Well, after carefull concideration I have decided to switch from my current idea of painting my F-1 chassis and all components with Rustoleum gloss black to POR-15. I know very little about this product but have seen several FTE folks recommend it so I fugured I"m going to this extent, I might as well do it right. I see several variations for sale on eBay. Soooo..... I am trying to keep the truck as original as possible right down to the correct colors. Should I use a semi-gloss or a high gloss. Also how much will I need to do the entire chassis including the suspension front and rear? One more ... when I was cleaning the rear springs, it looked like they were originally a deep blue color. Is this correct or am I seeing things again??

Thanks guys!!

 

I went with rustoleum because its easy to get, cheap, easy to apply, readily available, easy clean up, minimal surface prep, less prone to sunlight deterioration, etc etc etc.

POR-15, in my opinion, is just 'too much' on my impala SS forum I have read story's about rocks easily chipping it off, and once it starts to chip, its over.
You cannot spray it on, because if it hardens in your gun, the gun is trash.
You cannot reseal the can if there is any on the paint lid, because you're never getting it open again, and, don't let it see sunlight.

As for springs, I just took mine apart, I saw no evidence of blue paint.

 

If you want to keep the truck as close to stock as possible fill your spray gun with the cheapest paint possible, stand a distance away from the frame and hose the paint on wherever you can get it without doing too much bending. The factory quality and application left a lot to be desired. They just did it as cheap and fast as possible.

I used Rustoleum on the frame of my F-2 and it started peeling off within a few years. The POR-15 product will hold like iron if proper prep work is done. I think it's a great product but very expensive. There are other products that are just as good and less expensive. I am using a direct over rust epoxy primer for the frame on my latest project. This product is used on rusty bridges and water tanks, items that are hard to remove all the rust. It's about 1/4 the cost of POR-15.

 

And what is this magic product you speak of, Bob?

 

Yes, I want to know as well! So far I have one coat od Rustoleum on everything but willing to go with a better product for sure!

 

I used a product called Chassis Saver that I bought from a local auto supply store. I applied it with those cheap throwaway foam brushes you can buy at the dollar store. It's tough as iron. Any of those products will outlast Rustoleum in my opinion.

 

After prepping, I used the Chassis Saver on the rear half of my frame also. Then I top coated it with Rustoleum gloss black. Afterwards, I read on another forum that if you have already put the effort into prepping everything the way they suggest to do it correctly, then 2 coats of a good quality 2-part epoxy primer will do a much better job and last longer. I have used this 2-part epoxy primer on other parts of my truck since, only time will tell which is better. Good luck with your project. Here is a link to the website; http://www.southernpolyurethanes.com...ct%20lines.htm

 

The epoxy primer I used was called epoxy mastic, from the research I did POR-15 is an urethane mastic. The product I used is a two part product that has the consistency of peanut butter. When mixed together it thins a bit but not much. I thinned it with lacquer thinner. After it dried it has a matte finish and so far seems tough as nails. I tried to scratch it off and it will scratch off with like nail or other sharp object but you really have to go at it. Also, when I installed the new brake lines and entire brake system I had leaks and puddles of brake fluid formed on the inside of the frame. I though for sure the fluid would lift the paint but it didn't seem be affected at all. I just wiped up the puddles.

I have a write up on my web site about the product I used:

Rust Encapsulator

 

I too have had good results with Chassis Saver...much less expensive than POR-15 and IMO equally durable. Easy to apply with a cheap brush, flows out to an extremely smooth finish, and it dries fast...none of this waiting weeks for the paint to cure.

 

I've used POR on three project vehicles now & I haven't had any problems. I will say, however, that you have to use their process which is basically a degreasing wash and scrub, an alkali wash, followed by an acid wash and a rinse. That is all followed up by a POR primer, then covered with some other paint like chassis coat or their gray sanding primer (which is a good base coat for just about any paint).

That being said, if you do that much prep to the metal, any of the good primer products will bond and end up being pretty tough (so rustoleum, rust-mort, rust bullet). I think the key is any product with a phosphoric acid wash followed by a really thorough water rinse.

 

The real benefit of the product I used over POR-15 is you only mix up the amount you need and seal up the rest and it will last a long time. With POR-15 once the atmosphere hits it, mainly the moisture, it starts to harden in the can. There are a few tricks you can use like purging the can with argon or storing in a refrigerator, the latter I strongly suggest not doing unless it's a junk refrigerator with no food stored in it. These both will retard the hardening but not for long.

 

On my job I had to spec a repaint of three 30-ft diameter vacuum spheres and their associated ladders, handrails and platforms. These have been outside for 30+ yrs and painted a couple times before by the plant maintenance people. Originally I spec'd a complete sandblasting and prime with two topcoats of an enamel. But the company's EPA ***** said not only could we not sandblast, we couldn't even hand-sand them or even wash them!! There "might" be lead in the paint, although they couldn't be bothered to test for it. So I did some websearching and found the Tnemec Company. Their market niche is primarily bridges, city water tanks, and other very large jobs that are hard to prep and where the customer wants a long warranty.

I haven't used it, but I had long discussions with the mfr. about their products. They didn't even blink when faced with the miserable-to-nonexistent prep on this job. All they wanted was any grease removed, and any loose flaking paint. If I were going to do another project, it's what I'd use underneath and in the engine compartment.

But... like anything good, it ain't cheap, although neither are POR or Rust Bullitt or any of them. Tnemec matte black goes for about $80/gallon.

Tnemec Industrial Coatings and Products

 

At $80/gallon it's still cheaper than having the frame powder coated. Which product are you talking about? They have several on their website.

I want to repaint my car trailer this summer, but prepping it is a chore because of the size, crevices and heavy surface rust. I may invest in a few gallons of the Tnemec stuff.

 

Hmmmm.....let me see if I understand this....you work in an area where, at one time, they had no compunction about setting off nuclear bombs, and now they're worried about the environmental impact of some paint removal??? Has it ever occurred to the environmental safety team that there might be more impact to the environment if the components fail due to corrosion, and new units have to be built instead??? By the way....there are paint removal techniques that catch the residue.

Sorry....I just had to throw that out there.

 

I paid $35 for a one quart can of Chassis Saver. But it actually did the entire F1 frame with a small amount left over.