wheels. Are there any drawbacks I'm not aware of?

The only drawbacks I can think of are cost, availability of the correct colors and there isn't an easy way to prep the wheels with fillers to hide any pitted areas, which most wheels will have.

My local powder coat man wants $85 per wheel to powder coat a limited selection of colors and each wheel needs to be blasted first, preferably by him. If there are the slightest of imperfections, they will stand out on the finished product.

If you can get the color you desire for an additional $15 per wheel, I would say, go for it, as you would likely spend more than that to buy the paint and have them painted.

One thing to consider is there are a few different levels of gloss to choose from. Let us know how they turned out.

Roger

I have had three sets of wire wheels powder coated with very good results.

Powder coating will give a more even paint thickness that any other method. It is also very tough. Touch-up can be a problem. The coater will blast the parts and then coat so deep pits and scratches will show but because of the flow characteristics of the dry and melted powder will fill them better than spray paint. In my opinion powder coating of wire wheels is by far the best option if you can get the proper color.

I had one rim (spare) on my 31 powder coated, not really 100% happy with it. Some rust poped up where the spokes enter the center hub, just seemed that some water got where the coating did not cover.
John

John,
If the powder coater did the proper job and got the part clean then the coating will fill all crevices and joints. I suspect that they did not get the wheel completely cleaned or properly primed. I had some parts that were not properly done caught by the coater and redone before I picked them up. I know that because they called to tell me to come get them and then called back a few hours later to tell me that they had a problem and would need to redo them.

For those that want to blast and paint themselves, a friend taught me to take a small brush and manually put paint in the gaps, crevices, edges before spraying. That way you get paint in the places were it is nearly impossible to cover by spraying.

I agree with you 100%, there was no way to know until it was too late. So make sure you get someone who is good and stands behind it.
I was debating doing it for my next 62 for the control arms and such but opted not to because you can not fill the pits. I am looking to restore this 62 one better than the autumn gold Biscayne I had at Grand Junction. I was even debating on doing just the frame. There is a shop in Connecticut who will do the frame for $800. It is almost cheaper than painting it with no work. I am still sweeping up sand around my house from 10 years ago.
John

I had the wheels on my '32 powder coated Orange 4 years ago. They still look as good as the day they were done.

I calculated the cost of material to blast, prime and paint a frame versus the cost to have it powder coated. It would have cost me more for the materials then they charged ~ 5 years ago. I opted for powder coating even though I have all the equipment to sand blast and paint. Understand that paint and powder coating have both had price increases so may not be the same now.

Thanks for all the replies. I hadn't thought about the gloss factor yet. I will be talking to the powder coat guy tomorrow so I will most likely go for a semi-gloss. He comes highly recommended and I looked a some of his work when I left the rims.

He's giving me a really good price on the powder coating since he knows I coordinate a local car show each year and is hoping I will send him some more business.

On another note, have any of you ever mounted your own tires? In the archives it is discussed as doable so I am going to try one. I will use some padding on concrete and mount from the back.

My question is: Do you put the inner tube in the tire before getting the first side in the rim or do you put it in after? I always put it in afterwards on bike tires but thought I might get some suggestions from the brain trust here.

I always mount my 20s to early 30s tires. I have don't it both by putting the tube in the tire and then mounting (primarily with split rims) and mounting one bead then installing tube before the other bead (on wire wheels). Always use baby powder on tube and inside the tire so tube will slip and stem fit straight. Use soapy water on bead and rim as lubricant and then ease the beads over the rim. It is best to use a couple period tire tools so you don't pinch or damage the tire bead or tube. A wide flat tool with thin profile is best. The drop center is there for the bead to fit into so you can ease the other side in place. I have used several brands of tires. Some install easily and others are a bit@% (nearly impossible to mount). My observation is the more expensive tires tend to mount easier.

I would opt for the gloss finish for two reasons. The original was glossier than semi-gloss and the smoother the less dirt that will stick. Cleaning wire wheels is not a bunch of fun.

I agree......the gloss finish is the way to go.

There's another benny too...the gloss powder-coated wheels are very slippery, so it's easy to mount up the tires. I mounted up my 19" wire wheels with just a little soapy water and no tools at all other than my knees. Not a scratch and very easy to do.

All the Best, Chip

Chip,
You must not have used Universal 19" tires. It took several hours with lots of cussssssing and sweat. Sure hope I don't ever have a flat cause may just light the car afire instead of messing with them again.

I have one of those tire mounting devices like are sold by Harbor Freight and they work fine for drop center rims. I have madem a couple of adaptor plates and built some tire tools simular to the one that came with the machine, but thinner and smoother than the original POJ that came with the machine.
I had a job in a Sinclair Station when I was 12 or 13 fixing flats. In those days we used tire irons like Chipper uses and on a old concrete slab. I never minded GM or F0RD wheels, even six ply tires but those Mopar "Safety rims" were a bear to break the beads. Once a customer caught me using his bumper jack and the front bumper to break the beads of the old six ply tires on his New Yorker when I installed a new set of Lee six ply 900x16 inch white walls, we sold lee tires. My boss apologized for me, but he was the one that showed me how to break the beads on Mopars, in the first place.

I'm going to take all advice given and use the glossy paint. As soon as I get them back and mounted maybe I can figure out how to post a picture. Thanks for your suggestions!!!!

I had my 31 coupe wire wheels powder coated in gloss black. They have almost 2000 miles on them now and still look great. They will chip if they are hit with something metal, but other than that they look great. I also had my frame coated at a local shop. I had to do the blasting because their booth was to small. They put a primer on first and then the black and charged me $260. That was $10 a foot twice for a thirteen foot frame. After that I had both axles done. Good luck with your project.

The ones I put on without any tools are Goodyears.....from (as Chipper guessed)Universal Tire. They went on quite easily.

Who knows, maybe I ordered 20-inch instead of 19-inch. Maybe that explains why I have trouble getting the car moving pulling away from stop lights? All the time, I thought it was the clutch slipping.

All the Best,

Chip

The Goodyear and BF Goodrich and Firestone branded tires all seem to mount easily. It is the Universal branded tires that are nearly impossible.

YF,
I can give you some advice on mounting your tires when you come by to see my car.
Your guy has given you a great price for powder coating your wheels. If you have seen his work and like it, I highly recommend you do it.
As you now know, I am in the powder coating business and I would not begin to coat any wheel, let alone a wire spoke wheel, for that kind of money.
As for filling pits prior to powder coating, JB weld will work fine. It is good to 600 degrees F. It's cheap and pretty easy to work with. Powder will not usually hide anything that paint would not hide. Lots of things contribute to the quality of a powder coat finish. Cleanliness is at, or near, the top of the list. Even a plain stamped steel rim presents some problems in this area.
Statically charged powder seeks a grounded surface... the first grounded surface it can find. You might like for it to go into a recess, such as where the wheel center is welded or riveted to the rim. The powder just wants to find the closest place to cling onto. This is known as Faraday Cage Effect. Technique and experience can prevail, but often such areas just don't get enough, or any, powder. This same area provides an excellent place for oil to hide. Sand blasting will not remove this oil so it shows itself when the wheel is heated to about 400 degrees F when it is dried after cleaning and prep. The ideal method would be to blast, hot tank, then coat. A wire wheel presents the problem of all those spoke welds and places where they cross one another and leave a tight place (Faraday Cage).It is also difficult to see the back side of all the spokes to tell if you have good coverage.
A powder coating job well done is a durable and serviceable product which will usually out perform paint.

Mike
The main thing to look for in a powder coater, as with most other services, is SOMEONE WHO CARES.

I support all that 35Mike wrote. A good powder coating job is well worth the cost. A poor one is not. If it were easy everyone would do it.

I got my powder coated wheels back last week. They look great! I decided to let a friend, who runs a small repair shop, install them. He did a perfect job in just a few minutes. I was then able to take them back to Columbia, MO where the '34 Coupe has been stored, mount them, and then trailer the car home. Now my work begins - finishing the restoration that was started in 1979 by my father in law.