chassis painting

Alec Rivers-Bowerman

28 February 2013 at 05:09 #50032

Just picked up my 16/80 frame from the sandblasters. There is a little bit of welding to be done (hole filling, etc) but I’m running into different opinions on painting. I’d appreciate input on:
1. powder coat or paint?
2. For either powder coat or paint, do you remove it between mating metal surfaces when you bolt on a part?
3. There is some rust pitting but I don’t intend to fill them in – it seems to me that the paint would be more durable if it goes right on the metal instead of on filler. Am I wrong? I’m not doing a concours restoration.

One more thing – there are several places where holes are tapped in the top flanges to attach things like the floor, mounting plate for the bonnet latches, etc. Most of these are stripped or nearly so. Any tips on repairing these?
Alec

Stewart

28 February 2013 at 10:17 #50034

Prepare then powder coat.

Its so satisfying and you have gone to the bother of stripping down so go for it. You wont regret it.

Barry Brown

28 February 2013 at 11:34 #50035

Personally I hate the look of powder coating . Just paint it, drive it, have fun and let it acquire patina. It will outlast you. Then again if you want to “hob nob” with the Pebble Beach crowd powder coat everything!

Colin M34

28 February 2013 at 12:46 #50036

Hi Folks,

Here are my thoughts. I don’t think powder coating is the right thing for large bits. Small bits are fine, but for the chassis, I suggest you use a good quality industrial paint such as “Dacrylate.” It is specifically formulated for painting machinery and is very durable. On no account use “Hammerite!”

I like to powder coat things like shock absorber arms and running board brackets.

IMHO, the effort in re-threading tapped holes in the chassis is well spent. I suggest drilling out the holes and using hank bushes which can be peened over and give a decent depth of thread. You can always use metric ones and re-tap them 5/16th BSF.

Enjoy building up your chassis.

Colin M34

h14

28 February 2013 at 15:27 #50037

Hi Colin,
I bought a tin of black Hammerite for painting parts, only to leave it behind when we moved to France. So I got a friend visiting the UK to buy another tin for me.

So…what’s the problem with this product?

Laurence

DavidLG45

28 February 2013 at 16:27 #50038

Hi Laurence,

Hammerite is brittle. Chips easily.

David

h14

28 February 2013 at 18:44 #50040

Thanks David, wish I’d known before, but at least plenty of non-car items I can use it on here.

Laurence

DavidLG45

28 February 2013 at 19:19 #50041

Hi Laurence,

Have a look at the Frost website. They do various chassis paints. http://www.frost.co.uk
Do follow the instruction otherwise things can go wrong. They have instructions for most of the products in pdf format.

David

Stewart

28 February 2013 at 20:04 #50043

Tried a few options over the years with mixed results but always pleased with powder coating.

Alec Rivers-Bowerman

1 March 2013 at 03:42 #50044

Thanks for all the feedback. Maybe I’ll flip a coin… I’m leaning towards powder coating, just because the frame is completely stripped down (perfect opportunity) and I hear it’s a bit more durable.

Alec Rivers-Bowerman

2 March 2013 at 04:14 #50046

Thought I’d post a “before” and “after”. Cleaned up nicely!

Attached files

Barry Brown

2 March 2013 at 11:37 #50047

are all those brackets and cross members riveted on? What about rust underneath them ? Your engine mounts look similar to mine which are bolted. On my M45 almost everything is bolted in place, fortunately mine does not have that the rust just a couple of layers of paint.

Alec Rivers-Bowerman

2 March 2013 at 18:04 #50048

Hi Barry;
Yes, I removed everything that was bolted on. Only the big crossmembers and engine mounts are rivetted. Quite a job undoing all the bolts since this car was driven in Quebec and New Brunswick for about 17 years, year round. There is some rust visible at the rivetted joints, but the rivets are sound and it’s not going to be driven on salted roads anymore so I decided to leave it be. The worst (and only significant pitting} was between the wood body sills and frame, and where the copper grease lines were clipped to the frame. Otherwise it survived very well, due to so few enclosed spaces.
Alec

Barry Brown

3 March 2013 at 00:36 #50049

sounds great Alec. nice to see the progress report. My project is proceeding slowly , still trying to find a painter and panel beater who know what they are doing.

21 June 2013 at 12:20 #50242

Hello,
I can agree with the other member who suggested Frosts.
They supply an extreme chassis black in tin or aerosol as well as a classic chassis black which is not so glossy (more autrhentic).
I have used both on various componants but not the chassis as mine is blue (you need the primer as well).
Also, don’t fill in the little pitted parts, your are correct in thinking its better for the paint to adhere to rather than a filler.
Whatever you use, paint when it is warm!
Godo luck
Chris
P.S. please post some pictures of what you have done/doing as its always great for other members to see.