Powdercoat to plastidip

[08liftedHD]

Hey all. I got my chrome 20's prepped and powdercoated black to match the truck, but a few miles later they have already started to peel. I got the $400 I payed refunded, and now I'm looking into options on salvaging the rims. I will post pics asap, but under the peeling powdercoat you can see that they were nicely prepped to bare metal before the powder was applied.

My question is: what is my best option on making the rims look nice again? As of now, I plan to peel off as much powder as possible, sand and plastidip, paint with duplicolor wheel paint, and clear coat. BUT I'm not sure if the remaining underlying powder will peel and ruin new paint job. Do I have to thoroughly prep the rims and remove ALL powdercoat (PITA)? Truck is in SoCal now, so weather isn't a big concern.

Thanks for any advice.

 

[DaveB]

I would take them somewhere that can properly powdercoat them. It should not be an issue if they are prepped correctly. My brother has powdercoated quite a few sets of chrome wheels.

 

[Texas Chevy]

plasti dip could go over top of the powder coating if you wanted until you had time to get as much of the powder coating off as possible. If plasti dip starts to peel just peel it off and spray it again.

 

[08liftedHD]

Money is tight, and I will probably scratch them again anyways, so I don't really want to spend a bunch of money on powdercoat just to have to redo them again. Has anyone plastidipped their wheels? What kind of longevity did you get without peeling/fading?

 

[AubleAK]

Money is tight, and I will probably scratch them again anyways, so I don't really want to spend a bunch of money on powdercoat just to have to redo them again. Has anyone plastidipped their wheels? What kind of longevity did you get without peeling/fading?

My buddy did on his jetta. They held up great.

 

[DBUSHLB7]

After Plastidipping a few parts on my truck I've come to a few conclusions.... It looks cool and doesn't cheap out the look of the vehicle as long as there is a limited amount of it on the vehicle. Too much of it or it being done to big parts that show a lot will only make the truck look like you went cheap. Just my 02. Trim pieces etc are ok,
Not wheels. You have a nice expensive truck....why rattle can 7$ worth of product onto it? I hope you get what I'm saying and I'm not trying to be rude, just honest.

I second the notion that your powder coating was not done correctly. I would bet $ that there were adhesion issues. Take them somewhere with a good reputation and ask about their process and make sure their work is garunteed. You get what you pay for. Undoubtedly will cost more than 400 to do it right.

 

[08liftedHD]

After Plastidipping a few parts on my truck I've come to a few conclusions.... It looks cool and doesn't cheap out the look of the vehicle as long as there is a limited amount of it on the vehicle. Too much of it or it being done to big parts that show a lot will only make the truck look like you went cheap. Just my 02. Trim pieces etc are ok,
Not wheels. You have a nice expensive truck....why rattle can 7$ worth of product onto it? I hope you get what I'm saying and I'm not trying to be rude, just honest.

I second the notion that your powder coating was not done correctly. I would bet $ that there were adhesion issues. Take them somewhere with a good reputation and ask about their process and make sure their work is garunteed. You get what you pay for. Undoubtedly will cost more than 400 to do it right.

Not rude at all, very good advice. I'll probably be stubborn and dip them. Then probably not be satisfied and peel it all off. Total waste of time, but at least then I won't feel bad about blowing a bunch of cash on powdercoat.

Thanks everyone!

 

[JoshH]

I have had my wheels powder coated for almost 3 years now. They look as great as the day they were done.

 

[Mpsoldier]

you can always sand blast the powder off but i have done several powder coated wheels with no issue, prep is the biggest precaution when doing it any oils your done that's what usually starts the peeling.

 

[dmax711]

I dipped my wheels after i had new tires put on, holds up fine and looks great. but if i had a set of spare wheels to thro on my truck as its my dd i would and have the good set powder coated.

 

[radvans]

I plastidip mine and a friends. Works great and lasted going on 7 months.

I did put it on heavier for the wheels compared to the grill. I'd also recommend a cot of the gloss. Helps make it semi gloss and it's easier to clean.

 

[Kspen90]

I would take them somewhere that can properly powdercoat them. It should not be an issue if they are prepped correctly. My brother has powdercoated quite a few sets of chrome wheels.

X2 sounds like they didnt heat them enough before shooting the powder but instead just powdered them cold and threw them in the oven.

 

[Turbo Performance]

The only concern with plastidipping wheels is tire shine eats/liquifies it. Have to be careful you don't get any on the wheels if you plastdip them..

 

[08liftedHD]

I plastidip mine and a friends. Works great and lasted going on 7 months.

I did put it on heavier for the wheels compared to the grill. I'd also recommend a cot of the gloss. Helps make it semi gloss and it's easier to clean.

Are you referring to the plastidip "glossifier" or to a coat of clear? Heard that clearcoat can make the plastidip brittle and hard to remove...

 

[o4dirtymax]

I have been using plastidip for probably 5 years now and have done about 8 different trucks with it. I too wanted to get my newest h2 rims powder coated but spray plastidipped them again instead. You really can't beat it.

A couple of tips:
1. Clean the rims really good and make sure they're totally dry
2. I don't bother taping the tires, just when you're done very gently take a razor and cut the thin wet layer of plastidip around the edge of the wheel. If you don't, the plastidip on the tire begins to fall off and will most likely end up peeling the dip off the wheel too.

The stuff is stronger than you'd think and with the right prep and care should hold up for a least a year.

I also use tire shine once in a whole on the tires and the rims. It's never made mine peel.

I'm almost at two years with my original plastidip job on this set. One wheel is slightly peeling but not bad at all.

 

[POWDR]

ics:

 

[JHForman]

Your powder coater sucked that's a simple and as blunt as I can be. I run a powder coating business, my old wheels went nearly 5 years. When I redid them it was an experiment and only lasted about 7 months. It all depends on if the person knows what they are doing. My engine bay has been done for nearly 4 years, nothing has flaked or chipped. I do gotta ask we're your wheels chrome originally?

 

[JHForman]

Ok re read your original post they are chrome, there's your problem. Sticking anything over chrome is hard to do, perfect example is oem bumpers, I want mine black but I know Better than to coat over the oem chrome. I will be replacing the bumpers with paintable ones. Chrome sucks so bad that I won't even do parts for people that are chrome. If you had a way of stripping the old chrome all is good. But I doubt you have nitric acid laying around.

 

[NC-smokinlmm]

Ok re read your original post they are chrome, there's your problem. Sticking anything over chrome is hard to do, perfect example is oem bumpers, I want mine black but I know Better than to coat over the oem chrome. I will be replacing the bumpers with paintable ones. Chrome sucks so bad that I won't even do parts for people that are chrome. If you had a way of stripping the old chrome all is good. But I doubt you have nitric acid laying around.

Why don't you just media bast them. I had mine done then epoxy coated then painted, they look better than factory and have incredible rock chip protection from the epoxy...

 

[JHForman]

Media blasting doesn't remove chrome it barely etches it at all. And you are correct that the epoxy is strong, much stronger than urethane or acrylic. My point of the post is using a polyester powder over an existing chrome finish will not produce the desired results.