frame powdercoat or paint?
Thread Starter
Intermediate
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 49
Likes: 0
frame powdercoat or paint?
i got myself in some doubts about the frame treatment.... i have sandblasted it and already painted it ( anti rust primer, primer and paint) ... .. i notice it is not that difficult to scratch it off..
the car will always be stored in a garage... not for daily use.. so consider it a nice weather car.
if i hadn't painted my frame already i would choose now for powdercoat , but since i already have painted it i was wondering if it might be worth the extra money to have it redone with powdercoat?
anyone experience with this issue ( on a longer term result difference)??
Tia
art-corvette
the car will always be stored in a garage... not for daily use.. so consider it a nice weather car.
if i hadn't painted my frame already i would choose now for powdercoat , but since i already have painted it i was wondering if it might be worth the extra money to have it redone with powdercoat?
anyone experience with this issue ( on a longer term result difference)??
Tia
art-corvette
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 5,752
Likes: 4
From: Austin Texas
We do it both ways...black epoxy (catalyzed..you need a spray gun and a booth), and powder-coating. Powder coating is superior, in my opinion. But finding someone with an oven that big is not always easy....If your not going to drive in the rain or snow too much, you might just leave it as-is...G/L
Race Director
Joined: Dec 1999
Posts: 16,945
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No need for an oven, even though any industrial powdercoating plant will have one large enough, you can use UV and IR to cure it (and curing it that way cuts down on the amount of degassing on cast parts because it doesn't heat up the entire part...but this doesn't aplly to a frame of course)
Advanced
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 64
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Industrial Fence Company
Industrial Fence Companies have the big ovens. And they do color runs. So if it's black you want, find out when they do the black run. I had a friend that got his done yellow. An industrial company in Fort Worth Texas had a big job to do a bunch of shopping cart carouls (sp) for a grocery store chain. They did it cheap on the same day. Now he has a really cool, or hot, yellow frame.
Racer
Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 370
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From: Rockford Michigan
I had mine sandblasted and powder coated by the same company, 400 to blast AND coat. I was very happy with the price and even more so with the durability. It is nice when you are putting parts back on the frame not having to deal with chips and scratches that you would normally have with paint. Very well worth the money....
Thread Starter
Intermediate
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 49
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there is a company nearby that can do the job so that is not the problem. i guess it would cost me about $300-350 .
my problem is more that i dunno if it is worth the money to redo a frame with powdercoating that has just been painted already.
art-corvette
my problem is more that i dunno if it is worth the money to redo a frame with powdercoating that has just been painted already.
art-corvette
Racer
Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 370
Likes: 0
From: Rockford Michigan
Very well worth it. The durability factor well outways the price factor. Plus in 10 years when the car is all back together the powder coating will be holding up much better then the paint. Best time to get it done is when the car is all apart....
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Drifting
Joined: Nov 2001
Posts: 1,469
Likes: 6
From: 68 427 4.11s Roadster
I question this durability reputation powder coating has. Its just dry paint that is heated externaly.
polyurethane paint is heated internaly. Its fuel proof and all that.
Also I know some have had parts of their boats done and it chips and it corrodes so I don't see the big reputation it has.
Both catalyzed paint and powder coating are plastic.
polyurethane paint is heated internaly. Its fuel proof and all that.
Also I know some have had parts of their boats done and it chips and it corrodes so I don't see the big reputation it has.
Both catalyzed paint and powder coating are plastic.
Team Owner
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 88,393
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From: eville in
Originally Posted by Stumpdeisel
What about the POR-15 option? I was preparring to do just that shortly. $300-500 seems like as good price to blast and powdercoat, any such deals in the NY area?
and never have a rust problem
Pro
Joined: Sep 2002
Posts: 653
Likes: 0
From: Dickinson (Houston) Texas
I had seriously considered powder coating my frame. Even scheduled the company to pick up the frame before I decided against it. I had a quote of $350 to pick up, deliver and to coat it. This company powder coated boat trailer frames and could do anything about that size like frames.
I decided against it because if you had to do any repairs on the frame later, it would be a hassle chipping the powder coat off the area to be repaired, and you would never get it to match the look of the rest of the frame. Also, if you used a floor jack to lift the Vette, you would chip off the coat where the jack and jack stands are.
I am planning to use Por-15 for my frame which will not damage like powder coating will when doing frame work later.
www.bigdogvettes.com
I decided against it because if you had to do any repairs on the frame later, it would be a hassle chipping the powder coat off the area to be repaired, and you would never get it to match the look of the rest of the frame. Also, if you used a floor jack to lift the Vette, you would chip off the coat where the jack and jack stands are.
I am planning to use Por-15 for my frame which will not damage like powder coating will when doing frame work later.
www.bigdogvettes.com
Premium Supporting Vendor
Joined: May 2000
Posts: 4,312
Likes: 70
From: Clearwater FL
Originally Posted by big_G
We do it both ways...black epoxy (catalyzed..you need a spray gun and a booth), and powder-coating. Powder coating is superior, in my opinion. But finding someone with an oven that big is not always easy....If your not going to drive in the rain or snow too much, you might just leave it as-is...G/L
I've got one big enough
Thread Starter
Intermediate
Joined: Aug 2005
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thanks for all your opinions.. i have been sitting a few times infront of my painted frame and decided to keep it this way.
Matchnumbers gave me the reasons (excuse
) to keep it the way it is . for rust prevention i used after sandpasting the old fashioned orange lead-primer.. the guy from the paintshop say it is still the best rust prevention although for them not legal to use anymore.. but i have my own laws 
my worry was only that it is not that difficult to scratch off...but then again i am not planning to scratch my frame
btw...Matchnumbers my vette is also a 78 and body off at the moment
art-corvette
Matchnumbers gave me the reasons (excuse
) to keep it the way it is . for rust prevention i used after sandpasting the old fashioned orange lead-primer.. the guy from the paintshop say it is still the best rust prevention although for them not legal to use anymore.. but i have my own laws my worry was only that it is not that difficult to scratch off...but then again i am not planning to scratch my frame
btw...Matchnumbers my vette is also a 78 and body off at the moment
art-corvette
Pro
Joined: Sep 2002
Posts: 653
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From: Dickinson (Houston) Texas
Thread Starter
Intermediate
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 49
Likes: 0
agghhhh matchframe, stupid me 
.. i called you matchnumbers .(it has been late lastnite , will use that as my excuse)
i am building my own page, will give the link when i have added the pics
art-corvette
.. i called you matchnumbers .(it has been late lastnite , will use that as my excuse)i am building my own page, will give the link when i have added the pics
art-corvette
Pro
Joined: Sep 2002
Posts: 653
Likes: 0
From: Dickinson (Houston) Texas
Originally Posted by art-corvette
agghhhh matchframe, stupid me .. i called you matchnumbers .(it has been late lastnite , will use that as my excuse)
i am building my own page, will give the link when i have added the pics
art-corvette
.. i called you matchnumbers .(it has been late lastnite , will use that as my excuse)i am building my own page, will give the link when i have added the pics
art-corvette
That's cool! I have been called worse. The term matchframe is a video editing term. I made a career of editing video for broadcast for the last 21 years.I look forward to seeing your webpage!
www.bigdogvettes.com
Last edited by matchframe; Aug 21, 2005 at 05:05 PM.
Safety Car
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 4,135
Likes: 1
we sandblsted a (new for me ) good southern 73 frame and por-i5 it,,,then gave it a few coats of g.m. chassis black...sent the frame out to z bart(auto rustproofer here in midwest) and shot the inner frame with z-bart,,,,,i wanted to shoot por-15 in there but at that time no one was that fimaliar with por-15 let alone thinning and spraying,,and i could not get my hands on that wand they use,,,to spray the por with so i went with the z bart,,,,a year later i took it back to a local z bart dealer and had it re-shot($80.00) to make sure the first guy didnt miss a spot,,,,they told me for the amount i drive the car,,,come back in 5 yrs or so for a check up ,,here's a web page that shows the old frame and new frame--------------------http://www.geocities.com/carlclub2/
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Joined: Jan 2000
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From: Corsicana, Tx
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I definitely vote for powdercoating. I did mine about 7-8 years ago and it has held up perfectly. I jack it up regularly in same spots and I have yet to chip it.
The body was back off the frame once after a few years and I actually did grind down the weld areas and weld the seams solid. I then used POR 15 to coat those areas and it blended in very well. There are many different shades of black you can choose from. If for whatever reason you do chip or scratch it, krylon type paints stick excellent to it (much better than POR-15) and will also blend in with no preparation.
I really feel powdercoating is a grea tchoice. When I acid dipped my frame, they dipped it in some zinc antirust coating, We then sandblasted it off the outside right before coating. We also fogged lots of powder inside rails to provide some protection.
I have several friends who have done the same and they still look great.
JIM
The body was back off the frame once after a few years and I actually did grind down the weld areas and weld the seams solid. I then used POR 15 to coat those areas and it blended in very well. There are many different shades of black you can choose from. If for whatever reason you do chip or scratch it, krylon type paints stick excellent to it (much better than POR-15) and will also blend in with no preparation.
I really feel powdercoating is a grea tchoice. When I acid dipped my frame, they dipped it in some zinc antirust coating, We then sandblasted it off the outside right before coating. We also fogged lots of powder inside rails to provide some protection.
I have several friends who have done the same and they still look great.
JIM
Thread Starter
Intermediate
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 49
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with my next project i will have the frame powdercoated 
but with this one i keep the paint ( and keep the honor of all the work i put in sandblasting and painting it)
Carl, it is always great to see pics of another major restoration
art-corvette
but with this one i keep the paint ( and keep the honor of all the work i put in sandblasting and painting it)Carl, it is always great to see pics of another major restoration
art-corvette
Pro
Joined: Sep 1999
Posts: 724
Likes: 0
From: Palm Bay FL
I also considered powder coating, however went with black epoxy primer. It has a perfect sheen and it did not chip once during my chassis re-assembly. I often wish I had power coated it, just for the long road it think it will have a longer life than the epoxy.