Thread: Paint-Powdercoat-Chrome STB's???

I have my new GMPP front and rear STB and they are a dull painted black. The Donrome brackets are bare aluminum with chrome looking bolts. I would like for it all to be black or chrome. Any ideas the best route here? The only thing I worry about is if I go all black, the heads of the bolts will likely get messed up during installation.

Well speaking from experience using "chrome" spray paint..........DONT USE IT.

Why?

Well I added my new GTX badges to my GTX, I wanted a Black vinyl lettering for the GTX and a Chrome background to show off the GTX better. I pickup some of that "Chrome" spray paint at a local O'Rielys* (cant remember the brand name atm but its one of the popular car ones).

I spray painted the badges in the "chrome" color. And they came out okay. Not real chrome though mind you But then I wanted to clearcoat them just incase to help keep their finish. When I applied the clearcoat, the chemical reaction between the clearcoat and the "chrome" spary paint produced a DULL gray look. The chrome faded away.

I tried to undo the mistake, but learned basically the "chrome" spray paint doesnt play well with clearcoat.

Solution? I would say sand down the black and use a good metallic finish paint instead of a "chrome" spray paint. Or IF you really wanting a Chrome finish? Have the parts "dipped" in chrome to get the real thing. But that process will most certainly cost more than the actual cost of the STB's.

Just my 2cents on that one.

You have seen several of my projects Lee when it comes to that stuff. I can speak first hand about it Heck even Rick gave me props for my latest paint job of my Front STB and supporting braces

Here are some shots of my most recent paint job on my motor mounts and braces....







Sorry for not having any better close ups of the Front STB, but you get the picture I hope? If not I can always go out and get more or just give me a call and we can talk about it Lee.

I'm guessing paint is the way to go. I have seen your teextured painted braces in person and although I would never do a texture on anything in a dirty enviroment, you did a great job with those. IF I paint there will still be the issue of the bolt heads getting messed up during the install.

Originally Posted by archemedes

if you bake the paint on the bolts they hold up better, then just use a brush to touch them up once your done

^^^

Exactly what he said. Personally for me. I left them unpainted simply for the fact of all the taking off and putting on you do with them anyways.

The other thing you can do is find Anodize* bolts, that finish is pretty much bulletproof too.


As for the textured surface of the paint that I used, it doesnt get anymore dirty than a slick painted part of the same type. The only difference might when I am actually cleaning them. I just a little detail spray on them to pick any dirt particals in the "textured" part of the paint. That truly is the only difference

Originally Posted by GeddyLee

^^^

Exactly what he said. Personally for me. I left them unpainted simply for the fact of all the taking off and putting on you do with them anyways.

The other thing you can do is find Anodize* bolts, that finish is pretty much bulletproof too.


As for the textured surface of the paint that I used, it doesnt get anymore dirty than a slick painted part of the same type. The only difference might when I am actually cleaning them. I just a little detail spray on them to pick any dirt particals in the "textured" part of the paint. That truly is the only difference

Stucco ftw.

Hmmm anodized bolts. Wonder if I can find those black plastic bolt head covers?

So you can oven bake auto paint?

Originally Posted by IndeedSS

Stucco ftw.

Hmmm anodized bolts. Wonder if I can find those black plastic bolt head covers?

So you can oven bake auto paint?

I have, but I really dont like the smell it produces. It really depends on the parts and how long you leave it for. I tried with the dogbones only cause it didnt have anything plastic in it :P (I removed the old bushings before cookin em) I left them for maybe about 30 minutes at a temp of 350-400. Not enough to char them, but enough to help the paint speed up the curing process. And I then did it again when I did the clearcoat finishes. It helped a bit, but I have had good success with just leaving them out in the hot sunlight during summer. (granted its not the same, but if you want to speed up the process, you can do it in the oven)

You can try and use a heat gun, but I would not recommend it for the simple fact it is to much direct heat in one central location. In an oven you get the whole item cookin at the same time. I found that one out the hard way back I repainted my old FBody calipers :P Sanding that mess off is no fun!!!

It is the wrong temp to paint anyhow. By the time it warms up enough to do it right, I will have changed my mind several times. I should just install them and decide what to do after seeing how they fit in to the scheme of things.

I bake just about any part that I paint that will fit in the oven. I'll suspend it in there with hangers too if I can. But I bake everything between 170* - 200*. But I will leave the parts in there for an hour or more and when I pull them out, let them cool down completely.

When it stops smellin' you know its cured and ready to be taken out

Originally Posted by SyntheticShield

I bake just about any part that I paint that will fit in the oven. I'll suspend it in there with hangers too if I can. But I bake everything between 170* - 200*. But I will leave the parts in there for an hour or more and when I pull them out, let them cool down completely.

When it stops smellin' you know its cured and ready to be taken out

Hmmm. good info. However, since the wife doesn't get the enjoyment out of car things that I do, this idea of baking auto parts in the oven may require some pre-planning and creative presentation...

Originally Posted by IndeedSS

It is the wrong temp to paint anyhow. By the time it warms up enough to do it right, I will have changed my mind several times. I should just install them and decide what to do after seeing how they fit in to the scheme of things.

Like I said. I have only done it once. And wasnt planning anymore repeat performances

i used the chrome spray paint on my grills, didnt hold up very nicely when i mixed it with clear coat so i was like screw this and just painted it with the chrome stuff no clear and they look really good, i cant tell the difference and it's a cheap 5 dollar mod for the grills, better than 150 actual chrome ones, i put some pictures up tonight

Spray paint would be the cheaper affordable route. There is always the option of powder coating them, or like was said, having them dipped in chrome/chrome plated. The powder coating would run you about the same as the chrome plating give or take a few.

My STB's are powder coated red, and for the hard wear, I replaced the ugly black hard wear that came with them, with stainless steel. I didn't go to the extreme or effort to have those polished, cause frankly I really didn't care, and still don't to do it.

But if you decide to paint them, rattle can style, get rid of the old paint by sand blasting the old paint off. The texture that the sand blasting will leave be hind will make any new paint stick a hell of a lot better than sanding with sand paper. All you do then is paint like normal, and clear coat when the paint slightly dries and becomes tacky to the touch, that way the clear can have something to grab on to.

Do this on a warmer day than most of us all are NOT probably having right now.

~F~

^Wasn't aware, but any high quality sand blaster will remove the coating regardless. Not should, but will.

I have the BMR STB's, they were already powder coated red, but the prep work sucked, and its flaking off in places. I guess I will have to sand blast off their coating and redo it correctly. with the proper prep finish.

~F~

Originally Posted by Preotic

The gmpp stb's are covered in a rubberized undercoating. It doesn't simply sand blast off(sand bounces off the rubber). I had to wire wheel the the finish off, it was a pain.

Is that what's on there. I've only looked at them one since they came in and noticed the "paint" looked really thick.

Originally Posted by GR8racingfool

^Wasn't aware, but any high quality sand blaster will remove the coating regardless. Not should, but will.

I have the BMR STB's, they were already powder coated red, but the prep work sucked, and its flaking off in places. I guess I will have to sand blast off their coating and redo it correctly. with the proper prep finish.

~F~

My uncle runs the machine shop at Stone container( local cardboard mill). When i need something blasted he'll do it for me at work. I don't know what they use but seeings how he's quite the perfectionist i'm gonna assume it's of good quality. My stb was painted silvermist. He sand blasted the silvermist off but the black coating didn't budge. He said the silvermist would spark but the original coat wouldn't come off. I ended up using loctite gasket remover and a wire wheel(2+hours) to get the finish off. He said he's never seen anything like it.

The coating is quite thick too. I think the thick rubber coating is to hide imperfections in the bar because it looks drastically different stripped.