Parts To Paint Vs Powder Coat On Engine

Getting ready to pull the F134 out of Willie for a rebuild and as I took off various parts, I was trying to decide paint or powder. What have you guys done and were you happy? What would you do different? I'm not really planning on it being show vehicle, will take it on trails but not the wild stuff and eventually will get a decent paint job on the body. I would like it keep it somewhat nice under the hood but I'm not going to be anal about it.

Initially, I'm thinking powder the valve cover, spark plug wire bracket, pvc cup, oil filter and it's bracket, fan and pully.

But what about:

Radiator shroud
Generator bracket
Other items

Other tidbits of wisdom or experience always appreciated.

 

That's my thoughts too, but also costs more.

 

A friend just did a 71 and powder coated the entire Jeep other then the body sheet metal. Very durable but very spendy too.

 

I have done both.Just a tip, if painting after your parts are blasted to bare metal I spray with POR-15 Metal Ready acid wash.Rinse and let dry then paint as usual.
The paint adheres well to the etched metal.Rinsing the acid off with water does not cause rust.Same process they do before powder coating. mike

 

Isn't paint a lot easier to touch up?

 

Use POR 15 Metal Prep all the time. After spraying with Metal Prep, bare metal can set and not rust

 

Yes, but the odds of chipping powder coated surfaces on the engine are slim. And powdercoating is incredibly more durable than paint is.

 

When used in salt conditions, i.e. snowplows, I find once rust occurs near the edges, it spreads like wildfire under powder coat. A painted plow holds up better longer, but on something not in salt, powder coat is more durable for daily Nick's and scratches. Just my opinion but I thought I would throw it out there.

 

My observations have been totally the same.

Powdercoat has been a horrendous corrosion trap in many instances, in my experience.

 

Is this including the salts on the roads in snow areas?

 

I typically paint it all. On performance builds I use wrinkle black on valve covers and oil pans for better heat transference (more surface area on rough surfaces).
I have a set of tinwork prepared for a build with wrinkle black powder-coat black and am considering it for a future project on the cj5. The wrinkle is a little more work to keep clean, yet since I started using simple green have been able to keep the under hood looking very presentable.
A black motor it would be easy to find black wrinkle powder coat. If a guy wants to retain an oem look many manufacturers of powder make wrinkle or texture in several colors, once you pick the winkle color have a paint shop mix up a matched pint of paint to spray, or a couple aerosol cans to bomb the block and attachments.
edit-> powder coat can chip and rust can get to the underlying metal, paint will do the same. Powercoat being harder will typically chip like glass and expose more metal. The precent rust, touch up chips on painted, or powder coated items.

 

You betcha. (NH)

My observation, numerous times, is that a small chip in powdercoat will result in extensive corrosion hidden beneath the surface, until finally massive peeling reveals that the underlying metal is already perforated.

 

My other hobby is go karts and mini bikes. Many of them have a factory powder coat that behaves in the same manner.

It seems the steel is quickly compromised once moisture penetrates the coating and it spreads like wildfire. It’s like powder coating exacerbates any minor surface rust and makes it worse.

 

ive seen the same results with por type paints. i paint underhood parts, engine included. for the under side i shoot cheap black paint and fluid film everything twice yearly.

 

I had a large batch of parts powder coated several years ago, roll bar, bumpers, suspension parts, etc. I had all the underbody parts done in gloss black, and the exterior parts (roll bar and bumper) done in satin black.
Fast-foreward a couple years, the gloss parts are as perfect as when first coated. The satin parts are another story. They got eaten up from the inside out. All kinds of squiggly raised lines arranged in a snowflake pattern. Coating just peeled in patches and rusty on the base metal.
I spoke with the guy who did the work (formerly was a NASA coating subcontractor for the shuttle program) and he told me the non-gloss coatings are pourus! Moisture and even high humidity will compromise the base metal though the powder coating.
USE ONLY GLOSS FINISHES!
Also, he told me that aviation paint stripper will remove the powder finishes. It takes it right off.
-Donny

 

We sure are spoiled out here. Things rust but nothing like you guys back East have to deal with.

 

I painted my frame with Epoxy primer and black urethane, then after blasting my repaired body tub I painted the inside and bottom of the tub with Chassis Coat, and a brush. Chassis Coat is like Por 15, I then painted the outside of the tub with single stage urethane. The only part I powder coated was the heater box, and it has a bad spot on it where the powder coat guy didn't get it clean enough before he coated it.

 

We live in the land of rust. I see pics of guys who build stuff out west an don't even paint it, it blows my mind.

 

Yup no paint here would last about a week. Things will rust stored in an unheated space over the course of a few years. We get wild heat and humidity fluctuations here.