Hi Guys,
Getting closer to finishing this 16 touring. Most of it is shinny and bright, and the unfinished side lamp sticks out like a sore thumb. Any thoughts on how to resolve this?
Thanks!
Michael
16 would have all black side lamps. Paint it.
Good point Jack, though I do like the brass. Don't we all?
Disassemble, clean, bead blast and have powdercoated.
Hi Mike...Why would you choose powder coating over painting?
I get a good deal on it, it looks good, holds up well, easy (somebody else does it), and while it's at the powdercoater I can be doing something else. I collected parts for my 15 for 10 years then built it in 6 months. The "tub" and hood is painted, the rest is powdercoated! The greatest thing, IMHO, is the looks and durability of the undercarriage. You can actually drive the car and all the oil and mud and road grime will wipe off easily--even all around the differential bolts and brake backing plates where it's hard to clean. It holds up well so, you aren't constantly repainting and waiting for it to dry because you scratched something during final assembly. I do my own blasting, so all my powdercoating cost me less than $700. I don't think I could have saved much by painting myself, and it would have taken a lot longer.I could go on and on--I like it!
Powder coating works well on parts which have no pitting. The pits will show through the powder coat. If you're painting, you can use filler on the pits and make it smooth again. Another thing is, gloss black paint is shinier than gloss black powder coating.
I usually have frames, springs, and several other chassis parts powder coated in semi-gloss black. that may not be authentic, but I like that look. I always paint body sheet metal. There are positive and negative sides to each process.
I also like to have demountable wheel rims powder coated in "silver" color, which looks pretty similar to zinc. That's an area where the powder coating's durability really helps.
1 quart can each of Rustolium primer and semi gloss black a paint brush and some mineral spirits for clean up, should be under $50.
That must be an early 1916, as all the brass rim lights and radiator are evidently 1915 leftover parts.
If you need to powdercoat a part that has pits, or has been repaired where you would normally use bondo, you can use a product called Hi Temp Lab Metal. I get it from Fastenal. It's expensive, but, you stir it up in the can and apply it just like bondo. You sand it after about a half hour, let it cure until the next day, then powdercoat. If you screw up and powdercoat a pitted part, you can't blast it off. They tell me you have to "cook" it off, but, I've not done that yet. I'd like to hear from anyone who knows a better way to remove powdercoating!
I personally don't care for powder coat as it does chip,and is impossible to touch up and match the color.The black isn't really black,it you have it next to a painted piece. If you like it,go for it,but I will stick to the paint.
Hi James,
I wish it was truly an early 16. The engine is, but the body is not. There are several telltale signs it has a younger body. However, I'm trying to restore it as close to an early 16 as I can without changing the whole body.
Michel
Michael,
The early 1916s had brass-trimmed lamps which (in my humble opinion) not only look nicer than the plain-jane, all-black type, they match the brass on your headlamps. If it were me, I’d just get some body putty and smooth out the surface and then hit it with gloss-black Rustoleum, which (again, in my humble opinion) looks very nice.
Any amount of tarnish on your brass can be polished out in a surprisingly short time if you use this stuff.
http://www.prismpolish.com/prismpolish.html
Trust me. This brass polish is like nothing else in the world—and I’ve used everything.
I'd be very leary of powder coating black era side lights, at least the fonts. They are soldered together. I found that out when I once heated one up to remove it from the light body. Fortunately, I caught it before too much damage was done. JMHO Dave
Don't do the fonts! I have never seen a font or the part that goes in the chimney even painted, so I just clean them.