I'm ratting out a 50's Willys truck for my winter driver in Michigan. We get plenty of snow and salt on the roads! I'm blasting the frame and chassis parts to bare metal and need the best corrosion protection available. What is the BEST chassis paint for this? I also plan to bomb the hell out of it with undercoat as well.
I would just use epoxy primer on it and undercoat it as you've said. I've used POR15 - but don't like it - if you spray it it is dangerous...lots of ISO's for you to breath in - if you brush it, it's not so bad - but you can't paint anything over it without thier "tie-coat" primer - which is a crock - I just attempted to paint over mine (it didn't lift..so that was a good sign ) I think POR is a Gimick - buy "the cleaner, the metal prep, the paint, the top coat since the regualr POR is UV Sensative. They just seem to want to steal your $$$ Eastwood has "Rust Encapsulator" that seems to be just as good and you can paint over it with anything you want. There is also a product called "Zero-Rust" - similar to the products above. I've used Rustoleum from your local Wal-Mart (thier "Satin Black" has a nice chassis tone to it) - sprays easy with a little Acetone mixed in & looks pretty good. Don't skimp on the Undercoating if you are going to do it...use a good Rubberized version of 3M or "Aeropro" by FiveStar (Which is also paintable)
I've used POR-15 a lot, but there's an independent study out there (by some resto magazine) that made the Eastwood stuff out to be WAAAAAYY better. There's a lot of info peppered all over the internet that says the same. Keep in mind that POR-15 and UV rays are not friends. I painted a lot of my undercarriage on my car with the $8/qt. Rustoleum you get from Lowe's/Home Depot. My lower control arms, rear leaf springs, and rear axle housing are all painted with that, and it's held up real well on my daily driver for a couple years. I've also dealt with PPG's "Omni" line of paints. They have a standard satin black that a chassis I worked on was painted with. There were a couple places I needed to sand some paint away to do some welding, and it was pretty tough to sand it. If it was that tough to sand it off, it would make me think it would hold up real well on the road.
Try the flat or gloss black for farm machinery from your local tractor supply. I have used it several times and works great brushed or sparyed. If you buy the hardner it works even better. i think I paid like 19 bucks for a gallon, and the hardner was 9.99. I have done 3 frames with it and stillhave some left. And its made by Velspar to boot.
The *best* thing to use IMO is gloss urethane (prime with epoxy). It dries hard, & gloss is easy to keep clean. I wouldn't undercoat the frame just make sure you get the primer & paint in every nook & cranny. ~ Paul aka "Tha Driver" I checked today and... this is the oldest I've ever been.
Sherwin Williams makes a tar based spray on undercoating that I have used several times with great success, it doesn't need thinning, goes on smooth, stays flexible, and is glossy. Last time I bought some (bout 2yrs ago) it was like 30 bucks a gallon.
Since you are blasting to bare metal; why not powdercoat the frame and suspension parts. You get a tough material that's glossy and easy to clean. Just make sure you aren't going to do any more welding once its powdercoated. Check the specs on the powder to make sure that it is one of the tougher type of plastics. The toughness does vary and you need to get one that is the most impact resistant. Otherwise you will get stone damage and then the rust will start, again. My nickle's worth.
i totally agree with AZ powdercoat is the way to go. Some powdercoaters will even gaurantee the powder for a certain number of year. Powder is tough as nails as long as you get the good stuff for 4x4 frames or other stuff like that. Look up your local powder guy he will be helpful in your decision making process.
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