I’m getting my frame acid dipped and they’re offering to E-coat it for a few hundred dollars. Does anyone have any experience with E-coating a frame? Would the E Coat itself be enough to protect the frame from rust? Do I still need to paint it or put a clear coat on it or can I go straight to putting my truck back together? I know F-150 frames nowadays are E-Coated but I’m unsure if they put any additional protection on it.

 

https://clearclad.com/products/what-is-e-coat/
From what I understand, E-coat is all that is needed. For a few hundred dollars, would be cheaper doing E-coat and far more efficient. Every nook and cranny would be coated oppose to spraying and wasting paint due to over spray and not getting into the hard spaces. I haven't even considered E-coating my frame. I am now.

 

Is the E-coat a spray on or dip?
If it is what I think it is it is the same thing they put on new body panels to keep them from rusting till they are sold / used.

It would be nice if it was dipped but either way I think I would still paint it.
Dave ----

 

https://www.hartfordfinishing.com/e-coating
From what I've been reading and, watching, parts are submerged in a paint bath and an opposite electric charge is applied to attract the paint particles to the part. According to Hartford, UV light will break down he coating. They recommend painting over the E-coat.
The major plus that I see in this is with the dipping of the part all of those places that just cannot be reached with paint gets coated.

 

Yeah they said they would dip the frame in the paint and send an electrical charge that makes the coat bind on there. I believe they’ve been doing it on factory frames since 2007, but I’m unsure of the longevity of it and how much more resistant to corrosion it is vs a POR15 job.

 

It appears to be widely used on many products and quite durable. However, from what Hartford states, it will eventually breakdown when exposed to UV light. They recommend spraying a topcoat as the E-coat will act as a primer.

 

E-coat is a method of application, not a material. Longevity, durability, and resistance to UV are dependent on the paint or coating selected. The E-coat process is very good at ensuring complete coverage and minimizing the material used. That's the main reason it's used, coating thickness is considerably thinner than conventional painting.

 

I see folks are getting their frames galvanized dip, do they offer that?

 

No they only offer the e-coat. I’m located in Michigan and hopefully the e-coat will be able to withstand Michigan winters.

 

Bless you for driving it it MI winters after all the work even if just to dip the frame as I think they use salt up there.

I would have it E coat, paint the out side, I used tractor supply brand with hardner and sprayed it on the outside. I used a acid on the little rust I had to convert it first. Now it did not get inside the frame rails and if I was going to drive it in the harsh winters I would get a few cans of the Eastwood product that has the long tubes and sprays 360* and coat the insides. I have used it on a buddies 1 year only hood and think it did a pretty good job of coating it.

I dont drive mine if ice / snow is down, state shuts down no equipment to deal with it, but do drive it in the rain if I get cough in it.
Good luck
Dave ----

 

worst liquid cancer aka brine. I undercoat mine and touch it up every year.

 

Triple AAA magazine did a study about 7 or 8 years ago on vehicle damage from liquid deicers, reported $3 billion in annual vehicle damage. With inflation and supply chain issues that number is likely doubled or more today. Since a vehicle takes more energy to manufacture than it consumes in a lifetime, using the nasty salty stuff has no justification by saying rusting out the old cars gets rid of the old gas guzzlers and reduces energy consumption.

 

I just dropped my frame off for the galvanizing dip. I tried for e-coat, but the only shop I could find in my tri-state area didn't do project work. Powdercoating was way too expensive for what it offers. There should be galvanizing options near you. Give me a week or two to get mine back and I'll see if the dip caused any warping of the frame. I really didn't need to dip it for the conditions in Florida, but figured it was worth it since it was already down to the frame.

 

Call them and ask if they can put a chromate on it after the galvanizing, it will make it last longer and help paint adhere to the galvanization. It shouldn't cost much...they might be applying it already.

 

I called them about the chromate dip and found out that it makes it harder to paint. There are several ways to get paint to stick, I'm planning on using a wash primer or acrylic pretreatment.

https://galvanizeit.org/knowledgebas...r-powder-coati