I'm going to be ordering some Spohn SFCs very soon, and I'm on the fence about whether to get them powdercoated or not. I hate to spend all that money just to grind it all back off to weld. For those of you that sprung for the powdercoating, how does it look now that it's all welded in? Did the heat discolor or melt the powdercoating near the welds?

Does anybody have some pics of them with the welds showing?

 

If you plan on ordering a pair from Spohn the sooner the better. They seem to be severally backed up on orders. I ordered mine on the 25th of Jan and still haven't received them. I ordered mine bare, I figured that getting them powder coated was a waste seeing as you have to grind the spots that will be welded not to mention time consuming. I ordered the Por-15 kit, it cost a little more than going with the powder coat I think it was around 60 bucks with shipping. I figure it will save me time and I may have a little left over for what ever else I find needs painting.

I plan on painting the tops of the pieces first that will be hidden against the floor pan, leaving about a 1/4 inch strip along each side for welding, then once in place I'll paint the rest. Por-15 may not look as good as a smooth powdercoating but that doesn't really matter your not going to see it. Por-15 has even been quoted as being just as tough as a powder coating.

 

What a coincidence, I just took before&after pics of painting over the welds on my powder-coated Spohn SFCs today and I see your post... here are some before and after pics for you. BTW, yes, the welds WILL mess up the powdercoating, but that was OK with me. I sanded/primed/painted the welds and surrounding charred spots as well as areas of the surrounding undercarriage that needed it (b/c of scratches, missing paint,...). Yes, I know it doesn't look great, but please don't rag on me for it b/c (1) I have no time right now and (2) nobody looks under my car anyway!!

Here are the pics: [you should be able to see the red painted bumps every 6" or so where the welds are on this pic]

 

Here is the psgr-side brace-to-sfc weld before paint:

 

...and after:

 

The rear LCA bolting point before...

 

...and after paint:

 

psgr sfc front weld before...

 

&after: (btw, I'm not thrilled about the tiny clearance you can see in this picture. When I put it in reverse, the engine rotation on its mounts is just enough to bang the y-pipe against the sfc here - see my other thread.)...