Talk Morgan Forums Morgan Sports Cars Maintenance & Servicing Wire Wheels - Powder Coating?

My 4/4 has silver painted wire wheels. I am getting to the stage where I am going to need to refurbish them, as the painted spokes are starting to show their 30,000 miles +
I am considering having them powder coated and wondered if anyone has had this done and if there are any downsides to using this process?
Thanks

I would avoid powder coating - it can become brittle with age (UV light?) and then crack leading to moisture becoming trapped against the spokes. When we bought our last Morgan in 2003, Ben Duncan had just had the wheels re-finished by stove enameling (I think) which had not deteriorated by much by the time we sold the car in December 2013 (apart from the odd chip). I suggest you speak to a couple of dealers (Mike Duncan would be my choice) and ask them to recommend someone.

Paul
Thanks for the feedback; really appreciated

It might be just as cheap to buy new painted ones.
I went from painted to stainless wires.
The old ones were knackered after 38k & the difference was amazing

There are a lot of pros and cons on powder coating wheels. Yes it does provide a durable protection as I've found on my '38 3W. However, once done the spokes cannot be adjusted and the coating, as mentioned, is brittle. Although I have never found chipping or cracking a problem other than when changing tyres when great care is needed.
As with a lot of jobs preparation is the key, followed by finding a good blasting/powdercoating company that knows spoked wheels - usually one that is accomplished in vintage bike and car wheels.
Since the spokes cannot be adjusted after coating, the wheels must be "tight and true".
From what I can visualise of spoked Morgan wheels there are a multitude of spokes and there isn't much space in there to blast all the old paint off and cleaning may not be 100% so advice would need to be sought.
I have found the process successful but my old 3W wheels aren't as complex as the new ones. If you do go down this path I would speak to someone who has already been there or have a word with an established wheel builder who I am sure you will find in the vintage pages of Google.
There are plenty of firms that will blast and a similar number that will powder coat but the two must be allied under the same roof and used to handling spoked wheels.
There is always something to worry about on a Morgan!

Best of luck

simon

Bud,
MWS do a restoration service. But painted wires are £170 a corner so I would have thought frankly the costs would be similar
http://shop.mwsint.com/product_details.asp?id=490

Might be worth a phone call to discuss what you want.

THey were great in changing my wheels

John

I'd steer clear of powder coated wire wheels. The nipples can move ever so slightly on the rim and this will cause cracks eventually forming. Once that happens moisture will get in.

As John suggests, a set from MWS is probably not much more cost wise and leaves you with a handy spare set.

I tend to agree with the 2x J's above. No cracking and corrosion issues, plus new tight spokes and aligned rims. Seems to be the right way to go on comparative outlay basis.

Thanks for all of the suggestions.

Will probably go for new wheels when the time comes; maybe when I next need a new set of tyres.
Until then, it's out with the touch up paint. Hammerite Silver is a near perfect match.

I'm no fan of powder coating for the reasons well stated above.
But the fact is that Bumble's black wires have stood up to over 13k miles in 18 months in all sorts of weather, and are still 'intact'. So on a new wheel I think it seems to hold up well, but I wouldn't risk it on old wheels.