seen rust go crazy under powder coat if you think you need to weld on after painting/coating........the frame isnt ready
Question has been asked about fillers before powder coating parts. I do a lot of powder coating at my local shop. We use the slow cure 24 hour JB Weld for small filler applications . That stuff is good for 0ver 500 degrees and powder coating heat is 400 for 45 minutes. I use it all the time for perfecting a part for powder coating. JB weld also makes a fast cure compound but not rated for higher temps. My end result is fantastic. Vic
Then it wasn't applied correctly, pure and simple. Powder is less forgiving of poor prep compared to paint. You don't want to use fillers unless you really have to. I've tried the various fillers (and will agree that the JB weld works as well as anything else out there and is cheaper than the 'specialty' fillers) and for anything other than small repairs, chances are good that you'll see where you filled after curing. Something to do with the coefficient of expansion under heat, i.e. the filler/base metal don't expand at the same rates. Curing the filler at powder cure heat before coating helps, but doesn't always eliminate the issue. I have managed to fill some rather large defects, but this required multiple coats with block sanding in between to minimize the 'seam'. It's better to use metal (welding or brazing) for large issues. DON'T use solder; while the melting point is supposedly above the cure heat, the cure heat will soften it enough that it will 'run' on you... DAMHIKIJK...
Yes... Had painted the frame Black along with the suspension and steering parts... When we choose the body color, the painter strongly suggested painting the chassis to match... Glad we did.
On my last 2 deuces the frames were new so we massaged them heavily with a DA and powder coated them satin black and did the suspension parts the same way and powder coated with high gloss black. Everything was dirt free and very slick. Also did both exhausts in High Temp powder coat flat black. Much cheaper than having them painted by a body shop and a lot more durable. We are lucky and have a company called Trail Coatings in Papillion NE. They do lots of high end coating for the hot rod, racing and cycle world.
Tim With A T had his chassis powder coated and it came out with a lot of orange peel, I recall he had quite a time getting the surface flat. Not saying they all come out that way but I recall seeing many powder coated frames that did have some degree of orange peel.
I have complete confidence in this costing company. Had did many of the sculptures on the Mall in Washington DC. They put on a metalizing coat first then the powder. Never been disappointed, giant facility Sent from my iPhone using H.A.M.B.
yep, most of those were store bought parts that were powder coated almost all rusted under the powder coat I have worked on a few cars that have had the frames coated they looked nice, although the older factory frames still showed coated over rust pits the new ones we built looked great
powder coat. well worth it and if its black, you can touch it up with black paint. I have done this several times. the black powder coated 32 chassis on my 29 roadster has survived 12 years of beating up and down the road, my dumbass brother stealing it and driving it into the woods and thousands of highway miles and still looks as good as the day It was done. I would worry if you were trying to match frame and body, but with a black frame and blue body, powder coat would be the way to go.
Yup, that sums it up, thanks to everyone for their advice, the power of the HAMB. It’s psycho therapy for hot rods ![emoji15][emoji6][emoji41] Sent from my iPhone using H.A.M.B.
I'm curious to know how much it costs to have a frame powder coated in a basic color like black. I'm sure, if you painted it yourself, you could easily have $300 or more in epoxy primer, single stage urethane, thinners and activators for both, respirator cartridges, sanding materials,etc. At the price of all automotive paint supplies today, the costs add up fast even for a DIY job.
Thanks for the tag @DDDenny but it looks like I'm late to the powder party! Here's a few thoughts though to supplement some prior replies. First off @Dino 64, I'm happy to help answer any questions along the way. If your frame needs some cosmetic clean up let me know -- I have had great results with an automotive high temp metal filler it seems no one else in my industry uses. Powders are available in thousands of colors, finishes and textures these days. If by some small chance "your" exact color isn't manufactured, custom formulations can be mixed. In over 19 years of doing custom metal finishing, I have never had to resort to that simply due to the volume of colors already in existence. Please make sure your chosen facility has a curing oven large enough to hold your chassis. If not, they will have to rely on portable infrared lights which can leave less-than-desirable results. As long as it's properly prepped, the substrate is clean and free of oils (blasting alone will NOT do that by the way), and your coater is experienced, it should turn out great and last for many years. Good luck with the project!! Keep us posted on your progress.
Just a quick heads up for everyone on this, especially those thinking of prepping stuff at home for powder coating yourself or taking it to a coater. I work for a automotive filler company that makes a metal filler and we private label it for a number of other companies and we DO NOT endorse using our metal reinforced filler for powder coating. Can it work? Yes but we also see tons of failures. I know one of the manufacturers does state their product can be used for powder coating but they also require a different catalyzation ratio for use when powder coating, a maximum film thickness of 10 mils and say that it cannot exceed 400 degrees so even with it you have to be very careful. I know the norm for powder coating is 400 but unless you can guarantee your coaters oven is accurate, you have an accurate way to measure catalyst and can insure you stay within the build characteristics you may be in for issues. We have found in testing that slight changes in product and coating process can mean the difference between success and failure and is the reason we just give the blanket statement don't use our products for powder coating. I would also guess that is why many powder coaters do not use them as well.
I’ve been quoted between 1100 to 1600 to epoxy prime and 2K top coat. 600 to powder coat. I live in an expensive area out D.C. so prices could be above average.. Unfortunately I don’t have a large enough compressor or painting equipment.
Yep, I've tried several different fillers, including at least one that was supposedly 'rated' for powder use, and they all have limits. And taking your bits to a commercial coater will almost guarantee that the filler will disappear during the sandblasting process. Some coaters will apply filler after blasting, but expect the cost to go up sharply....
Go look under a four or five year old Ford pickup, then decide if you really want powder coating. I just took a set of CNG tanks out of a 2015 Ford van, the support frame was so rusted, the tanks were loose in the cradles. The supports were powder coated, got water under the coating, and rusted 1/4" metal to less the 1/16" in some places.
ThermoBond 3, Lab Metal and all the so-called powder coating fillers on the market suck in my opinion. I use a Permatex product originally formulated for exhaust leaks ... it's a single stage so no mixing (and no resulting air bubbles) like JB Weld, easy to work with, sandable, grindable, can build it to any thickness with some setup time, and it's good to 2,000 degrees so it's great for my powders. As Crazy Steve mentioned, most shops blast and coat what you present and do not undertake bodywork beyond a coat of primer (if you request it). I get the metal as close to perfect as I can first; I see little point in dollin' up a bad canvass.
Sorry but you're comparing apples to oranges. There are TREMENDOUS differences between commercially-done (i.e., fast and cheap) coating and a specialized automotive job shop.
Dad had the Dodge frame powder coated by Creative Powder Coating in Joliet Il for $300 and it came out great. The only problem is our chassis builder did an poor job with the front panhard bar bracket and it broke off with less then ten miles of driving. Now matching the repaired area is going to be challenging.
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