Lotus Elan and Lotus Elan Plus 2 Forums

Hi
I have recently acquired some original 4.5 steel wheels for my sprint.

Is there a general preference for powder coated or painted and should they be Gloss Black or Satin Black also
which is the preferred tyre here in the UK, I looked at Michelin's but was quoted ?175 each plus tubes, fitting balancing and VAT quite expensive.

My Sprint currently has some Minilite style 6 x 14 alloys fitted by Spyder I believe, but I think they look too big although they would look nice on a plus 2.

thanks for any advise
Dave

Interested also by the answer. gloss or matt.

Mine are Matt so far.

The original sprint wheels in black with the chrome edge definitely look good.

Just been reading up about wheels and it seems they should be Satin black (assuming its not a S4-Sprint and they should be Ford Fox silver with Satin Clear) Both are supposed to have the Chrome rim Embellisher.

That said i see a lot of rims painted Gloss at shows, So i think what it comes down to is your personal preference.

My understanding is satin black.

Unashamed plug for Tim's Sprint website:
http://www.lotuselansprint.com/index.asp

If it now has any mistakes in it- I can't find 'em.

Merci, mon amis mate!

Tim

Ian Jemison Engineering near York straightens and trues steel Lotus Elan wheels for ?20, they also powder coat on site to a very high standard.

elansprint71 wrote:My understanding is satin black.

Unashamed plug for Tim's Sprint website:
http://www.lotuselansprint.com/index.asp

If it now has any mistakes in it- I can't find 'em.

I concur that's a very good resource for S4's modified by the factory. Stripes R Us !

The colour depends a bit on the year the sprint was made, mine is 71 and has silver wheels, which I quite like

Graeme

Thanks for the replies, it's looking like satin black, is powder coating the best option?

Thanks Dave

Hi Dave,
My own experience with powder coating is that it quite quickly deteriorates when exposed to the harsh road elements, I would suggest etch priming and two pack paint would be far longer lasting.

My wishbones were powder coated and this is starting to flake off after just 2 years, whereas the chassis was 2 pack painted and still looks like new.

I agree about the durability of powder coating. It's fine until the first tiny break in the surface, maybe caused by a stone chip. Then the water gets underneath, rust begins and the coating comes off in pieces. In my opinion it isn't durable enough for use on a car.
Mike

[quote="au-yt"]The colour depends a bit on the year the sprint was made, mine is 71 and has silver wheels, which I quite like

Graeme[/quote]

Not quite true Graeme. Black wheels on the Sprint were introduced in 1971. Plenty of 71 Sprints with them fitted by the factory. The silver wheels were S4 stock getting used up. Generally speaking silver wheels would be correct on the S4/Sprints and early production models. However, not surprisingly there is no hard and fast rule on which 1971 cars did or did not have black or silver wheels.

So as far as restoration is concerned it's a matter of personal preference, unless you know for sure your car came with silver wheels from Hethel and you want to keep it super original.

Tim

Spyder fan wrote:Hi Dave,
My own experience with powder coating is that it quite quickly deteriorates when exposed to the harsh road elements, I would suggest etch priming and two pack paint would be far longer lasting.

My wishbones were powder coated and this is starting to flake off after just 2 years, whereas the chassis was 2 pack painted and still looks like new.

It depends what Powder coat is used, polyurethane powder coat is the common one and it does re-soften with things like exhaust heat but as with every thing Prep is key. If its not properly prep'd and applied it sits on the surface then suffers badly from Capillary action.

2k is very similar to Powder coat as it chips easily and then corrosion spreads from that point, its not as hit and miss as Powder coat as its either stuck or not that said its still very prone to chips and the Corrosion does lift the 2k paint off quite quick once compromised.

For me i use Epoxy on anything like suspension components etc, Epoxy Primer to seal GRP before paint as a barrier coat and Epoxy Powder coat. I believe it was developed for use in oil rigs and once its on its not coming back off. To start with Epoxy is very hard and doesn't chip (if your not sold on it try shot blasting some off a test panel), it is very stable and things like paint stripped or brake fluid won't touch it once its dried then where Corrosion spreads / lifts the paint around damage on 2k etc Epoxy is bonded to the metal far better than any etch primer.

Grizzly wrote:

Spyder fan wrote:Hi Dave,
My own experience with powder coating is that it quite quickly deteriorates when exposed to the harsh road elements, I would suggest etch priming and two pack paint would be far longer lasting.

My wishbones were powder coated and this is starting to flake off after just 2 years, whereas the chassis was 2 pack painted and still looks like new.

It depends what Powder coat is used, polyurethane powder coat is the common one and it does re-soften with things like exhaust heat but as with every thing Prep is key. If its not properly prep'd and applied it sits on the surface then suffers badly from Capillary action.

2k is very similar to Powder coat as it chips easily and then corrosion spreads from that point, its not as hit and miss as Powder coat as its either stuck or not that said its still very prone to chips and the Corrosion does lift the 2k paint off quite quick once compromised.

For me i use Epoxy on anything like suspension components etc, Epoxy Primer to seal GRP before paint as a barrier coat and Epoxy Powder coat. I believe it was developed for use in oil rigs and once its on its not coming back off. To start with Epoxy is very hard and doesn't chip (if your not sold on it try shot blasting some off a test panel), it is very stable and things like paint stripped or brake fluid won't touch it once its dried then where Corrosion spreads / lifts the paint around damage on 2k etc Epoxy is bonded to the metal far better than any etch primer.

very interesting write up.
I didn't realise there were different types of powder coating, so do we just specify Epoxy powder coating, or is there a sure fire way of getting the good stuff by naming a particular brand?

I'm no expert on Powder coating but the place i work does allot of restorations and we get people in to demo different products etc, last year we had a demo from a place called APC of there fusion bonded epoxy and we have used it ever since.

There demo was to get an old steel suspension arm that had been shot blasted and coated with 1 coat over bare steel (no etch etc) then tried to shot blast it, Grind it with an Angle grinder and beat it with a lump hammer and every one that saw the Demo was impressed. I am not sure what finishes are available as i've only seen satin black but i was told you can have any Ral colour.

Being in the Auto refinishing industry there has been an influx of spray on Epoxy based products coming onto the market and the ones i've used are really good. The things that sel them self is its Barrier properties, no need for etch and shear toughness. Where alot of primers etc can be softened by Solvents you can't move epoxy even with off the shelf paint stripper

Chris