powder coating carburetors

glenn in camino

glenn in camino

Well-known member
I'm working on a couple of Zenith 1 carburetors, and I'd like to have them powder coated satin black before I reassemble them. I plan to fill the threaded holes with old jets and mask other places that I don't want coated. What should I use for masking, and should the castings be coated inside and out? Any other advice???
 
Only on assembled outer surfaces, have always used (older) flat or gloss lacquer from a rattle can which should still be available in Cal. Has always been gas resistant for me but may want to check recent formulations. A benefit is that scratches/ touch ups are simple as opposed to powder coating which can be difficult. Be interested to read others' experiences.
 
I'm a powder coating king but never thought of doing the carb... Let me know how u make out.... I currently use lacquer spray can which is fuel resistant...
 
I think it is a bad idea too.

Done enough powder coating to know it can get anywhere if not well plugged. Too many things that need to be covered. If anything gets powder in it then it can be a nightmare to remove. All it takes is for one plug to not be right and you have a problem.

Thin coat of fuel resistant paint is the safest solution in my book.
 
I have powder coated many carbs with very good results. I went with the flat black powder coat, looked more like the original 'Japan Black'. I have a NOS carb to compare the finish to. All the comments here are those that never did it. I have an oven in my shop and did them myself. Never had an issue with it clogging any ports. The powder coat is VERY gas resistance. Two of my carbs were used on cars that won the Henry Award in MARC. If they leaked, just a simple wipe and the finish is untouched.
 
Thanks Steve for the report....I am rebuilding a couple right now and plan to PC them..
My whole under carriage / Chassis / running gear is PC'ed on Lucy and no judge has noticed....
 
I used to make gun parts in my machine shop for Bill Wilson, the man that owns Wilson's Combat. A lot of the parts were plated with a process called Metaloy. It looked like stainless and you could plate a revolver and all the parts and screws and then reassemble it with out any problems. Bill told me it only added 1 or 2 tenthousands to the part being plated. You could beat on anything that was plated and it wouldn't peal off or crack. It would stay on for ever. After reading about powder coating it just came to me, I might have to try Metaloy finishing a zenith because it would never rust inside or out. The only thing is it might not work on cast iron. Has anyone ever tried this process on a carb?
 
Mitch//pa said:
Thanks Steve for the report....I am rebuilding a couple right now and plan to PC them..
My whole under carriage / Chassis / running gear is PC'ed on Lucy and no judge has noticed....
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What about cost?

Not every one has an appropriate oven. PC shops are not cheap, not to mention if PC would even work.. Plus all the other stated reasons.

PC can look just great. But not here. I used Satin Black epoxy paint.
 
PC is usually cheaper than wet coat and it looks great. On carburetors I have used POR 15 and it is very gasoline resistant and looks nice. Both satin and gloss look good and flow out well using a brush. Of course, proper masking is necessary no matter what you use.
 
midgetracer said:
PC is usually cheaper than wet coat and it looks great. On carburetors I have used POR 15 and it is very gasoline resistant and looks nice. Both satin and gloss look good and flow out well using a brush. Of course, proper masking is necessary no matter what you use.
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Then why do the PC folks want a fortune to PC wire wheels?
 
Larry Jenkins said:
Then why do the PC folks want a fortune to PC wire wheels?
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While they may charge a fortune, you might want to price getting a wheel body worked & painted. Then compare costs! ;)

Add me to the list that has powder painted carbs. Done it for nearly15 years I suppose. We just put a layer of aluminum foil between the upper and lower halves, then bolt the two halves together and powder paint them with a thin layer. Heat does not bother the castings. Very little to mask.
 
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