Whats The Best Paint For Frames???
 

Im almost done with my welding and gusseting project and it time to start thinking about frame paint. First off, I dont believe in POR15 for painting clean bare metal so please lets stay away from that. Powdercoating is out of the budget as well. Im thinking a good epoxy primer followed by a coat or 2 of enamel. Just wondering what is nice and durable for DD duty. I had rustoleum on there before and I didnt like it at all. It was very soft. What do you guys think?

I used Rustoleom Semi Gloss enamel looks like factory but for durability can't beat powder coating.

I use DuPont catalyzed black primer. It dries semi-gloss and is durable.

Any other opinions?

Powdercoat. My BIL is doing his '57 Chev P/U frame this way. Going to look awesome.

Do you know how much he paid? I was quoted $1100 for mine. No way Im paying that much.

I Sandblasted my frame, Sprayed with 2 coats PPG DP90 Epoxy(Black) followed with 2 coats semi gloss black enamel. After all was dry I oil sprayed inside the frame rails and crossmembers with Rustcheck
My total cost was about $320.cdn


http://i16.tinypic.com/61yigaw.jpg

My frame was originally painted 14 years ago by previous owner with two coats of Urethane...there is no rust/chips,and frame still looks very good...

Rich

How I did it.
 

I used POR-15 as a a rust blocker and then shot it with 2 coats of rustoleum from good old rattlecans. I can hear all the people out there crying "why oh why did you use spray paint?". Well, the reasons follow.
1. It's just a frame, not gonna be seen a lot.
2. It's easy.
3. The POR-15 is the real deal and is what will keep the parts from rusting.

You say you don't believe in POR-15 over bare metal. I used both the "Marine Clean" and then "Metal Ready" just like the POR-15 guys said to do and the metal is no longer bare and bright when you get done with those. Not saying you're wrong, just that I'd bet that some of the people who had problems with POR-15 sticking to the metal didn't follow the instructions that came with it.

A warning on POR-15 though, it's a lot of work. Painting with a brush gets old fast. I spent 2 weeks of after work time painting the frame and parts with POR-15 and a bunch of brushes. The spray cans took a few hours over the long weekend.

Pics in this thread: http://forums.corvetteforum.com/show....php?t=1593428

:cheers:
-Trevor

My 02 acid etch primer for bare metal, DP epoxy primer, top coat with what you want!! This is my treatment for parts I dont want to paint again. I have had grind some spots for ground wires, I had some electrical issuse that was related to ground or lack there of due the paint!:thumbs:

He hasn't done it yet and I forgot what he said he was quoted. Truck is primed and mocked up, runnin' it that way til fall then coming back apart for paint.

I have used both POR-15 on one frame and PPG DP40 on a different frames and both are very good. If you want a high gloss finish use POR, if semi gloss is your choice use the PPG.

I have used the PPG on many projects and found this through experimentation. When you mix with the recommended amount of catalyst it produces a flat look that I didn't like. Flat paint does not clean as well as a semi gloss and that turned me off. I discovered the more catalyst you add the higher the sheen produced. Measure amounts of catalyst exactly over several mixes, or the area will take on several different sheens. The catalyst can be bought seperately, so you don't need to be concerned about running out. A 50/50 mix is close to my liking, but a little experimenting might surprise you. With the right sheen, I don't feel the need to top coat. BTW...the PPG can be brushed and look good, just use a good quality brush.

I used owatrol on the first 2 layers. And then a mix of 50/50 owatrol and arcanol on the 2 next ones. Used a tectyl pump, and sprayed the inside of the frame w/ owatrol.

I stripped mine to bare metal and used POR system ... it is rust PREVENTIVE ... paint is not.
Top coated the silver POR with Krylon semi flat black.
:seeya

Have any of you used Eastwood's products on frames? If so, were you happy them and how do they compare to POR15's products?

I have used Rust Encapsulator and Chassis Black (original). R.E. adheres well to rusted metal and is flat black when dried. Chassis Black covers well and levels out so that brush marks disappear. I may use the newer Chassis Black this time since it can be double-coated more easily than the original.

:cheers:

Rick B.

I'm going to try some stuff called "Chassis Saver." The paint store had a demo piece of sheet metal treated with this paint; I could bend it, twist, pound w/hammer and it would not peel or chip.

Everyone has their own recipe for painting frames and some guys swear by POR 15 which is fine for them but I kind of agree with hwcoop. I use DP90 (black-now it is DPLF90) for adhesion but it is not a finish paint so I top coat it with an enamel. I use my PPG flatener and experiment till I get a satin sheen. Before I do that though I use a 3M Body shootz gun with a rubber hose clamped on the end so I can spray into the inner sections of the frame. The last time I bought a gallon of black Rust Oleum from Home Depot for $25 and mixed it with acetone and try to paint as much inside the frame as possible with the body shootz gun and some oozed out. I then scraped and sanded that and then put on my finish coat of the satin enamel. It will probably last long after I'm gone-I hope-Jim

frame paint
 

dupont etching primer, black imron....

Ill go out on Limb,
Maybe look into Speedliner? They can spray it on thin. The weight
wont be too bad, and will prob. protect the frame till way way after you sell it.