78 Grand Prix project

[G-Body_Vet]

Hmm, I could have a real use for that black chrome coating!

I've thought about going nuts with it too. I wonder how bumpers, headlight bezels, rocker trim, etc would look if you did the entire car. I even thought about using it on the ZQ8's if I still get them. Too many random ideas I guess!

If it's any interest to you here's a link to the place I bought it from. http://www.powderbuythepound.com/Chromes-c-330/

I'm leaning towards using this color on engine bay components (valve covers, alt, master cyl, pulleys, power steering reservoir). If I do I'll most likely scrap the AMC blue for the engine color and go with a shade of gray or charcoal instead.

 

[jrm81bu]

Hmm, I could have a real use for that black chrome coating!

I've thought about going nuts with it too. I wonder how bumpers, headlight bezels, rocker trim, etc would look if you did the entire car. I even thought about using it on the ZQ8's if I still get them. Too many random ideas I guess!

If it's any interest to you here's a link to the place I bought it from. http://www.powderbuythepound.com/Chromes-c-330/

I'm leaning towards using this color on engine bay components (valve covers, alt, master cyl, pulleys, power steering reservoir). If I do I'll most likely scrap the AMC blue for the engine color and go with a shade of gray or charcoal instead.

Lmao awesome! I have thought about using it on all the same stuff you have lol. My wheels are what really sold it for me. I would have liked to do the bumpers( i did with the Duplicolor Black Chrome kit-it came out kinda green) and trim when i painted the car. Now i'm think of everything under the hood that would look better with it.

 

[G-Body_Vet]

A little more before & after footage. I decided to play with the drums to see how they'd turn out. I used the Bonded Black Chrome with a layer of clear top coat. Looks more like gun metal to me but it turned out pretty nice considering what they were. I'll probably sell them anyway. They were just sitting in the garage so I might as well turn them into some dirty cash!

Also notice how powder coating differs between a cast surface vs. a smooth surface.

The one on left was just blasted, the one on the right is how they were as is.

Here's after powder coating.

Here's a few random Olds parts too. They started their life with rust as well. I think that chrome powder comes out pretty nice.

 

[pontiacgp]

It looks like you found a way to turn cast iron drums into aluminium drums... :shock:

they sure look nice and as long as the hold up to the heat they should be a wanted item. Ugly drums ruin any wheel set up...

 

[motorholmes]

 

[G-Body_Vet]

It looks like you found a way to turn cast iron drums into aluminium drums... :shock:

they sure look nice and as long as the hold up to the heat they should be a wanted item. Ugly drums ruin any wheel set up...

Yeah I though about the heat issue. They get baked at 400F for 20 mins so I doubt that there will be too much of a problem. If so....oh well. New ones aren't expensive anyway. I felt like experimenting with a new color and those drums were a good candidate. That color looks pretty good on smooth surfaces. I have some ideas for the engine bay.

On another note....there should be some 455 progress coming up soon!

 

[G-Body_Vet]

I de-crustified some more parts last night.....hood hinges, shift linkage, & cruise bracket. Yes, I even coated the damn spring too! There's a few minor imperfections here & there, but since it's my car I wasn't overly critical about it. I didn't bother with doing the bolt threads or a cotter pin....no big deal. I would've taken more care if it was for a customer. Expect some bigger items such as intakes, valve covers & wheels soon since I just got a larger oven.

Before

After blasting and applying the powder before baking

Final product

If anyone remembers this steering wheel from earlier in the thread it had a fading woodgrain finish on the aluminum insert. It was later polished but the surface had minor dings and it wasn't up to my standards. I figured why not powder coat it!

 

[85GPLef41]

DAMN G-Body_Vet you got the powder coating madness... Love the way the hardware came out!! You seriously have me thinking of buying the kit and start powdercoating the crap out of everything... seriously they did come out clean.. so are you mediablasting the parts at home? I am in the works of trying to find a media blaster but i'm afraid my compressor won't keep up...

 

[G-Body_Vet]

Yep! That blast cabinet is the only thing that lets me do some of this stuff. I have a 6hp, 60 gal compressor and if it's not pushing at least 90psi or better, the blasting doesn't go well. A lot of it has to do with the metal and media type that you're using too. I really like this stuff called Black Diamond when blasting steel, but I can't really use it on aluminum because of minor pitting...especially if it's something I want to polish or come out with a flawless finish. You can't beat glass bead for aluminum. Soda is the most time consuming, but very gentle to the surface.

The most important part of powder coating is the prep work. Spraying and baking is the easy part. The powder isn't expensive either and it goes a fairly long way. I de-grease, blast, use rust converter for metal etching, rinse, then pre-heat everything to avoid out-gassing and surface contaminants.

I haven't had any "special schooling" or training in any of this stuff. Lots of reading and trial and error for the most part. I don't have a high-dollar professional set-up but it does the job. If I had a dedicated space it would make life easier. Everything I've done has been accomplished with a cheap $70 HF powder coating system and a free toaster oven that I got from a friend!

Today I got a $25 electric stove from CL. I just need to run a dedicated outlet in the garage and I'll be coating bigger things. It started off as a crazy idea that ended up working for what I do.

 

[85GPLef41]

NICE! i got my a -arms and spindle's powdercoated awhile back but instead of paying i would rather do it myself.. I have a 80gallon 2 stage compressor which when i'm using my die grinder constantly runs..