#FabSpace

[lilscorpion]

Jealous of the powder setup.

Quite the undertaking, you did a great job on all the pieces., keeping it compact, organized. Great work.

Thanks Justin, much appreciated.

 

[lilscorpion]

One thing I need to address in my booth is how I access the back of the Box. The Kool Koat box Hal’s every connection on the back. I suppose it’s because pros have them out “on the floor” or on a mobile cart. Since I want mine to be on a shelf in a cabinet, I need to figure out how to move the connectors to the front - Dosage (air to the gun), power connector to the gun, and the power switch itself.



Conceptually, creating an extension for the powder coating gun lead should be easy. Should be if you familiar with the connectors which I wasn’t.

Conceptually, creating an extension for the powder coating gun lead should be easy. Should be if you familiar with the connectors which I wasn’t.



The next few weeks were spent chasing part numbers. This connector, as I learned, is called a Circular Connector. Duh?



I chased multiple part numbers on line, called a few distributors, and even orders a few only to be disappointed with some connectors that were WAY to small. Exactly the same but 1/3rd smaller.



Alas a silver lining...the package the part shipped in came with a wealth of knowledge and back to google I went.



Hours later and half a dozen of cross reference charts later, I found exactly what I needed and luck would have it, Amazon Prime. Of course. I need a WS20 Circular connector.



Normally I’m good at snapping a few pics of the process but I was too damn excited and machined the mounting plate right after the packaged arrived.



Next to the Circular Connector I added a 1/4-inch push to connect bulkhead fitting for the supply line to the gun. This was a big progression for the booth. Now both connections are easily accessible from the front of the cabinet so I can disconnect the gun and store it in a cabinet in between coating sessions without having to reach behind the Kool Koat box.

 

[lilscorpion]

Though the booth is functional, there’s still a few minor tasks that I want to knock out before I get back onto the Jeep.

I made a quick gun holster out of Home Depot black waste pipe and connected it to the cabinet with a 2x2 pice of angle and some hose clamps.



I machined a few reliefs top and bottom on the mill



This allows the gun to be guided in and retained



Now the gun is out of the way between coats.



Powder coating is all about timing. You coat a part using static electricity and then bake it for a specific amount of time “at part metal temperature”. What that means is that you put the coated part into the oven, let it get up to temperature, and then let it cure at that temperature for the recommended amount of time.

To be efficient, you might find yourself overlapping batches. Some are thicker and take longer to get to temperature, others are thinner and get there quickly. Having a way to time the various batches’ cure time is critical so I mounted my IPad right next to the oven and downloaded this cool timer app called “Timer+”. Since not all powders cure for the same duration, I entered the most common into the app which makes setting a timer a breeze.



I made an accessory plate to sit above the Kool Koat box. This will serve as an upper control panel where I’ll add light switches and whatever else I need to add to the booth’s capabilities.



Another creature feature that was a must have was a tool organizer between the oven and the spray booth. This organizer for now just has the two most important tools for Poser coating - needle nose pliers which you use constantly for loading parts in and out of the oven and an inferred temp gauge for checking part metal temp.



Taking a few giant steps back you can see it’s coming together well. An oven, a sand blast cabinet, a powder coating booth, and ample storage for many dozens of colors...effect place to play. Everything beyond this point will be finish work.



Final step to concluding this build was to disassemble all of the pieces and parts and coat them. I decided to go with a color scheme that matches the craftsman tool box below. Thought it would be cool to match the toggle switch guards to the trim in a bright red with clear coat and the rest a satin black.



Powder coating is nothing short of a game changer. The finish I’m now capable of is amazing but it’s the time savings that’s really made the biggest difference. It’s actually faster, cleaner, and easier to include in the build flow than spray or HVLP paint. These pictures so not capture how good this panel looks in person.



And a final look at the control center of the booth now that it’s all assembled. I need to figure out how to run the ground wire differently. I have some extra space left in the above panel for expansion later.



That’s a wrap. Now it’s time to get back on the Jeep build.

 

[Bigblue&Goldie]

Really well thought out; you've definitely maximized your space. Always quality.

 

[larry4406]

Very nice!

I have book marked your thread for future reading on powder coating!

 

[lilscorpion]

Time to get after it, wheeling is right around the corner and the JK needs a refresh. The front diff - Dynatrac does ship their diffs painted but I’m guessing they didn’t use primer and just rattle canned over bare metal.



Whatever they used, the finish was no match for 5 years of Colorado’s winter road treatment - magnesium chloride. Here’s the upper control arm hat. Loos like ****.



Think the hardware was all black oxide too.



Pulled off the acos (adjustable coil spacers) and was seriously impressed. I expected them to rust-welded to the coil buckets but they were actually in fairly good shape and easily slid off.



They only had a little rust inside at the bottom from the Jeep and minimal corrosion.



Pulled the front upper and lower control arms. Bushings were still good, factory paint fair. 50k miles of road and wheeling, I’m surprised the bushings are all still in good shape.



A driveshaft, a trac bar, and 2 speed sensors later, the front end is out.



I used to wire wheel a diff to clean it up for paint but it’s too much work and it’s difficult to get a wheel into the cracks. A little research and found this Northern Tools 100 lb sand blast pot is the best value on the market.



My compressor can support 17cfm so an 1/8” tip will work.



Taped up the diff cover and needed to pull the upper bushings so I made this little remover to use in my ball joint removal tool.



The taper allows it to set inside the bushing and press out on the sleeve. Little cup on the other side and Click, click, click...



It’s out.



These elastomer bushings take a bunch of abuse when wheeling. They have about 20k on them and are already separating. Might as well replace them since I have them out.



I failed to get a pic if sand blasting the diff in the driveway but I totally did smack dab in the middle of an HOA controlled community. People were saying hi as they walked by, it was a hoot. Noisy neighbor took about half an hour.



A little extra prep with the wire wheel and it’s ready for paint.

 

[loganb]

Excited to see how you fit the axle assy into the powder coat oven!! Nicely done as always



Sent from The Garage Journal mobile app

 

[lilscorpion]

Excited to see how you fit the axle assy into the powder coat oven!! Nicely done as always



Sent from The Garage Journal mobile app

LOL...some day I’ll have a big oven but for now the housing will be painted.

But I wish. [emoji482]

 

[lilscorpion]

Just before dinner last night I got the diff cover taped off and a few coats of POR15 so it could be fully dry by morning. Good morning and ready to go.



Cleaned up the upper control arm bridge for the 60. Sandblasting got all of the surface rust off and returned it to new. Then a primer and color coat.





Installing the bridges back on the axle.



Got the bolts torqued to 45ft/lbs, good to go.



Next step is to install the new upper control arm bushings and clean up the rotors in prep for coating.



First time using Cerakote. Thought it was amazing that it could air dry and leave a durable finish but I guess chemicals are amazing...Andy his stuff is a special kind of nasty smelling. This is the C-series Glacier Black.



Brakes are next but good progress thus far.

 

[slodat]

What’s needed to apply the Cerakote?

 

[lilscorpion]

What’s needed to apply the Cerakote?

For the C-Series: The prep is similar to powder coating. Sand blast for better adhesion, clean with something like acetone, and HVLP with a .8 tip and about 20 PSI. 2-3 coats to get to the final thickness of 1-2 mil. Can handle it in 24 hours, fully cured in roughly a week.

 

[zmotorsports]

Jeep is coming along nicely Matt.

Are you leaving the ACOS off this time or reinstalling them? I ask because I removed mine just over a year or so ago. My issue was the hard rubber bumpstop was just too hard and when dropping down ledges it was quite a hard impact against them. Also when I went to the 37's I added about an inch and a half of bumpstop spacer to the axle and going over rough road at speed it became very harsh coming in contact with the hard rubber. After removing my ACOS and using a taller Metalcloack dual rate coil spring I added the Metalcloak Durospring jounce stops and LOVE them. They are so much more smooth when driving at speed and especially when descending a ledge there is no more harsh or abrupt impact against the ACOS hard rubber pad.

 

[rattle_snake]

Well, since you have the axle out... I hear coil-overs are nice

Then you can fab bump provisions separately. more work, more money, I think that is how it goes.

future proof for 42s?

 

[lilscorpion]

Jeep is coming along nicely Matt.



Are you leaving the ACOS off this time or reinstalling them? I ask because I removed mine just over a year or so ago. My issue was the hard rubber bumpstop was just too hard and when dropping down ledges it was quite a hard impact against them. Also when I went to the 37's I added about an inch and a half of bumpstop spacer to the axle and going over rough road at speed it became very harsh coming in contact with the hard rubber. After removing my ACOS and using a taller Metalcloack dual rate coil spring I added the Metalcloak Durospring jounce stops and LOVE them. They are so much more smooth when driving at speed and especially when descending a ledge there is no more harsh or abrupt impact against the ACOS hard rubber pad.

Thanks Mike. ACOS are not goi g back on. I’m going run some king nitrogen bumps this go round and mount them up in the coil buckets where the acos used to be. Always wanted a set and I ain’t getting any younger.

 

[lilscorpion]

Well, since you have the axle out... I hear coil-overs are nice

Then you can fab bump provisions separately. more work, more money, I think that is how it goes.

future proof for 42s?

We think alike. Going CO’s and nitrogen bumps. Hopefully have some pics in a few days... [emoji481][emoji481]

No plans to run 42’s but am upgrading to 40’s. Couldn’t make it too easy on the motor...lots of plans for this build. As Andrew has been saying “she’s gonna be dirt nasty and whine a lot”.

 

[lilscorpion]

A quick project to prepare for later this week - I’m going to need to powder coat a **** ton of parts in the up coming weeks and I need a drying rack. Thus far I’ve been cooling parts off the the lips of opened drawers. While it works just fine for little brackets, the drawers aren’t strong enough to handle some of the bigger parts I’ll need to coat.

Dug through the scrap I had laying around the shop and had just enough angle iron to piece this together.



It’s hung just low enough that I can easily reach yet opens and closes with enough of room to spare even when the Jeep is in the garage.

 

[csp]

I have a good friend I wheel with that regrets installing a supercharger on his 3.8, mainly from all the noise from the blow off valve. He was a little jealous when he saw a pair or LS engines in my pickup bed. I just couldn't resist going by his house after purchasing them and rubbing his nose in it.

 

[rattle_snake]

We think alike. Going CO’s and nitrogen bumps. Hopefully have some pics in a few days... [emoji481][emoji481]

No plans to run 42’s but am upgrading to 40’s. Couldn’t make it too easy on the motor...lots of plans for this build. As Andrew has been saying “she’s gonna be dirt nasty and whine a lot”.

Awesome, more tire, more power and more suspension. Sounds like a win!

 

[Bigblue&Goldie]

Get your order for the coilovers in ASAP, unless you can find some on the shelf. King and Fox are both over 20weeks backordered.

 

[lilscorpion]

I have a good friend I wheel with that regrets installing a supercharger on his 3.8, mainly from all the noise from the blow off valve. He was a little jealous when he saw a pair or LS engines in my pickup bed. I just couldn't resist going by his house after purchasing them and rubbing his nose in it.

Yeah, an LS would be sweet but I”m a little worried about the California emissions program Colorado just adopted (Jan 1st). I don’t need a sale-proof Jeep, it needs to stay sell-able.

Even if I want more than 500hp, I can still get there with the 3.6 and meths injection. The goal of this build is to have enough power to turn the meats on the interstate. If I can do that, It’s a win. If I can’t...meth, a bottom end, and I’ll be pushing near 550hp at a mile high.

Won’t need it, but it’s neat to have that in my pocket.

 

[lilscorpion]

Get your order for the coilovers in ASAP, unless you can find some on the shelf. King and Fox are both over 20weeks backordered.

Way ahead of ya. Per your point, shocks have been on back-order ever since we tried to get Andrew’s more than a year ago. I planned ahead and they were delivered yesterday actually. Waited about 45 days.

Awesome, more tire, more power and more suspension. Sounds like a win!

Yes, thank you, I hope so. If I can do all of that and keep it low low low, I’ll be grinning ear to ear.

 

[Bodj Built]

Get your order for the coilovers in ASAP, unless you can find some on the shelf. King and Fox are both over 20weeks backordered.

I'll probably only ever buy ADS shocks from now on. Incredibly smart guys. Karl who worked for Bilstein is there, and they are making GREAT, AMERICAN MADE shocks, with super fast turn around time. During all this covid ****, I got two complete resis shipped out with the right adapters to fit my Fox bypasses, for $175. That's a bit more than a single Fox would cost. Not only that, their machining is better and to more consistent tolerances. Big fans of their shocks. They're out of AZ, too.

 

[lilscorpion]

With the shocks now in hand (tada!!) I need to shift focus to the suspension. I’m going to convert the Jeep to coil-overs using the EVO Bolt-on coil over kit. They come with black King coil-overs with blue coils...blue ain’t gonna work.



Pulled them out of the box and disassembled them.



I’ll need to get the factory powder coating off of the coils first. Thus far I’ve been removing coatings with the sand blaster. It works but it’s seriously time consuming. When I say seriously, you can spend half an hour ion smaller parts. These coils would take what I would guess forever.

I looked into the chemicals the powder coaters use. Most common is B17. It’s nasty stuff but works fantastic. It can fully strip a part in only a few minutes. It’s also bad for you in every way, difficult to dispose of, and you can’t buy it unless you have a business. So B17 is out. I did find that there are weaker variants of B17 that DIY’ers can buy. It’s expensive (5 gallons for $300) but considering the time it’ll save, I figured it was worth a run. Turns out the stuff is kinda bad ***. Instead of spending a day trying to sand blast the factory powder off or the mess of using an industrial wipe-on stripper, a 20 minute does all of the work for you as well as I could have hoped. Here’s a test bracket after and before.



The neutralization of the chemical is easy too. After 20 minutes in the chemical, you simply dunk it in water and then pressure wash the part. The mild abrasion of the pressure washer just rinses the powder away. All that’s left for prep is to etch the surface in the sand blast cabinet which is really fast.

Now for the main event. Dropped the coils in the chemical.



Coils move to a water rinse...



And after a pressure wash...voila



The hard line shoes just how effective the stripper is.



A quick dry in the oven after the wash.



Only a little touch up in the blast cabinet is necessary, Bright White powder, and cooling time.



Iterate a few times and the coils ready for re-assembly.



Digging the new look.

 

[lilscorpion]

I'll probably only ever buy ADS shocks from now on. Incredibly smart guys. Karl who worked for Bilstein is there, and they are making GREAT, AMERICAN MADE shocks, with super fast turn around time. During all this covid ****, I got two complete resis shipped out with the right adapters to fit my Fox bypasses, for $175. That's a bit more than a single Fox would cost. Not only that, their machining is better and to more consistent tolerances. Big fans of their shocks. They're out of AZ, too.

Never heard of them but their shocks look comparable. Like there’s more players in the game who are increasing our choices for quality performance shocks. Thanks for sharing.

 

[Bigblue&Goldie]

I'll probably only ever buy ADS shocks from now on. Incredibly smart guys. Karl who worked for Bilstein is there, and they are making GREAT, AMERICAN MADE shocks, with super fast turn around time. During all this covid ****, I got two complete resis shipped out with the right adapters to fit my Fox bypasses, for $175. That's a bit more than a single Fox would cost. Not only that, their machining is better and to more consistent tolerances. Big fans of their shocks. They're out of AZ, too.

I've never personally used them, but a friend that raced 4400 was sponsored by them a few years ago. I usually stick with King, but I want all black anodized parts and the upcharge really hurts even with a deal. ADS has some trick, innovative stuff, so I don't doubt their basic stuff is great.

Karl is hilarious, so they might get my business based on that alone!

 

[zmotorsports]

The white looks much better than blue on the coils Matt.

Very impressed with the powder coating abilities you have developed in your shop and how customized you made the entire process.

 

[lilscorpion]

The white looks much better than blue on the coils Matt.



Very impressed with the powder coating abilities you have developed in your shop and how customized you made the entire process.

Thanks Mike. I have to admit, using white on the coils was Andrew’s idea. I was originally thinking of introducing a more attention getting color (though I was struggling to pick one) but he insisted white was so much better. He was right, I really like how clean it ended up.

I gotta say, I like coating. I’ve coated every bracket, bolt, washer, and nut. It’s strangely satisfying and the detail it adds to a project is insane. A game changer for both rust prevention and finish. Loving it.

 

[Mr.N]

With the shocks now in hand (tada!!) I need to shift focus to the suspension.

Thanks for taking the time to post your progress.

 

[lilscorpion]

Above I was mentioning Powder coating as a game changer in thel home shop. One significant benefit of being able to coat at home is powder coated parts that need to be fixed or altered, can easily be and then re-coated quickly after without needing to wait on the local coated to fit you in.

I’ll illustrate my point with the upper coil over brackets from Evo Manufacturing which came powder coated in the suspension kit.



While going through the brackets fresh out of the box, my excitement turned to disappointment. EVO’s finish on the parts was more than disappointing. They didn’t prep them well so the coating was flaking off on multiple edges. Even worse, they didn’t package the parts well either so there was multiple scratches and scuffs where parts rubbed together in the boxes.



Each bracket had excessive weld splatter that they just powder coated over. Come awn made in the USA, you’re letting me down.



Without the chemical stripper fixing the finish on such a complex part would not have been possible without hours of sand blasting. It’s like it was never coated in less than 30 minutes.



Then you do what you need to. This case I used a right angle grinder to knock off the weld splatter and ease the edges. Used a DA sander to then metal finish the surfaces a bit. In other cases it’s cutting, welding, drilling, tapping, etc.



Wrap up the fab phase with sand blasting. Note that the manufacturer did not sand blast. That means the powder coating did not achieve the necessary adhesion and could result in premature chipping, flaking, rust, etc. Just sand blasting alone is actually fixing EVO’s finish work.



Evo did not use a primer under their powder coat. Primer is required of you want the optimal protection against chemicals they use on the roads in the winter AND it aids in finish adhesion. Completely necessary to insure the coating lasts a long time.



If you control the process, you can ensure that it’s done correctly and the finish will last. Manufacturers do things in bulk which increases the likelihood that the part you got may not have been cured correctly. Using multiple coats (even primer + top coat), curing needs to be done using the correct temps for the right amount of time. Base and top coats are cured using different heats and durations and only the final coat is fully cured. All prior coats are only heated to the point where the the powder gels (called “flow out”). The past is pulled from the over , cooked to under 100*, and follow-on coats can be applied. Final coat is baked to the powders part metal temp (provided with the powder) and then kept at that temp for the recommended duration. Longer or shorter, the top coat isn’t as durable.



For top coat I’m going to use Prismatic Powders Blackjack which is very close to the POR 15 Chassis Black top coat I’ll be using to clean up the frame.



Now it’s rinse and repeat. Since I’m using a house oven which has limited internal space , it’s gonna take all day to cycle parts through the process but I end up getting there.



I’ll admit, it’s significantly more work to do the coating myself. That said, all of this was done inside of a few hours. Had I used the local guy, i would have spent mire time just going to his shop and back between the stripping and coating steps. Then I’d have to wait somewhere between 4 and 6 weeks to fit my work in. I need a bigger oven.

 

[bugnut]

Matt please do tell the name of the stripper. I would love to be able to recoat parts but not sure I need to do it myself.
Thanks

 

[bdbecker]

...I need a bigger oven.

I think everyone I know who has gotten into powder coating says that. As always, fantastic work!

 

[loganb]

I think everyone I know who has gotten into powder coating says that. As always, fantastic work!

I'm viewing it as a teaser of what's to come. I think he's already got ideas running around his head on what's next for a killer pizza and metal oven....just working to flesh them out before sharing with the horde here

Sent from The Garage Journal mobile app

 

[lilscorpion]

Matt please do tell the name of the stripper. I would love to be able to recoat parts but not sure I need to do it myself.
Thanks

There’s a few on the market that work the same way functionally. They’re horrible chemicals but diluted down so that they won’t immediately burn you and can be neutralized by water. The o e I picked is Columbia Coatings “Ez Powder Strip” - https://www.columbiacoatings.com/strippers

Sticker shock hits you when you first see 5ga = ~$300 shipped. The value though is time and effort saved times how many times you can use it. Looking at it that way, it becomes only $& per use.

 

[lilscorpion]

I think everyone I know who has gotten into powder coating says that. As always, fantastic work!

Yeah, this deep into powder coating, I'd agree. If you figure out how to Powder Coat, and you have the tools to do it, there's no way you can't end up arriving at the conclusion that the next logical step (or need) is a bigger oven. For the Jeep build, this 30” house oven can't fit wheels, a tie-rod, a drag link, a trac-bar, bumpers, sliders, etc, etc into my oven. The ONLY adjustment I'd need to make in order to be able to coat those things IS the oven. To some extent, it seem like a silly situation to be in.

I'm viewing it as a teaser of what's to come. I think he's already got ideas running around his head on what's next for a killer pizza and metal oven....just working to flesh them out before sharing with the horde here

You're so right. It's in my head. 3 x 3 x 7 oven. I'll build it myself following the guide here - https://www.powdercoatguide.com/2014/09/how-to-build-powder-coating-oven.html. I already know how i'll fit it into the shop. I already have the power wired to support it an I know where I'll get the control panel - https://www.auberins.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=58_60&products_id=749. More or less, other than the work, it's a done deal. (don't tell the wife).

 

[bugnut]

Matt thanks for the info. As I read about powder coating I would like to do it and so the research begins. All said will I do it with enough frequency to make it worthwhile. I too am impatient and want things done correctly and quickly.

 

[lilscorpion]

Matt thanks for the info. As I read about powder coating I would like to do it and so the research begins. All said will I do it with enough frequency to make it worthwhile. I too am impatient and want things done correctly and quickly.

Was just sitting here and thought I'd put together a cheat sheet of sorts...

You can get into it for relatively low $$. It's the advanced features, the ones that production shops use, which makes it more of an investment. There are many on youtube who do some fairly advanced stuff with the most basic setup. In lower volumes, these guns apparently do last quite a while.

Starter Setup Assumes:

1. You'd prep your parts with a wire-wheel or sandpaper
2. You'd coat your parts outside
3. You have an air compressor capable of at least 40psi, CFM doesn't matter

Minimum Investment to get started:

• $200 Eastwood Powder Coating Gun
• Used Kitchen Oven from Craigslist - Free - $50.
• $20 per pound for powder (it does go a long way)

Understanding your Limitations with a very basic setup:

1. re-coating parts previously powder coated would be extremely difficult if not impossible.
2. Prep time for bare metal wouldn't be bad but coudl get lengthy for material as condition gets worse
3. parts you could coat are limited by oven size (obviously)
4. introductory guns are basic leaving some powder coating conditions more challenging
5. switching colors may be a little more time consuming with the simple guns but not significantly worse than the higher-end guns.

An example of a challenging powder coating condition is called Faraday Cage Effect - https://www.prismaticpowders.com/le... cage effect happens,as easily to the corners.

These are the capabilities which, as you add them, can increase the cost of your setup in some cases dramatically:

• Coating inside, venting outsidem ($ Filters, $$$$ Ducting, $$ Booth): basic filtration, exhaust ducts routed outside the shop, simple booth to capture the dust
• Coating inside, venting inside ($$$ Filters, $ Ducting, $$ Booth): advanced filtration, very little exhaust duct work, more advanced booth design to capture the dust
• More advance turnkey coating system ($500-$3k): features that makes larger batches and challenging coating conditions much easier.
• Air Drying/Dryer ($100 - $1500): The dryer the air, the better for all coating, painting, and sand-blasting processes. Low cost are disable and require frequent replacement, higher cost are for large volume which auto drain and require very little daily maintenance.
• Sandblasting ($50 - $5k): capacity, component durability, and consumable longevity get better on higher quality units. You can sand blast outside with pots or have a cabinet and blast inside. Cabinets require filtration and a dust collector. Good dust collectors are expensive. Both blasting systems require a good air compressor and you really need about 16CFM at 100psi to be efficient. You can get by with 12CFM at 90 but the compressor wont' keep up so you'll have to let it catch up every 5 minutes or so. You need some kind of air-dryer. Prolonged blasting will go through disposable air dryers quickly. No matter what you do you need PPE.
• Chemical prep - this stuff is $$ but is the easiest way to strip previously coated parts. It's expensive and doesn't last forever. Really read everything you can about the options before you buy. More or less, it's the nastiest stuff i've every had in any of my shops EVER.

Happy to drill into any of the above if you'd like, hope this helps.

Matt

 

[bugnut]

Matt now you have me all stirred up. I have the heat and moisture controlled (dehumidifier) space, the sand blast cabinet and compressor. I have looked at eastwoods lineup, watched a few you tubers, etc. The main reason I have held back from taking the plunge is I have rims and bumpers I want to get done. Many smaller parts that would fit and I could do, so more head scratching!

Thanks for the info!

 

[lilscorpion]

Matt now you have me all stirred up. I have the heat and moisture controlled (dehumidifier) space, the sand blast cabinet and compressor. I have looked at eastwoods lineup, watched a few you tubers, etc. The main reason I have held back from taking the plunge is I have rims and bumpers I want to get done. Many smaller parts that would fit and I could do, so more head scratching!

Thanks for the info!

All vehicle projects have those few parts that need to be finished. Each one I've done included bumpers and wheels. It's usually those parts that cause me to go to the local coater. All of the other smaller parts just got thrown into a box and I viewed them as "misc" parts. In my head, those smaller parts were viewed as "why not's". I would have told you that if I didn't need to take the bumpers and wheels to the coater, I'd just paint them. So you and I are in the same headspace.

Having been to the coaters quite a few times, I've learned a few things. Those big items are frequently difficult for them as well -

• They may be too large to fit in their chemical stripping tank. If they can't chemically strip, then blasting is more time consuming/costly
• Larger bumpers may not fit in large production grade blast cabinets which requires outdoor blasting or a blasting room. One of the guys I've used in the past actually outsourced the big item blasting as a result.
• Handling of the large parts is more difficult between phases
• The biggest gotcha - mistakes are extremely costly the more of the above is true. Even the pros occasionally have an issue coating and need to redo it. If it's a bracket, it's a simple dip and re-coat. If they screw up a bumper that doesn't fit in their chemical tank, one they had to outsource the sandblasting...they just lost your a$$.

So to get to the point, as long as you don't have to re-coat larger parts, and the larger parts come to you as painted or bare metal, you have a large enough oven, you don't mind filling the powder cup a dozen times, you've practiced enough you to know how to get a good finish with your gun, you could be successful with a low-buck DIY setup. Where it will become much more challenging and maybe not worth it is when any of the above isn't true - say you make a mistake and you need to re-coat the bumper. Could cost you a significant amount of labor and time re-prepping the part to shoot a second time.

I'm still going to pay someone to coat the bigger parts. I'm just not equipped to do them. I want to be, don't get me wrong, but I'm not. To get to the next level, I won't go there until I have a big enough chemical tank, a place where I can sandblast larger parts regardless of weather, an oven big enough with racking that can roll into the oven, and a larger coating cabinet. More or less, I'd need to up-size my entire setup except my gun. If I build a bigger oven, it's not for bumpers, it's for things like tie-rods, small jeep bumpers, longer control arms, one or two wheels at a time, etc.

 

[lilscorpion]

To run 40’s I’ll need to be able to adjust the location of the diff so I need to build a set of adjustable arms. I wanted to upgrade to long arms but, since My oven size is limited to ~28”, I’ve decided to stay with adjustable Mid-length arms this year and do a long arm upgrade next year after I build a bigger oven. That’ll work out well, I do like the idea of running coil-overs with stock length arms for a season so I can understand how the coil overs themselves improve the ride. For this go-round, the uppers will be machined out of 1 1/2 x .313 wall DOM and lowers are 1 3/4 x .313. For strength I’ll direct thread the arms on both ends to accept Johnny Joints and these wall thicknesses provide just enough meet to do so.

Fist step is to drill the ID to the correct size for the tap. I use a drill bit that’s able to drill 1” deeper than I’ll tap to avoid crashing the tap.



You can get Morris taper drill bits that eliminate using a Chuck in your tail stock which are almost always longer than is needed for a control arm threaded assembly. A Morse taper bit can really hog compared to even a super duty chuck because of the tang.



Here’s how I do it. I start by measuring the max depth I need to tap. For my Johnny Joints, I need 3 1/4” of thread. This plug tap can cut one thread more than 3 1/2”. It’s just barely long enough.



Use a sharpie and mark the final depth directly on the drill. This gives you a quick visual depth reference so you can focus less on depth and more on the process than constantly measuring.



In this case, I’ll drill 5” in. That’ll give me a little wiggle room. Deep enough I can stop around the mark and I’ll be totally safe.



Getting after it.



Leave the tube in the chuck for all operations to ensure concentricity. Next, square the face.



Add a heavy chamfer to break the edge and give it a finished look.



Now to tap. I like to power tap though hand tapping works too. I make sure there’s plenty of oil in the work piece before I start. I use tap magic.



Like a lot of oil. I’ll run the tap in at about 250 rpm full depth in one shot so oil is my friend.



Mount the tap in the Chuck, leave your tail stock free, spin the tube, engage the tap into the tube, and let the tube **** in the tap until your at depth.



And that’s it. Direct threaded control arms. The process is the same I’d you’re using left hand thread you just run the lathe in reverse.



Once the arms are complete, they are sand blasted and primed.



The front lower arms are the longest and barely fit in the oven and I can only cook 2 at a time. How to suspend them was also a challenge. There’s a few things to consider - first, the ends need to be sealed so Powder doesn’t get into the threads. Second, whatever you use needs to be strong enough to support the part. Third, the hooks need to make a ground to the part.



Here’s what I came up with. I ordered all-thread in the thread pitch that matches the threads I cut. I cut the all-thread to about 2” lengths. I machined the threads off of one end.



And through-drilled the end so I could hook it with a heavy duty racking hook.

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In and out of the oven, the plugs enable the arms to cycle through the process without powder getting into the threads and were more than adequate for supporting the arms in all situations.

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The plugs work exceptionally well at leaving a very clean edge at the end of the arms once removed.

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As I was preparing to assemble the arms, I ran into yet another issue. Currie Enterprises sell these super large jam nuts for their Johnny Joints. Given how out of square they are, I suspect they’re cast instead of machined. Not a single one of them run true to the threads. The best has .020 runout and the worst more than .080.

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So out of square, they’re no way I’d be able to keep them tight so I have to fix them. Each nut required facing on both sides and a re-chamfering to restore their visual appearance.

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A finished nut looks no better than when I started but now it’s perfectly square.

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Since I removed all of the coating while machining, I re-coated with powder (of course).

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With the components complete, I can now assemble the arms.

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Arms are now ready for install.

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[Mark_17]

Nicely done, those came out great