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Find out how you can get involved with the next 'Wheel of Dreams' project. Email Michael Clark today!
michaelclark@mts.net.
michaelclark@mts.net.
This is the story of the '40 Chev raffled off in '08. Reprinted with the kind permission of Michael Clark.
Previous portions of this story can be found here.
Part Eleven: You'll get a charge out of this
Powder coat, electricity show up for our Chevy.
It's all about being well grounded. Especially this week, for the latest installment of the Wheels of Dreams project car. In case you haven't heard, a 1940 Chevy Master 85 is being transformed into a classic street rod, all for the good of The Rainbow Society. (www.therainbowsociety.com) It's a joint effort, brought to you by the Hillbilly Garage near Garson Manitoba, and the El Diablo's Car Club, as well as numerous donations of parts and services from local and out-of-town partners. We're pleased to report that The Rainbow Society is posting all of the Wheels of Dreams episodes at their website, in case you've missed a few.
Speaking of out-of-town, today's Wheels of Dreams chapter takes us down the road from the Hillbilly Garage, to the cozy hamlet of Tyndall. Glen Dudeck of D.I. Custom Coatings has just put the finishing touches on the upper and lower control arms from our Mustang II-style front suspension, donated by Macgyvers Hot Rod Products out of Edmonton. We knew that we wanted these items to be finished in silver, to coincide with the 25th anniversary of The Rainbow Society in 2008. The Society grants wishes to Manitoba children suffering from a life-threatening illness. We could have simply painted the control arms. "Why would anyone want paint?" asked Dudeck, one of Manitoba's pioneers in the art of powder coating. (www.dicustomcoatings.com)
It's all about being well grounded. Especially this week, for the latest installment of the Wheels of Dreams project car. In case you haven't heard, a 1940 Chevy Master 85 is being transformed into a classic street rod, all for the good of The Rainbow Society. (www.therainbowsociety.com) It's a joint effort, brought to you by the Hillbilly Garage near Garson Manitoba, and the El Diablo's Car Club, as well as numerous donations of parts and services from local and out-of-town partners. We're pleased to report that The Rainbow Society is posting all of the Wheels of Dreams episodes at their website, in case you've missed a few.
Speaking of out-of-town, today's Wheels of Dreams chapter takes us down the road from the Hillbilly Garage, to the cozy hamlet of Tyndall. Glen Dudeck of D.I. Custom Coatings has just put the finishing touches on the upper and lower control arms from our Mustang II-style front suspension, donated by Macgyvers Hot Rod Products out of Edmonton. We knew that we wanted these items to be finished in silver, to coincide with the 25th anniversary of The Rainbow Society in 2008. The Society grants wishes to Manitoba children suffering from a life-threatening illness. We could have simply painted the control arms. "Why would anyone want paint?" asked Dudeck, one of Manitoba's pioneers in the art of powder coating. (www.dicustomcoatings.com)
It all starts with a thorough cleaning of the parts to be coated, which may involve sandblasting with a medium-abrasive media. In the case of the suspension parts, Dudeck 'pre-brakes' the control arms, at a pizza-savvy temperature of 400 degrees Fahrenheit. This process sweats out any oil or grease, which could cause problems with the coating adhering correctly. Dudeck hangs the parts to be coated on a special rack, which has an electrical ground. The grounding causes the parts to attract the powder, which is sprayed wiht a special electrostatic gun. Dudeck uses a selection of spray hoses for the powders, which can't be mixed up. That is, unless you want a two-colour speckled effect. The charged particles find their way deep into the V-grooves of the recently-sandblasted control arms.
Once the arms have been coated, the oven is fired up. "It's basically a big convection oven," said Dudeck. Temperatures can range from 250 to 400 degrees, depending on the materials being coated. This is where the powder coating transforms into a durable finish. In the early days of the technology, many newcomers did not understand the importance of maintaining the metal at a certain temperature. "The metal actually expands," said Dudeck. The expansion process enlarges the size of the V-grooves, allowing more of the powder into a gel-like consistency. Once the proper amount of heating time has elapsed, the cross-link of the resins is complete, throughout the surface of the control arms. Dudeck's product line includes over 100 colours, with the ability to create any type of automotive paint finish.
That powerful powder is joined this week by the source of electrical power for our Chevy. Dixon Barroe, a Via Rail plumber, contacted the Wheels of Dreams Parts Hotline via email, with 850 cold-cranking amps of 12-volt goodness for our Chevy. The brand-new top-post Motomaster Eliminator battery will provide plenty of starting power. "I read the coverage all the time," said Barrow. "It sounds like a really good project." The extra battery came into Barrow's hands, after finding a warranty card for a battery he recently replaced. "I probably could have sold it, but I figured it would be better to use for a project like this," said Barrow. He's been impressed with the outpouring of parts and services for the Wheels of Dreams project. "As far as I'm concerned, Winnipeg is one of the best car places going," said Barrow. "Everybody you talk to has an old car, or is fixing one up." The good news is that the generosity of partners such as Dudeck and Barrow shows no sign of stopping. There are numerous donations on tap, which we'll be telling you about the in the coming weeks. There are still a few bits and pieces needed. One of the latest items to hit the street rod scene is LED taillights, sized specifically for the 1940 Chevy. Feeling generous? Email Michael Clark today. (www.michaelclark@mts.net) Or call the Parts Hotline at (204)339-9331.
Once the arms have been coated, the oven is fired up. "It's basically a big convection oven," said Dudeck. Temperatures can range from 250 to 400 degrees, depending on the materials being coated. This is where the powder coating transforms into a durable finish. In the early days of the technology, many newcomers did not understand the importance of maintaining the metal at a certain temperature. "The metal actually expands," said Dudeck. The expansion process enlarges the size of the V-grooves, allowing more of the powder into a gel-like consistency. Once the proper amount of heating time has elapsed, the cross-link of the resins is complete, throughout the surface of the control arms. Dudeck's product line includes over 100 colours, with the ability to create any type of automotive paint finish.
That powerful powder is joined this week by the source of electrical power for our Chevy. Dixon Barroe, a Via Rail plumber, contacted the Wheels of Dreams Parts Hotline via email, with 850 cold-cranking amps of 12-volt goodness for our Chevy. The brand-new top-post Motomaster Eliminator battery will provide plenty of starting power. "I read the coverage all the time," said Barrow. "It sounds like a really good project." The extra battery came into Barrow's hands, after finding a warranty card for a battery he recently replaced. "I probably could have sold it, but I figured it would be better to use for a project like this," said Barrow. He's been impressed with the outpouring of parts and services for the Wheels of Dreams project. "As far as I'm concerned, Winnipeg is one of the best car places going," said Barrow. "Everybody you talk to has an old car, or is fixing one up." The good news is that the generosity of partners such as Dudeck and Barrow shows no sign of stopping. There are numerous donations on tap, which we'll be telling you about the in the coming weeks. There are still a few bits and pieces needed. One of the latest items to hit the street rod scene is LED taillights, sized specifically for the 1940 Chevy. Feeling generous? Email Michael Clark today. (www.michaelclark@mts.net) Or call the Parts Hotline at (204)339-9331.
Glen Dudeck (L) of D.I Custom Coatings and Don Parkway (R) of the Hillbilly Garage show off the powder coated Macgyvers control arms for our Chevy.
When you first hear about the processes involved, one might expect Dudeck to be wearing a pointy Merlin cap, or at least have some Frankenstein-style resistors crackling overhead. Dudeck has been spraying paint in the automotive trades for the last 30 years, at his adjacent Dudeck Motors body shop in Tyndall. He has been producing show-quality powder coatings under the D.I. banner since 1996, learning plenty of the science along the way. "Powder coating is 4 to 5 times more impact resistant than any other coating," said Dudeck. The problem with paint lies within. "30 to 40 percent of what you spray on is solvent." said Dudeck. The solvent finds its way into the V-grooves carved by the sanding process. For paint to be strong, the resins need to cross-link together. The problem is when the solvents in the grooves evaporate as the paint dries, making the cross-link chain weaker. "The powder has only resins and pigments," said Dudeck. "With no solvent in the mix, the cross-link is tighter, and the coating is more durable."