> Paul, here are some photos of the S-Beam, powder coated, with the
> Barry Mounts. It is complete and ready to install. Also, there is
> one shot of the pan which I just welded today. It is bolted to a
> steel plate to help control warping. This pan is what I will be
> shipping with all the S-beams except that the two tabs on the sides
> are a special item for this particular installation. The pan will
> also be powder coated and about that I wonder if I should just have
> the outside of the pan done or the inside as well. Mazda certainly
> does paint the inside of their steel pans. What do you think? Plain
> aluminum looks good! I almost hate to paint it at all. This the
> third pan I built in a month while working out various issues. The
> first two were just learners. Jerry
>
> the Schertz beam looks great.
>
> I would not bother to powder coat the pan. Anodize if you
> want to spend the money.
>
> Paul Lamar

Jerry,
Some time back there was discussions on power coating and the draw backs of
powder coating - from memory it would seem that the powder coat being very
hard tends to generate very small cracks from the stresses of flexing and
expansion and contraction. This allows water penetration which is unseen,
which in turn hides corrosion.

>From my point of view better to paint with a good quality epoxy
undercoat and top coat and as Paul said, Anodize the al.
George ( down under)

Guys,
All the powder coating I've done hasn't been very hard, in fact more
flexible than regular paint. I'm sure it depends on the color, specific
material used and the color. The only real problem you might have with
it is that there is a fairly thick buildup. The material generally
sticks better than paint and provides better protection. The only thing
different is the high bake on temperature, generally 250-300°F
requiring you to remove bearings to prevent boiling the grease. If you
have a clean new part you shouldn't have any trouble with powder coat.
Ask the applier for a thin coat. Oh yea, it's pretty heavy too! If you
have any temp issues go with epoxy paint. For coverage see if you can go
to somebody with an electrostatic paint booth, it makes the paint stick
well and coat most of the recesses. Powder coat is first applied this
way anyway FWIW.

Bill Jepson


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