Going For It... Full Body PowderCoat

Fellow Mav nuts,

Well, I've decided to GO FOR IT! This last weekend I sandblasted the hood from my "donor" '73 Maverick to the bare metal. Then off to the garage for a Sterling Gloss White powdercoating job...

Now I know I have to do the whole car this way so disregard all previous pictures you've seen of "Pegasus". She is going to be laid bare and powder coated.

Of course, this will mean pulling the engine, newly-painted dash, ripping out the brand-new headliner, new carpet, rear-end, etc. I'll get started as soon as the rain here in Texas lets up.

By advice of Doug Bauer and Rick Book, I'll have my digital camera working overtime to keep everyone up to date on this.

My goal is this; with the exception of the vinyl dye for the door panels, plastic parts, cloth NO PART of this car will have paint on it. All of it will be powder-coated. Its not going to be an easy job, but after seeing the results so far I think it is worth it.

If I keep working against the naysayers, by this time next year it should win Best Of Show in darned near everything I put her in.

She is already close to Show, with the trim in for re-chroming, but why not make her better?

Tracy

 

More power to you.

That is quite a undertaking, are you sure the gloss will last? Craig said that the gloss on his trailer faded pretty fast. Sure would be unique though! Gonna take a big EZ bake oven. I didn't use your poll because I have no idea what your car looks like now.

 

Tracy,

Great to hear the results came out good!

I didn't take the poll either, because I've seen your car and it ISN'T a "dog", but I like the idea of you doing it anyway.

Re: Gloss comment
Trace: Isn't there a clear coat powder as well that goes in - or with the colored powder? Craig, regarding your coating 'losing it's gloss', did you use a clear coat powder as well?

Re: Big Oven
In this Houston Heat ? An oven? HA!
Actually he has a solution to that as well but I don't want to steal his thunder.

Trace, "YOU GO GIRL!" (it just didnt' sound right to say 'you go dude)

I got dibs on being second in line!

Good luck,

Rick

 

...any finished pics. of this project..?


......

 

I have been calling around trying to locate a powder-coater that would do a whole body and have been coming up zip. I saw in a magazine article that that's the way some of the big guys like Chip Foose are doing alot of the high dollar cars these days; NOT the exterior, but doing the whole body so that all the inner structure is covered in all the nooks and crannies. Then they strip the powder-coating from the exterior and paint the outside.

The comments I'm getting say that the temperature will warp the thin sheetmetal pieces like the quarter panels, roof, etc. and no one seems to have an oven big enough to do an entire body, even one stripped to the unibody.

I have a tubbed and caged Maverick race car body that I'd like to have powder-coated like you're suggesting. Please keep us informed of your success with this, and where you get it done. I'd hate to have to trailer the thing to Texas, but if memory serves me, that's where the car I saw in the magazine that had been powder-coated was done. So keep us informed! And good luck with your project!! Sounds like it's going to be awesome!

 

I doubt it... It's only been 5.5 years, it takes longer to take out the interior alone.
Neat idea.
There is a powder coater here in Dallas and he claims to do "any" size. :16suspect I will call him and get the specifics today.

 

Ther is a guy in Peewee Valley Ky., Andrew Ross, that powdercoats Dragster frames, I'm sure he could do it.

Tracey(Pegasus) hasn't been around in quite awhile, he did some nice powdercoating for me a couple years back. Some candy blue and a maverick logo on my master cylinder.

 

If anyone can get me any contact info on the places that may powder-coat a whole body, I'd sure appreciate it. I'll contact them and see what they say. I'd sure like to try it with this race car body I have. I'll let everyone know what I find out.

 

Very interesting but sounds extremely expensive.

 

I have powder coated quite a few large sheet metal things, like gas tanks and tool boxes and stuff, never had a problem with anything warping. I would hate to have to powder coat a whole body, though. Major money for sure!

 

His "secret" I spoke of earlier, was that he (Tracy) was going to use an array of heat lamps to heat different sections as he applied the powder and keep an electronic eye on the surface temp using an infrared thermometer thingy.

Sounded like a good idea to me at the time - but so did buying Enron stock while it was down.

 

Dont know why anyone would powder coat a body. Unless its on a show car, it wont hold up to the elements. Plus you couldn't touch it up if the need should arise.

 

These guys do it right in my town .... They have a BIG oven. I have had other parts blasted and coated there. The onwer told me a lot of race cars are powder coated prior to paint so they get paint chips they can't be seen. He also told me there is no way you could get show quality smoothness with powdercoat ... that most guys paint the exterior panels over the powdercoat.

http://www.procryo.com/index.html

 

Ohh... I beg to differ! Wish I had pics of some of the stuff I have powder coated.

 

...wouldn't want to do them ...door hinges...in black before sat.?
i could post some pics. for you...

...JFF...