Talk Morgan Forums Morgan Sports Cars Maintenance & Servicing Powder coat wire wheels

Has anyone had their wire wheels powder coated? If so what happened to the sealant that is on the inside of the rim to stop the air leak , did it have to be removed because of the heat needed when powder coating?

I've not had it done, and I believe the general advice is not to do it. The reasoning is that wire wheels naturally flex in operation, and this will lead to the coating cracking. Then water will get under and rust the wheel but you won't notice it because the powder coat hides it.

I know Krazy horse Morgan use a local powder coating company so I know it’s possible. I believe they use this company https://wheelcarerefinishing.co.uk/

I had my M3W front wheels powder coated with absolutely no issues but they weren't tubeless. The baking temperatures vary but mine were taken to close to 200°C. The sealant that MWS use on the tubeless wires they supply to MMC (Dowsil 1080) is good to 315°C so you should be ok. Worth checking with the coaters though. I highly recommend GKL powder coating near Snetterton circuit both for quality of work and prices.

Shame they can't spell Tyres correctly

There, their Cooperman.... seems were both old school and British!

Never had an issue with powder coating wire wheels.

If there is an issue with the wheel flexing and causing the coating to crack then surely that would apply to paint as well

Get all mine done by North West Enamellers in Buckley.

Arwyn

Ey lad, British, Northern and proud of it !

I've powder coated my 1991. Use prismatic powder silver with a prismatic clear coat https://www.prismaticpowders.com. For the sealant, I used several tubes of GE advance silicone (exterior) found in home maintenance stores. The Harley Davidson people use it on their spoke rims. I then used balance beads versus external weights. All works like a charm.

As for the "they flex" issue. modern powder coats will flex within the limits of the rim without issue. I did mine two years ago, 2K miles later, they still look new.




I would suggest that you hand prep each rim with 600/800 sandpaper and a good sandblasting. They need to be as clean as possible. Tape off the hubs to prevent sand from getting in them (and then clean and re-grease when you get them back).

If I remember correctly, the color was British Silver Swatch /Item: PMB-0850S

Big debate was if the rim was "tubeless" or not. I read that since about 1980, they were all tubeless. When you pull the tyre, you should see a ridge that retains the tyre on the rim. The heat of the oven will destroy the seal so you will either have to use a tape or silicone. The GE has held up just fine. this is a photo before they were sandblasted. both a tape and silicone were used before me!