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Powder coat an oil pan?

440beep

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I have the oil pan off my motor to fix a RMS leak, and I am so tired of the oil pan not holding a layer of paint and looking like crap. Perhaps the paintwork prep was crap as there is no primer on it, just VHT hemi orange on a Moroso pan. The Moroso pan originally had that gold color but that was blasted off so paint would stick to it.

Any drawbacks to powder coating the oil pan exterior? And hopefully the nearby shop can cover the interior so it's not coated.
 
I have the oil pan off my motor to fix a RMS leak, and I am so tired of the oil pan not holding a layer of paint and looking like crap. Perhaps the paintwork prep was crap as there is no primer on it, just VHT hemi orange on a Moroso pan. The Moroso pan originally had that gold color but that was blasted off so paint would stick to it.

Any drawbacks to powder coating the oil pan exterior? And hopefully the nearby shop can cover the interior so it's not coated.
Cudachick can do a marvelous job for ya. @CudaChick1968
 
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Cudachick knows her stuff.

I ran a production powder job shop for almost 20 years. I guess I know enough to be dangerous. A couple things to mention:

1) Recommend blasting the outside of the pan for best long term adhesion. Don't get too aggressive with the media or the pressure though.
2) The coater should have a pretreatment line to prepare the pan after blasting. The system should start with a cleaner/degreaser, then rinse, then iron phosphate, then a couple rinses with good clean water. The iron phosphate helps resist rust and promotes adhesion.
3) Don't recommend a clear coat over the color. Clears don't tend to like heat very much and they also tend to change the appearance of the base color coat.
4) Make sure your coater realizes this is an engine part. UV resistance is not a concern, but chemical resistance is desired. They have different chemistries to choose from.
5) A standard RAL color (they will have a series of color cards) should be close enough for your needs. It may not be exact, but sitting at the bottom of the engine you won't know the difference. I've been gone too long to recall what the RAL color number was that we typically used for Mopar engine orange. Anyway, an RAL will be of a formula that will work for your needs, plus they're readily available, priced well and available in small quantities if the coater doesn't have any on hand.
6) Make sure they know you want the inside of the pan and the gasket surface free of paint. They should know that, but don't assume anything. They will likely use heat tape and paper to mask off the pan as needed.
7) I would have it coated without the drain plug installed. Have them mask the threads, typically done with a simple silicone tapered plug. If you coat it with the drain plug in place and they put much paint on it you'll have bridging between drain plug and surface of the pan, which will leave a rough looking edge when you go to take out the drain plug. If you want the plug coated they can do that separately.

No matter what anyone says about powder coating durability, don't use EZ Off oven cleaner to clean the pan down the road. Long story; very pissed off Harley owner lacking in common sense.

Hope this helps.
 
I had my block and heads powder coated. It looks great and is easy to keep clean. I did the block, head, and trans case on my SRT-4 done 12 years ago and they held up great as well

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a good bare metal prep, can of aerosol etching primer, and a spray bomb........install same day and move along
 
of course I would prefer epoxy primer :rolleyes:, but not everyone has it on their bench
 
Thanks for the mentions gentlemen! Good write up too @peabodyracin! I prefer to do a little "gasket rail wrap" of powder though rather than leaving a hard edge. It provides extra durability when bolting things up, gives the gasket a little tooth and makes any future removal/reinstallation clean up easier (silicone, Indian Head, etc.).

My cell camera sucks but here's a couple oil pans I restored for @Stephen Hotz, one in Corporate Blue and the other Hemi Orange.

FB_IMG_1659562453915.jpg


There's several in line but I'll tell ya all straight up this is a pretty quiet winter so far. There's usually 35+ in line by now. (It speaks loudly about our economy ...)
 
a good bare metal prep, can of aerosol etching primer, and a spray bomb........install same day and move along
And do it again in 2 years. Been there, done that. Powder coat still looks new 10 years later
 
And do it again in 2 years. Been there, done that. Powder coat still looks new 10 years later
Pics?
I can't believe an oil pan subjected to
ten yeas of road debris still looks as
good as the day it was powdercoated.
With oil, road tar, sand, rocks, dead
bunnies, etc....unless it's a garage
queen. We'll have to take your word
for it that your car is driven daily,
and subject to the hazards mentioned
above.
I have an entire frame powdercoated,
and don't expect it to look good as new
after driving it daily for ten years of
"normal" use. Please excuse me for
being sceptable.
Even Cudachick will admit
powdercoating is not practical for
longevity under certain circumstance.
(Hats off to CudaChick, she does
great work).
 
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Durability depends mostly on prep and clean metal, with application and curing standards taking a close second.

When it started decades ago, powder coating was reserved for military applications. (I never served so someone who has is invited to chime in on how it held up in Afghanistan or Iraq under very harsh conditions.)

Then the process filtered down to manufacturers (washers, dryers, etc.) who went 'assembly line' with conveyor belt systems. My own washing machine peeling in sheets around the bleach dispenser -- revealing shiny metal or rust -- shows me their prepwork is crap and they don't care beyond getting my money for the product.

The Green Push the last 30 years has seen powder coating replace paint lines in nearly every industry requiring a finish on metal, plastics and even wood. Advancements are common.

Classes are available but focus more on basics OR profitability. Most YouTube how-to videos are done by the blind leading the blind, often more harmful than helpful.

Now in my 24th year after 8 as a hobbyist restoring my Barracuda, I know everyone has to start somewhere. The problem these days are the ones who coat a couple brackets and open a shop rather than bothering to learn the craft.

There are no formal "industry standards," no regulation or accountability as other professions require, so Mr. Car Guy is left to suffer the consequences when his rear end housing comes home full of media or the Delrin liners separating his leaf springs melt, are not replaced, and he puts them back on his car.

Sorry this turned into a novel. There are just far too many factors and rookies involved to make a blanket statement that powder coating is a good or bad idea for anything that actually gets used. It's all in the prep.
 
Just dropped the oil pan off today at Coating Specialities.
 
Did powder coating for the oil pan, clutch cover 20 years ago... Still looks incredible.

Just my $0.02...
 
Durability depends mostly on prep and clean metal, with application and curing standards taking a close second.

When it started decades ago, powder coating was reserved for military applications. (I never served so someone who has is invited to chime in on how it held up in Afghanistan or Iraq under very harsh conditions.)

Then the process filtered down to manufacturers (washers, dryers, etc.) who went 'assembly line' with conveyor belt systems. My own washing machine peeling in sheets around the bleach dispenser -- revealing shiny metal or rust -- shows me their prepwork is crap and they don't care beyond getting my money for the product.

The Green Push the last 30 years has seen powder coating replace paint lines in nearly every industry requiring a finish on metal, plastics and even wood. Advancements are common.

Classes are available but focus more on basics OR profitability. Most YouTube how-to videos are done by the blind leading the blind, often more harmful than helpful.

Now in my 24th year after 8 as a hobbyist restoring my Barracuda, I know everyone has to start somewhere. The problem these days are the ones who coat a couple brackets and open a shop rather than bothering to learn the craft.

There are no formal "industry standards," no regulation or accountability as other professions require, so Mr. Car Guy is left to suffer the consequences when his rear end housing comes home full of media or the Delrin liners separating his leaf springs melt, are not replaced, and he puts them back on his car.

Sorry this turned into a novel. There are just far too many factors and rookies involved to make a blanket statement that powder coating is a good or bad idea for anything that actually gets used. It's all in the prep.
The military uses a coating refered to
as CARC. Similar in application to
powdercoating. I worked in the military
vehicle design industry for many years,
and never witnessed the smooth,
shiny, near perfect finishes that
powdercoating offers to the public
for their everyday hotrod. While
powdercoating does offer a tough
resilient coating, there are limitations
as to where this application will last
longer than ordinary every day paint.
If a powder coat surface becomes
damaged via a scuff or scratch, there
is no known repair other than
a complete stripping, and
re-powdercoating of the entire part.
This can get rather pricey when
dealing with entire vehicle frames.
I damaged the powdercoat finish
while installing the bed on my frame.
I'm lucky where the gouge did not
prenetrate to bare metal and
the remelting of the powdercoat
with a bic lighter took the rough
edges off and smoothed out the
blemish.
As with any finished surface, once
the potential for rust and or
corrosion enters the picture....it's
toast.
x_fmtv_27609.jpg20210525_125532.jpgimage001.jpg
 
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