OK, I have a very basic concept of these two processes but still have some questions that I'm having trouble finding the answers to.

I have pretty much decided to keep the factory 17" rims and just turn them the color that I want (black, more or less not chromey, but a lil shiny never hurt anybody)

So here are my questions:

1) Which of these will look "better"?

2) How much do they cost/how long do they take?

3) Which will offer better protection for my wheels?

4) Would it be possible to do either or both to the trim, ie shift ****, door handles, steering wheel? I know there are ways to anodize with a "wand" type device, but I'm guessing the baking process of powder coating would not be good for the leather components, plus can the door handles be removed fairly easily?

5) Does anyone know of a shop to get these sorts of things done? The closer to Houston the better, but I'm always willing to travel.


I hope someone can answer some of these questions as I am anxious to start customizing my car, so thanks in advance

 

I am also interested, IMO the track wheels kick ***, and they would be that much better powdercoated to a "gunmetal" finish.

 

anodized is done by dipping the metal and running current through it. it dies the surface of the metal. this offers no protection, as it is straight up metal. not sure how this would work on the alloy the rims are made of.

powder coating is baked on, again, the current coat must be removed, but it is replaced. powder coat has good impact resistance, but not chemical resistance, hence why many powder coated rims also have a clear coat over them.

anyway, for rims you will want powder coat IMO, havent even really heard of anodizing rims... but Im sure it happens.

neither of these methods will work on door handles, since they are plastic. anodizing requires metal to work. and powder coating requires heat that would melt the handle.

 

I dunno about the handles either, but i recently spray painted my motorcycle rims. They were the ugly purple CBR rims and I spraypainted them black using engine paint (resistant up to 500 degress Far supposedly) then used 2 cans of engine clear coat for each rim. I think if youre gonna paint anything black, its not necessary to spend money and powdercoat them. I spent a total of $20 for mine and you can't tell the difference. People ask me how much i spent powdercoating them and are amazed when they find out i spraypainted them. The only thing im not sure of is the long term strength, but im pretty sure itll be fine.

Here's the before

 

They're actually a lot glossier than they look in the picture.
And if you are thinking of trying this, make sure you sandpaper the hell outta the rim first.

Here's the after:

 

I've been in touch, re powdercoating, with a company in Canada and they would charge about $120/rim to strip, paint, clearcoat a rim. You'd have to add shipping, of course.

I'm also investigating the idea with a company much closer to me in Western Mass., but don't have numbers yet, and of course they're a far cry from Texas!

Do a google search for "powdercoating Texas" and see what happens. Good luck.

 

Door handles are a breeze to take off. Pop the 2 little rubber grommets out and take the screws out. (Be careful not to drop the screws down in the door) and take the handles off. It's that easy.

 

place in atlanta said 30-80$ a rim, depending on how difficult it was to remove the current coating. then I found a set of bronze rims so I didnt really follow up.

I personally wouldnt spray paint, it wont hold up... itll flake, and I think on a larger surface, inperfections in the coating will show up very clearly.

 

Just to clarify a bit regarding anodizing:

Anodizing is a process in which the very outer layer of an aluminum part is changed to what basically amounts to a ceramic. The process creates a surface that will not oxidize, can be cleaned pretty easily, and that can be colored as well.

The anodize thickness can range from .0002" to about .004", but is usually no more than .002" thick. In all cases the coating penetrates to about 1/2 of the thickness and builds up about 1/2 of the thickness. The thicker coatings can be made very hard, and can also be impregnated with other materials, such as teflon. Practically all non-stick frying pans are hard anodized aluminum with some sort of teflon impregnation.

Now, that right there is one drawback of the anodizing process. Even though the material is very hard, it can be chipped and scratched off the base metal, which is why it is not recommended to use hard utensils on non-stick surfaces.

Anyhow, I was thinking that it would be pretty "slick" (haha, it's a pun) to get the wheels anodized with a teflon additive, so that the brake dust would be easier to clean. Of course, if you go to a black anodize, it probably wouldn't be necessary.

Another thing about anodize is that it allows any imperfections present in the base metal to show through. Nicks, scratches, dimples, etc. will show through anodize easily while powder coat could help cover small scratches more easily.

Anyhow, I thin you'd probaly just want to go whichever route is cheapest.

-D'oh!

 

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