Powder coating my wheels?

[Dorsai]

Literally the first thing I did when I got my truck nine years ago was put new tires on it. And when I say 'first thing' I mean exactly that - I picked it up at my parents' house and drove it straight to the closest shop that had 235/75R15's in stock. I don't know where my grandfather sourced his tires from, but those were the scariest, skinniest, hardest tires I'd ever seen. And they were at least 15 years old as well.

I'm still on the same set of tires I bought that day, and while I've put less than 25K miles on them and they still have plenty of tread, they're getting old - I think it's time to put new ones on. So if I'm going to be mucking with the tires, now's the time to think about my wheels.

My wheels are bog standard Type 1 wheels, and I believe they were originally Wimbledon White in color. They were scuffed, scratched, and rusted when I got the truck, so after some time with paint stripper and a wire wheel, I was able to clean them up and rattle-can them Oxford White - Wimbledon White had a little too much of a yellow tinge for my taste.

But, I'm a crappy painter, and it shows - the paint is rough and holds dirt/brake dust very easily...which brings me to the point of this post: should I get them powder coated? Aside from the fact that our gracious host is a fan of it, I don't know anything about powder coating. So here's what I'm looking for:

• Reasonably durable - I don't off-road my truck, 99.5% of its time is spent on suburban roads and highways. The other 0.5% is on my parents' gravel driveway at a mom-pleasing low speed.
• Easily cleaned - I'm not a clean truck fanatic, but I'd like to be able to occasionally wash my wheels and make them look nice. Right now they're just soaking up brake dust and road grime.
• Color control - they don't have to be exactly Oxford White, but I'd like enough selection that I can specify something more white than Wimbledon, but less white than, say, Elizabeth Warren.
• Reasonably priced - I paid $600 for the truck, I expect to pay well under that for whatever I do to the wheels.

So, is powder coating something I should consider? Or is there a better approach?

[delco1946]

in the Portland Oregon metro area, good shops will quote you 150 per wheel.  As a result i have not done this. However, i think i will be going to Les Schwab - i cant remember if they paint or powder coat (i think powder coat) but they will blast your wheels for $10 each and paint/powder coat for $32 and they have a bright white (too white for me) and an almond color (and some darker) that is a near perfect match for the off white you'll see in my avatar. I plan on going with them as the price cant be beat.

[Dorsai]

Wow.  I was hoping for maybe $50/wheel...$750 for a whole truck's worth of wheels is well beyond what I'm willing to pay.

[ArdWrknTrk]

Nice to see you Matthew.  

If they'll blast them for $10 each consider using wheel enamel and clear coat of a sheen you like.
I painted some wheels in my basement in the middle of winter 2010, and they still look good.

[Dorsai]

ArdWrknTrk wrote

Nice to see you Matthew.  

Same!  After all the time I spent prepping for the OK trip, I've been mostly ignoring the truck since and focusing on school.  I'm done in less than two months, after that I hope to be back to moderate, regular activity here.

If they'll blast them for $10 each consider using wheel enamel and clear coat of a sheen you like.
I painted some wheels in my basement in the middle of winter 2010, and they still look good.

If I'm facing $750 to get them powder coated, then this will almost certainly be what I end up doing.  

[ArdWrknTrk]

I know you've been busy with school.

You could always stop by Gary's and spend the day.
I'm sure he would hook you up!  

[Gary Lewis]

Come on over!  (But I suspect you can buy new wheels for the gas it would cost.)

[Dorsai]

Gary Lewis wrote

Come on over!  (But I suspect you can buy new wheels for the gas it would cost.)

Quite possibly!  According to my spreadsheet, I burned 124.8 gallons round trip to Skiatook, which at the national average gasoline price of $2.61 is $325.73.  I wouldn't be surprised if I could buy five Type 1's for that.