Strut / Brace (under the hood) and Painting Thereof
 

Knowing I never should have assumed I had an idea no one else had...LOL...

I thought about either painting the strut/brace over the engine the same as my body color OR having it chromed. I'm guessing body color would be cheaper but I'd want it to match the body color exactly (which means, I guess, buying at least a quart of paint and having a paint shop use the paint code to paint with).

I guess powdercoating is also an option but not sure how to match the paint NOR how much heat is in the bay (having read about how heat softens the powdercoating).

Any ideas/thoughts, guys?

chrome... eeew...

:rofl2:

Well, chrome is a bit "loud" but I can't have it "stainless steeled" ;)

If you want a black chrome like finish, that can be accomplished through powdercoating if you want some bling that doesn't quite jump out at your like standard chrome would.

That's a possibility, too. However, having read what Mike said about powdercoating brake calipers and how heat could soften the coating, I worry it might get too hot in there... dunno...

i measured about 180F+ on the stb after a weekend drive on street... 85F outside.

That doesn't seem too hot...

Compared to the baking process of powdercoating itself? The engine bay is like a refrigerator lol. There are higher temp powdercoats available but the standard colors are good up to 400 degrees F before they start softening up (they are plastic, afterall).

I guess the heat question (on my part) comes from also not knowing how hot calipers get.

I'd really like to have that part match the body color, especially since it attaches to the body on the left and right.

For anyone curious enough to read this and wanting a comparison of chrome and black chrome...

http://www.hummerproducts.com/Black-...ls-Both-We.jpg

I went with powdercoating it the same color as the body color.....and glad I did:


http://www.the370z.com/members/beach...wm-1425-20.jpg



And as far as calipers go, I had those painted....yes, painted.....the same color as the body, too. Had it that way since June and so far no problems at all:


http://i302.photobucket.com/albums/n...0/DSC_4473.jpg

Yeah, looking under your hood in the "under your hood" thread made me realize (as I pointed out in the first post) that my idea wasn't unique at all. And yours is one of the reasons I prefer body color match.

:tup:

:icon17: Thanks.....I really think you'll like it if you decide to go body color.....but doing something unique and different is also cool! In the end, the important thing is you like it. :tup:

2theextreme are your Volks flat black or a semi gloss? Either way they look great on your car, especially with the blue calipers. :tup:

Thanks! They are flat black. :tup: