**Coil Over Conversion with Stock K**
I hear that. You know whats funny? These guys are only 1 of 2 in town and nobody trusts the other company so I am kinda stuck. They are about the biggest Powder Coat Company in a 60 mile radius from me. There building is HUGE probably 20000sq ft. The Dad died earlier this year and the Mom and Kid took it over. Customer Service has went to crap. I wonder how long they will be around for.
Bigger doesn't necessarily mean better. I used to next door to a chrome plating and powder coating shop. Combined square footage of both operations was less than 12,000 square feet. Yet the quality of the work was top notch. Interestingly, both portions of the business were owned by the same guy, but each shop had a different manager. Both shops turned out quality work, but the if the powder coating shop said it would be ready on Tuesday, you could call Monday and it was probably already ready.
On the other hand the chrome shop told every customer that came through the door that their parts would be done in two weeks. If you were diligent and called every week after the first two weeks you'd get your parts 6 to 8 weeks after dropping them off.
As far as too much sand blasting on the parts and screwing up the threads, I don't know if I'd be so quick to blame the sand blaster. For powder coating to stick the part has to be perfectly clean so masking the holes for sand blasting is probably out of the question. First, the sand blasting will eat through virtually any masking tape. Second, any masking tape residue might keep the powder coat from sticking. Third, even if you mask the holes, a small amount of powder coat will hit the top thread making it necessary to chase the threads.
In my experience, you should ask them mask all threaded holes and even through holes. Powder coat is so thick it can decrease the diameter of a through hole enough to make inserting a bolt difficult. Once the part comes back from the powder coaters you should expect to chase any threaded holes and VERY CAREFULLY enlarge any through holes. I typically take the correct size drill bit, clamp it in a Vise Grip and hand chase through holes. This will make final assembly a lot easier.
Regards,
Joe Dokes
