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preparing a frame for powder coating
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dmercer
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PostPosted: Wed Mar 09, 2005 11:59 am    Post subject: preparing a frame for powder coating Reply with quote

Hello folks,

I have recently installed new floor pans in the frame of my Karmann Ghia and I plan to have the frame and front end sand blasted and powder coated. I've never done this sort of thing before and could use advice!

I have removed the rear spring plates. I assume that I should mask off the torsion bars to avoid damage from sand blasting. I have also disassembled the front end, removed the steering box, etc., and will mask off all the machined surfaces.

If anyone out there has done this sort of thing before or knows of some site/book that documents the process, I would be very glad to hear from you.

Best,

Dan M.
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ekimthemad
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PostPosted: Wed Mar 09, 2005 3:59 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Well since I have been running a powder coating gun for 13 years I think I can take a stab at this. I would mark the ends of the torsion bars and pull them. Although I doubt the oven would hurt them I have over the years seen some springs completely ruined even at 400 degrees. I also know a lot of places run their ovens around 600 to try to get more parts done in a day. Pull them out and get as much grease off of everything as possible before it goes to the blaster.

You should also do as much as you can to keep the grit out of the tunnel otherwise you will spend a week to try to get it out and take the risk of getting grit in the paint job. After it is blasted I would bring it home chip all of the weld splatter and deburr any sharp edges.

I would then take it to the coater and have them bake it for an hour and make sure there is no grease trapped in anything which I would almost bet there is on a 30+ year old pan. Most places spray the parts cold and never do that then the grease runs out under the paint and causes it to fail. If grease runs out you can burn it off carefully with a propane torch until it is clean then get it reblasted. Then you can have it coated. Make sure you have the coaters mask any machined surface with high temp tape before they coat it. Masking tape will work but you will spend a week to get the residue off. Also make sure the coater will plug the threaded holes or plug them yourself.

Obviously a good coater would take care of this all on their own. If it is done correctly in this manner it will obviously cost a lot more. The more of that you do yourself the cheaper it will be. If you have any other questions let me know I will do my best to answer them.

Mike
59 single, 66 bug, 69 bus, 73 super
summit powder coaters
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dmercer
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PostPosted: Thu Mar 10, 2005 5:24 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Great information! Thanks!
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mattsvdub
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PostPosted: Fri Mar 11, 2005 3:12 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Mike,
I have a pan that has been powder coated Gloss Black. An excellent looking job I may ad... But the person who had it done did not bump out all the dings in the floor.. Probly 3 or four noticeable ones.. could you tell me is it safe to protect the paint with rubber or a rag and use a soft face dead blow hammer to tap these dents out? Or will this cause powder coating to flake,chip or otherwise be harmed?
2nd is the pan also has a Berg Solid Mid Mount welded in and I need to cut it off and weld in brackets for my rubber mounted mid mount for a Berg 5... Is there a way to touch up Gloss Black Powder coating and have it look good?
Thanks for any help, Matt
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ekimthemad
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PostPosted: Sat Mar 12, 2005 8:47 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

mattsvdub wrote:
Mike,
I have a pan that has been powder coated Gloss Black. An excellent looking job I may ad... But the person who had it done did not bump out all the dings in the floor.. Probly 3 or four noticeable ones.. could you tell me is it safe to protect the paint with rubber or a rag and use a soft face dead blow hammer to tap these dents out? Or will this cause powder coating to flake,chip or otherwise be harmed?
2nd is the pan also has a Berg Solid Mid Mount welded in and I need to cut it off and weld in brackets for my rubber mounted mid mount for a Berg 5... Is there a way to touch up Gloss Black Powder coating and have it look good?
Thanks for any help, Matt


You can try putting a piece of rubber on it and try to bump it out with a mallet or something. If it was done right you shouldn't chip it. The pans are pretty thin sheet metal so they would have to screw up pretty bad to not get that part of the pan cured. So long as they got it blasted rough enough underneath it shouldn't come loose. Depending on how much the metal has been stretched I don't know how much luck you will have in getting the dent actually flat.

As far as touch up goes if it were me I would probably carefully use some air craft paint remover and take all the coating off of the frame horns. That way you get good clean steel to weld the new mount onto. Clean it real well afterwards and then use gloss black por 15 or something similar. That way you can blend it in better instead of having an ugly line where the powder stops and the paint over laps. To bad no one makes a thermo plastic based powder that would be applicable to auto parts. Then when you have to repair it you could just put more on and heat it.

Mike
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mattsvdub
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PostPosted: Sat Mar 12, 2005 9:06 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thanks for the tip Mike,
I don't understand why someone would go through the time and expense of Stripping and doing an otherwise beautiful powder coating job on a pan and not cherry it out completely first? It really wouldn't have taken much at all before coating was done... Now it's a bit of an ordeal.. Oh well if I could answer those kinds of questions I could probably answer the question of why we're really in the middle east.... Another time another forum, Thanks again Mike..
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