Ok I have an idea of what I want but I don't know how to get there. Im looking to have my frame nice gloss black, but its also gonna be driven not a trailer queen so I want it to last. Here's my questions. 1. Should I sandblast or Chem-strip the frame? Whats the advantages of either? What can I expect price wise? Who in the central NC or SC area do you recomend? 2. Powercoat or Paint? Whats the advantages of either? If I paint it I can do it myself but with powdercoat what price can I expect? Who would you recomend in my area?
I powder coated my '32 roadster frame with silver-vane. It looks like it was painted black then repainted with silver that clabbered. This silver -vane stuff has a kind of texture and because of the color, I don't think it will show nasty as bad. I was also told it is a polyester base (like some bondo) so we sanded the ouside smooth and painted the part that shows to match the gloss black body.
Thanks turdytoo but the color is not realy what im questioning its more the process and who can do it?
I am glad you asked this...cuz I am debating the same. On the paint side 1. Easier to prep can fill small imperfections with bondo sand it flat and go...Powder...much more prep. 2. repair, it is much easier to fix a scratch of nick if its painted. Powder can be difficult. On the Powder coat side 1. Kool Finish options 2. The higher end powder paints are very durable (I have seen some that scratch very easily so be care full with the black) 3. I have a friend with the biggest F-ing oven you have ever seen. So he will do it for the cost of the powder for me. But I'd like to hear what others say about why they picked one over the other. JJ
I opted for powdercoat. Why? I'm a lazy fuck, I guess- I paid 400 clams and I got my control arms and the frame completely sandblasted and then coated with 2 coats of "primer" & 2 coats of black. The stuff hasn't scratched or chipped once throughout the entire reassembly process. I'm glad I ponied up...
The last time I commented on this subject, I got my Ass handed to me by the powder lovers club, but just for the hell of it I'll share my opinion again. I've been painting for 40+ yrs. and have seen it all get old and go bad. When powder coat goes bad, it is Fugly Bad. Where rust attacks PC it looks like big ass ugly brown boils. The rust crawls under it as it spreads. Cleaning it up and fixing it is a S.O.B. because it's so damb hard. All you can do is sandblast the hell out of it. The spots that were rusted are now craters that you have to fix. On a chassis, spray on the best epoxy primer you can afford and finish with single stage epoxy or urethane color coats.You can do it yourself.
I had deliberated over this subject for............months. You didn't say if you had an original frame or aftermarket............there is a difference. I had a stock Model A frame I modified..............but before I started working on it I went to a stripper. The only one left north of LA. I think I paid $175 to have it stripped and phosfated. The frame sat for almost a year and there was no rust anywhere. I did my modifications, had it sandblasted and then powder coated. The coated shot it, then flashed it, took it out and shot it again and left it in the oven. He then cleared it. It has gone through most of the assembly and has no scratches anywhere. The cost was $400. Like Betruger, I was lazy and in a hurry. I could have spent time prepping the frame and had it painted for about the same except I would have had to buy the paint. Since the car is going to be a driver I went the quick way......................if I had it to do over again I still think I would go with powder coating...............if you want a special color you can get it mixed, it just costs more. IMHO
in phx i can get a bare frame powdercoated for 225.00-250.00 this is a no brainer. cant paint and sand blast for any where near that.
but do you have to have it blasted before taking it to powder coating ? if not then what prep work should i do ? Pressure wash? Grind? Sand? Prime?
Your powder will probably sand blast it for you, mine did. But if you have the opportunity to have it dipped..................it will get all the rust and nasty stuff...............then have it sandblasted..................then coated. If you want the powder coat to be bullet proof, the frame needs to be squeeky clean. Don't grind very heavy, as this will show in the powder coat unless your coater does more than one coat.
powder or paint - it is all about prep. Make sure your guy is doing it right and getting it clean. we powdercoat all of our chassis and then paint the outside of the ones that show to get a match and nicer finish. On new frames we finish with an 80 grit sanding disc and then an 80 grit on the DA until all the scratches are gone before we weld any crossmembers in - if you are real anal you can wet sand and buff the powder but it sands like granite. Powder is cheaper and faster if you can't paint yourself.
Powder coating, if done right, is the way to go, in my opinion. I used Allied Powdercoating here in Houston. They did my entire chassis in black and red for a little over $600. They have got HUGE freakin' ovens because they do coating for NASA! They had my stuff for two weeks, but it was worth it. Since I've had it done, I have accidently hit my chassis quite a few times and no chips or anything. I can't even count how much brake fluid spilled on it when I was installing and bleeding my system. If you can afford it, go for it. I read that it looks like crap if it rust underneath and it probably will, but so will paint. Except you're more apt to chip or scratch paint and that is what starts the rusting process.
I have used powder coating for 10 years. I build high end hand railing and cremation urns. The stuff is bullet proof, trust me I have put it to the test.
Here's my ramble: I can lend a little insight on both. I originally used rust-oleum on my frame and suspension. This didn't sit well with me and I wanted to make some changes to my chassis. I took everything to the powdercoater. He blasted and then baked everything (to eliminate any solvents, oils, etc.) before coating. I had all suspension components powder coated semi gloss black, but elected to leave the frame in a raw steel state as I wnted to rework a couple things. The powder coated components ere beatifully finished. I wound up painting POR-15 on the frame. This decison was based on my wanting to use some body filler to address some imperfections. Also, POR 15 can be brushed on, which allowed me to do this at home. I followed all the instructions to the T. the POR-15 really looked beatiful when finished, almost like PC. the problem with the POR-15 is that it was a glossy black finish which did not match the semi gloss of the PC. Also, POR-15 reacts adversely to ultraviolet light. I top coated the POR-15 with their chassis black. Chassis black is a semi gloss top coat which is impervious to the effects of UV light. I really had difficulty with the chassis black, I needed to thin it out quite a bit as it tended to leave brush marks and dry quickly. I had to wet sand the brush marks out and re-apply the chassis black. I still had brush marks and proceeded to wet sand again. I wound up finishing my chassis with a little DupliColor semi-gloss from Kragen. The DupliColor matches the powder coating perfectly. The POR-15 is tough as hell and turned out pretty friggin' nice considering it was brushed on. But for the cost and inconvenience factor, I would just eschew the body filler, live with a couple imperfections and powder coat it next time.
In most cases you can't buy the epoxy primer, pay for blasting/stripping, and buy the paint, any color, for the cost of powder coating. PC wears like iron. The reality is we tend to pamper our cars even the ones we drive often. I'd bet a very small percentage of our board ever drives their hot rods in salty winter conditions. Even then PC lasts far longer than paint. Look at some of the powdered pieces on OEM current stuff that's 8-10 years old. Still looks good and cleans up nice.
Thanks guys I found a company in Burlington, NC called Advanced Powder Coating I think I'll give them a call and see what they say.
My dad's shop frequently uses Ellis Sandblasting in Greensboro. They seem to know what they are doing. I've been there a couple times myself, and there's always old cars lined up getting ready to be blasted there. And there's a powder coater in Lexington, NC that does good work for less than it would cost you in materials for good paint & primer. PM me and I'll see if I can dig up some phone numbers for you.
Just my two cents here. We don't powder coat anything structural that could crack. The powder coat won't show the crack as fast as paint.
I just called and got a price. Frame and all suspension and rear en d housing for under 500. My mind is made up. PC is the way to go
Question... I had been considering PC as well for time, price and durability. HOWEVER, what about filling imperfections with that metal filler? Anyone done this? Do I take it to the PC guy, have him strip it, then do the filling and take it back?? Do they guarantee it the same?? Mine will also be a driver. Was thinking of painting it since I could fill any inperfections and smooth out welds and such. The filler I was thinking of...
That seems fairly cheap. Here for a frame, rear end, and control arms it would be about $610. Make sure they run your stuff through an iron phosphate pre-treat or something similar, and clean them well.
The 500 dosn't include sandblasting the frame. I have to get that done elsewere so that's why so cheap. Therefore I am still looking for a good sandblaster for in my aera. Does anyone know.
I paid 200 to blast my 52 frame at a local welding shop, a gallon black expoxy primer and top coated with 50/50 mix of flat and gloss rust paint that gave me a durable stain finish. Almost impossible to chip and easy to touch up.
Have you ever used LabMetal before? specificly in conjunction with powder coating? If it works like it says, it sounds lie the way to go.
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