73 steel brake drums - paint or powdercoat?

[pbarcher]

Hi All,

The original aluminum brake drums on my '73 are no longer within spec, so I've ordered some steel replacements made by Centric. I hate the idea of seeing rusty drums so I want to paint or powdercoat them in a color that approximates the originals.

I've been given a price of $60 each for powdercoating, which seems expensive considering that the drums only cost $24 each. Painting would be a lot cheaper but I don't know if the coating would last. Would I need high temp?

Suggestions?

Peter

[Willoughby Z]

Searching old threads on the subject suggest that painting cast iron drums inhibits cooling, generally an opinion held by racers/track day/ auto-xers,etc., who probably would avoid heavier drums in favor of the steel lined aluminum, which definitely don't benefit from painting.

For a normal duty DD, media blasting, stainless steel brushing, degreasing, etc., prior to a quality clear coating job seemed to win out.

IMO, sixty bucks per drum seems high, considering my nasty salvage ZX wheels were cleaned, prepped and powder coated for that price- granted a couple of years ago but still...

[bluezcrazy]

Hey pbarcher,

I would definatley check another powder coating shop, if that's what you decide to do. $60 each is very high for steel drums. Steel is generally cheaper than alloy due to the prep time being easier. I paid $60 to have my valve cover powdercoated black, and it's aluminum.

Bryce

[rivrplay]

Every powder coater I have used has a minimum charge to cover the cost of getting set up and running the oven. Maybe your cost per part would go down if you had some more parts to throw in and have coated the same color.

[pwd]

You can have your OEM aluminum drums relined for not much more than the cost of cast iron plus powder coat.

Contact:

Don Booker

J&G Drum Relining

McHenry, IL. USA

815-276-2578

[cygnusx1]

Aluminum flake brake paint in a rattlecan. Looks exactly like fresh cast aluminum and will last a looooong time on drums, with a non-daily driver. If it chips or gets grungy, a can of brake-kleen and a fresh coat of spray good for another 5-10 years. Cheap and effective. Put the money elsewhere.

I swear by this.

http://www.amazon.com/Corvette-Paints-Silver-Brake-Caliper/dp/B001M9FZLW

Edited February 19, 2012 by cygnusx1