Painting sand-blasted frame
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Nov 2000
Posts: 896
Likes: 0
From: Lafayette, Indiana
St. Jude Donor '05-'08
Painting sand-blasted frame
What kind of coatings has everyone used and your opinions of it?
I've seen the Por 15 system this this guy used:
http://www.corvette-restoration.com/...engthening.htm
I've heard of powder coating and dipping (where they dip the entire frame into a solution).
What has every used and how has it held up so far? I'm particularly interested in those who are done with projects and have road-tested it a little. Anybody have coatings that are already starting to corrode? Any driving a resto for a few years and still have the frame looking brand new?
I've seen the Por 15 system this this guy used:
http://www.corvette-restoration.com/...engthening.htm
I've heard of powder coating and dipping (where they dip the entire frame into a solution).
What has every used and how has it held up so far? I'm particularly interested in those who are done with projects and have road-tested it a little. Anybody have coatings that are already starting to corrode? Any driving a resto for a few years and still have the frame looking brand new?
Safety Car
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 3,930
Likes: 15
From: Calgary Alberta
What has every used and how has it held up so far? I'm particularly interested in those who are done with projects and have road-tested it a little. Anybody have coatings that are already starting to corrode? Any driving a resto for a few years and still have the frame looking brand new?
Safety Car
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 3,930
Likes: 15
From: Calgary Alberta
Sandblast parts, blow dust off, wipe down with lacquer thinner, preheat parts in oven, wipe down parts again with lacquer thinner after cooled off, apply powdercoat, place in over to cure. I use the caswell powdercoating gun. check out their website for materials.
Team Owner
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 37,637
Likes: 3,118
From: Crossville TN
Pwdercoating is "purty", but you can't do it yourself and it is relatively expensive. The POR stuff is very messy, but you can do it yourself and it just takes time and patience. From what I understand, the POR [if put on correctly..per instructions] will hold up much better than the powdercoating; it is a stronger surface with more abrasion resistance. I think both are very resistant to normal water, weather, etc.; however, on the issue of road salt 
and other environmental "nasties", I would think POR would be the better choice. I moved from Indiana [after more than 50 years as a resident] and I know what kind of humidity, temp differentials, snow, ice, road salt, etc. you will have to deal with. Personally, I'd go the POR route. (But powdercoat is much easier to have someone else do and is still a good choice.)
and other environmental "nasties", I would think POR would be the better choice. I moved from Indiana [after more than 50 years as a resident] and I know what kind of humidity, temp differentials, snow, ice, road salt, etc. you will have to deal with. Personally, I'd go the POR route. (But powdercoat is much easier to have someone else do and is still a good choice.)
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Safety Car
Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 4,883
Likes: 11
From: North Easton Mass
Take a look at the RustBullet website also. http://www.rustbullet.com
Very easy to use, goes on over bare or rusted metal with no prep other than cleaning.
I sandblasted the frame on my 72
gave it 2 coats of RustBullet
and topcoated with Rustoleum Satin Black.
I think the cost is about a wash compared to POR-15 but there is much less prep work involved.
Rick B.
Very easy to use, goes on over bare or rusted metal with no prep other than cleaning.
I sandblasted the frame on my 72
gave it 2 coats of RustBullet
and topcoated with Rustoleum Satin Black.
I think the cost is about a wash compared to POR-15 but there is much less prep work involved.
Rick B.
Instructor
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 127
Likes: 0
From: Houston TX
Personally I have used the POR-15 products both inside and outside the frame. I am happy with them. I used an Eastwood undercoating gun to cover the inside of the frame - very messy, but effective.
Also, I hope you take the opportunity to strengthen the frame a bit now that it is all clean. There should be some basic reinforcements present that not only improve the strength and ultimate ride quality, but also the ssafety of the car, e.g. add gussets and weld the lower control arm mounts properly.
Here are some examples and pics of mods I made to the frame. There is other good info on the forum regarding this.
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/show...ighlight=frame
Good luck !
Also, I hope you take the opportunity to strengthen the frame a bit now that it is all clean. There should be some basic reinforcements present that not only improve the strength and ultimate ride quality, but also the ssafety of the car, e.g. add gussets and weld the lower control arm mounts properly.
Here are some examples and pics of mods I made to the frame. There is other good info on the forum regarding this.
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/show...ighlight=frame
Good luck !
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Nov 2000
Posts: 896
Likes: 0
From: Lafayette, Indiana
St. Jude Donor '05-'08
Personally I have used the POR-15 products both inside and outside the frame. I am happy with them. I used an Eastwood undercoating gun to cover the inside of the frame - very messy, but effective.
Also, I hope you take the opportunity to strengthen the frame a bit now that it is all clean. There should be some basic reinforcements present that not only improve the strength and ultimate ride quality, but also the ssafety of the car, e.g. add gussets and weld the lower control arm mounts properly.
Here are some examples and pics of mods I made to the frame. There is other good info on the forum regarding this.
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/show...ighlight=frame
Good luck !
Also, I hope you take the opportunity to strengthen the frame a bit now that it is all clean. There should be some basic reinforcements present that not only improve the strength and ultimate ride quality, but also the ssafety of the car, e.g. add gussets and weld the lower control arm mounts properly.
Here are some examples and pics of mods I made to the frame. There is other good info on the forum regarding this.
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/show...ighlight=frame
Good luck !
How many here do this? I wasn't planning on making any frame modifications. I'm not skilled enough with a welder to trust myself on something like this. So it would have to be done for me. I wasn't really planning on that cost.
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Nov 2000
Posts: 896
Likes: 0
From: Lafayette, Indiana
St. Jude Donor '05-'08
http://www.indypowdercoating.com/index.php?P=auto
That price seems kinda steep. What can I expect to pay for POR15 supplies? I saw their prices on the internet, but I wasn't sure how much I'll need.
I have no problem with the time and mess.
Instructor
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 127
Likes: 0
From: Houston TX
I used about 1.5 qt of POR-15 and a qt of chassis coat. I sprayed it and maybe you'll use a little bit more by brushing it on.
Regarding the welding, I would at least check if there is any serious weakness or problem. I guess I just never have seen a sandblasted C3 frame that doesn't need at least a little work
Regarding the welding, I would at least check if there is any serious weakness or problem. I guess I just never have seen a sandblasted C3 frame that doesn't need at least a little work
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Nov 2000
Posts: 896
Likes: 0
From: Lafayette, Indiana
St. Jude Donor '05-'08
I used about 1.5 qt of POR-15 and a qt of chassis coat. I sprayed it and maybe you'll use a little bit more by brushing it on.
Regarding the welding, I would at least check if there is any serious weakness or problem. I guess I just never have seen a sandblasted C3 frame that doesn't need at least a little work
Regarding the welding, I would at least check if there is any serious weakness or problem. I guess I just never have seen a sandblasted C3 frame that doesn't need at least a little work
Crap. That worries me. I have 100% faith in myself that I could quickly learn to weld. I have plenty of people around me on a daily basis that are master welders. So having someone teach me wouldn't be hard. But then I'd need to get a welder. Granted, I'd love to learn how to weld. If you can work with metal, you can build just about anything you could possibly imagine. But that wasn't really in the budget either.
Instructor
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 127
Likes: 0
From: Houston TX
Jonathan,
I'll send you a couple of pictures via PM so you can at least check if some vital areas are in need of attention. If so, maybe someone can lay down a couple of welds for you.
Some mods I made are truly only for racing while others are safety/stability items. A good reading is the Chevy powerbook article, which you can find on the corvettefaq web site. If you browse through the articles a bit you'll get a better feel of what to look out for.
http://www.corvettefaq.com/c3/ChevyPower.pdf
I'll send you a couple of pictures via PM so you can at least check if some vital areas are in need of attention. If so, maybe someone can lay down a couple of welds for you.
Some mods I made are truly only for racing while others are safety/stability items. A good reading is the Chevy powerbook article, which you can find on the corvettefaq web site. If you browse through the articles a bit you'll get a better feel of what to look out for.
http://www.corvettefaq.com/c3/ChevyPower.pdf
Drifting
Joined: Aug 1999
Posts: 1,468
Likes: 1
From: Kirkland WA
Remember, POR 15 works best on RUST. If you're putting it on a frame that's been blasted and rust-free, POR15 is not your best bet. POR15 is not a paint per-se, it's a chemical designed to bond with rust.
For a rust-free frame, Powdercoating is, without a doubt, the best option.
After that, your best bet at that point would be to prime, and paint with something like Easwood Frame coating which is very hard and durable. Again, I personally would not put POR-15 on a frame that's been blasted; it won't bond well and it won't last.
POR-15 is AWESOME if you have light surface rust and can't get the whole frame off for blasting. It will bond like a ***** to a slightly rusted surface.
For a rust-free frame, Powdercoating is, without a doubt, the best option.
After that, your best bet at that point would be to prime, and paint with something like Easwood Frame coating which is very hard and durable. Again, I personally would not put POR-15 on a frame that's been blasted; it won't bond well and it won't last.
POR-15 is AWESOME if you have light surface rust and can't get the whole frame off for blasting. It will bond like a ***** to a slightly rusted surface.
Instructor
Joined: Apr 2006
Posts: 232
Likes: 0
From: Henrietta New York
Hey, I have been powder coating for the last 15 plus years. It is a nice finish when applied. What end users should know is that the coating does not sacrifice itself to protect the base metal like Zinc coatings would. For example, if your frame was powder coated, got a nice stone chip in it(to bare metal) and was driven in rain, salt roads etc. the elements would attack the exposed area. Corrosion would "creep" from the exposed point under the powder coat. The appearance at the exposed & surrounding area's would look like a painted body area that has bubbles etc. underneath the paint. Basically coated blisters. Corrosion would continue unless corrected. With this said, I chose to use 2 coats of Zinc enriched epoxy primer followed by 2 coats of epoxy based satin black top coats for my frame. The Zinc enriched primer will "sacrifice" itself to protect the base metal.
Just my 2 cents on how I looked at treating my frame. BTW.. my frame was sandblasted and wiped down with wax/oil/grease remover after blasting. Prior to spraying the Zinc primer.
Just my 2 cents on how I looked at treating my frame. BTW.. my frame was sandblasted and wiped down with wax/oil/grease remover after blasting. Prior to spraying the Zinc primer.
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Nov 2000
Posts: 896
Likes: 0
From: Lafayette, Indiana
St. Jude Donor '05-'08
Hey, I have been powder coating for the last 15 plus years. It is a nice finish when applied. What end users should know is that the coating does not sacrifice itself to protect the base metal like Zinc coatings would. For example, if your frame was powder coated, got a nice stone chip in it(to bare metal) and was driven in rain, salt roads etc. the elements would attack the exposed area. Corrosion would "creep" from the exposed point under the powder coat. The appearance at the exposed & surrounding area's would look like a painted body area that has bubbles etc. underneath the paint. Basically coated blisters. Corrosion would continue unless corrected. With this said, I chose to use 2 coats of Zinc enriched epoxy primer followed by 2 coats of epoxy based satin black top coats for my frame. The Zinc enriched primer will "sacrifice" itself to protect the base metal.
Just my 2 cents on how I looked at treating my frame. BTW.. my frame was sandblasted and wiped down with wax/oil/grease remover after blasting. Prior to spraying the Zinc primer.
Just my 2 cents on how I looked at treating my frame. BTW.. my frame was sandblasted and wiped down with wax/oil/grease remover after blasting. Prior to spraying the Zinc primer.
