just had my sub frame,lower a-arms and center link sandblasted,baked, powdercoated and baked again for $110.00 is this real cheap or am i nuts mike z

Yeah it is. I was totally surprised how inexpensive it was to have everything blasted and powder coated. Great way to go when having to refinish parts.

Patrick

I'd say it's a good price. Just had 10 pieces powdercoated ( pulleys, brackets,etc.) for $110.For the way they turned out, I think it was a good investment. :D

That's pretty cheap for powdercoating. I know powdercoating is the latest craze in hot rodding, but in aviation it is avoided like the plague. Epoxy primers are the only way to go for aerospace and aviation use and it is due to the powder coating can't hold up over the years. None of the big aerospace manufacturers will use it and I know builders of aerobatic aircraft that refuse to use it as well. It's because it is extremely critical to protect the structures from corrosion with the best protection possible and powdercoating has shown it may not hold up in certain enviroments over time. Best example I can give you is look at any trailer hitch reciever (which are powder coated)that has been on a truck in the snowbelt more than 4 years. You'll find they start rusting at the corners, then eventually start flaking large pieces. Any minute imperfection in the coating is attacked by the road salt and spreads under the coating. This usually seems to start where there is an end to the sheet metal or on sharp corners. The powder coating is coming off our welder in sheets, it sits in a heated shop and isn't moved, there's no reason for the coating to be shedding like it is. Epoxy primer is so much cheaper and much more durable. Your paint jobber can mix it with any amount of flattening agent you want, so you can go glossy, semi-gloss, semi-flat or flat. And you can paint the stuff yourself and know you'll never be into it again. Then pocket your hard earned cash you saved for other parts of your project.

If you're in the sunbelt you're probably okay to use powdercoating, but I'd still go for the best protection I can get. I know this goes against the trend and many people seem to be really happy with their powdercoated projects. I just offer this as something to think about before you shell out you cash.

Dave