Anyone know if it is possible to powder coat chrome wheels? My LX450 has chrome wheels that are in pretty poor shape and I would like to powdercoat them dark grey or black. I have looked into having the chrome chemically stripped, but the closest place I found that could handle the size of the wheels was in California (Stockton Wheel I believe is the place). Going this route would mean excessive shipping costs. I would like to avoid it if possible. I have an inquiry to a local powder coating shop regarding the feasibility of doing this but they are being a little slow with their response. Was hoping someone in the forum has already looked into it and may be able to provide some insight.
Powdercoating Chrome Wheels
- Thread starter LXCRSR
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Many have powdercoated the standard LC alloys. Why don't you take one of you chromed wheels by your local place and let them have a look. I'm sure they can tell you right off if they can do it or if it needs to be sand blasted first.
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You must pretreat the surface, either by a physical or chemical means. The powder coating must have a rough (micro) surface to grab hold of for good performance. They do powder coat over chrome but it is a very specialized application. Once you incur the cost of prepping and coating you maybe ahead to purchase new.
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Beowulf, I'll take them in and see what they say. As drsales states, I am afraid that the prep requirements are going to cost way too much. But I won't know until I take them in.
With respect to sandblasting, I am a little concerned with this approach. Since the aluminum and chrome are different hardnesses, I am concerned that the aluminum may pit while the chromed areas do not, leaving me with a bad surface. I think chemically stripping them is the safer bet. Problem is, not many people have an acid bath large enough to fit a car wheel into.
With respect to sandblasting, I am a little concerned with this approach. Since the aluminum and chrome are different hardnesses, I am concerned that the aluminum may pit while the chromed areas do not, leaving me with a bad surface. I think chemically stripping them is the safer bet. Problem is, not many people have an acid bath large enough to fit a car wheel into.
Now...my chrome wheels were steel....so I'm not sure if that makes a difference...but I asked a couple of places and they all said that the chrome had to be fog-blasted at $25/wheel before getting powdercoated at $35/wheel. I finally found a place that said heck we'll sandblast the hell out of it and then powdercoat them all for $22/wheel. I thought it worth a try and I've never been happier. The powdercoating looks awesome.
