Powdercoating is a wonderful alternative to conventional paint. Here's how it's done.I wanted to give Project Street Fighter Mustang a different look by powdercoating the trim pieces black. The hood, roof, decklid, and tail panel will all be painted satin black, so black trim will fit right in. The first items to get the treatment were the taillight bezels. These cast pieces usually contain a lot of porosity, so before getting coated, they are put into the oven for 20 minutes at 400 degrees F to release the gasses in the metal that would've ruined the finish if not purged. Most unsuccessful powdercoat jobs can be traced back to poor preparation. If the part has rust or other coatings, having it chemically stripped or bead-blasted would precede the preheating step.
Once the part is free of contaminants, it moves on to the washer. Here it gets sprayed with phosphate. The phosphate etches the metal, preparing it for the powder to stick. It leaves a crystalline film on the surface; this process is called conversion coating. Its next stop on the line is the dryer; any liquid left on the part will keep the coating from being consistent.
Our color of choice was satin black. If you've been keeping an eye on what I've built before, you'll see a trend of low-gloss parts sticking to my cars. The Chassisworks Fab 9 rearend housing featured in this month's installment on the Mustang received the same coating. You can choose from satin, gloss, metallic, fine textured, rough textured, wrinkle, and antique finishes in more colors than you can imagine.
This coating isn't paint; it's a dry powder that's given a positive electrical charge while the hanging part is charged negatively. Since the powder is charged, it seeks out the bare metal and latches on. When the part is completely covered, it gets put in the oven once again, where the powder melts, flows out, and cures. The parts are cooked for about 15 minutes at 400 degrees F to ensure a hard finish.
Most powdercoating shops have a minimum order to compensate for the time it takes to switch colors. They are around $75, so make sure you stock up on parts and bring them in at the same time. Usually, a coater will charge less if they have a batch of the same color to do anyway; just give them a little extra time. To give you an idea of how many parts you can get coated, you would need 12 taillight bezels to reach the minimum order requirement.
 The most important step in...  The most important step in the powdercoating process is the preparation. Here, my Mustang's taillight bezels make their way into the washer using phosphate and soap to clean and etch the surface. |  The powder is electrically...  The powder is electrically charged, then sprayed onto the part through a pneumatic spray gun. The part is charged oppositely, causing the powder molecules to seek it and settle evenly. | |