Paint or powdercoat?

[phantomtracer]

I see many restos that powdercoat the frame.
Doesn't this make the resto look fake?
The factory used paint. Does the powder coat look close enough to a painted job that you can't tell?

[3 Wheel Drive]

All of the trikes I've owned came all chipped, scratched, rusty, or spray bombed. I powdered one trike and it turned out great IMO. If powder is not in your budget regular paint can still turn out good. After 2 years my frame swinger and engine still look great.

This is my 85 Tri Z powdered red:
http://www.3wheelerworld.com/album.p...hmentid=209198

[tx200m]

Powder coat is purdy tho... Also a pain to grind some off to make stuff fit.

[Jmoozy27]

I like paint, 20 worth of flat, gloss, and clear can cover an entire trike sucessfully Its better than powdercoating if done right.

[BOB MARLIN]

Powder is hard to get a "perfect match" but holds up much, much better. I Used "Bengal red" powder and it looks great.

[atc500x]

urethane paint will save base coat and clear coat.I always paint all my frame with urethane paint,well done it give a perfect job.If any day you must remove it......sandblast and it's done,not with powdercoat

[250rmanfmf]

Like people are saying, paint looks great and is cheaper. Powder is way more durable. I painted my atc 70 frame and wish I powdercoated it as if you ride in areas with lots of small rocks and sand the paint get chips in it. Also powder doesn't make your resto look fake unless you are trying to restore to 100% factory look. Do whatever is in your budget I prefer powder. I had a trx250r frame and all parts to the bike (a-arms, swingarm, pegs,mounts, hubs, steering stem, etc.) done for about 350 bucks and that was sandblasted and coated two colors.

[Dirtweed]

I powder coat everything, Tractors, trikes, quads. Love the durability and if you look enough you can get a really good match.

[El Camexican]

urethane paint will save base coat and clear coat.I always paint all my frame with urethane paint,well done it give a perfect job.If any day you must remove it......sandblast and it's done,not with powdercoat

With all due respect, what the heck are you talking about? Are you insinuating that powder coat can't be removed with sandblasting?

[250rRoostmaster]

I'm a fan of powder coating, paint is fine but I've had excellent results with powder. Like Dirtweed stated, i also powder coat just about everything i can on or off a trike.

[86125m]

powder coat is great untill it starts chipping.

[Mickey Dunlap]

I painted mine just to keep it like it was in the 80's, but the next day when I put clear on it, it wrinkled!!!! So to heck with the paint I'm going with powder! Beside, I know I'm going to want to ride it more then I should so it will need to be powder coated to hold up!

[phantomtracer]

Thanks for the input.
I wanted to keep the factory look.
I guess this is the least of my worries as I need a whole lot of parts!

[El Camexican]

I painted mine just to keep it like it was in the 80's, but the next day when I put clear on it, it wrinkled!!!! So to heck with the paint I'm going with powder! Beside, I know I'm going to want to ride it more then I should so it will need to be powder coated to hold up!

That sucks. Something was done wrong. Did you use a base coat clear coat paint? You can't clear coat "normal" paint unless its very well cured. Months, not days and even then it won't stick for long if you do it. Clear coat sticks best when applied within a few hours of applying the base coat. I try to get it shot within 2 hours of applying the base, but 6 to 12 is safe. Never spray clear at night in an open air shop, or when it's humid outside and don't put a freshly clear coated part outside before its cured for at least 24 hours. Maybe if you go past 12 hours you need to let the paint cure longer before shooting the clear?

Ever see TV shows staring a certain "Chip"? Where they take a newer vehicle and add some stripes and then clear the entire vehicle and buff it out like a mirror? Well I'd like to see one of those cars 2 years later. I'm almost certain some of that clear has peeled off.