Does anyone have an opinion on this? Has anyone done this? I'm guessing it will cost me about $500 if I bring the frame in ready to go. It should last a while, but I want to hear from someone who has done it.
Thanks,
Fish

'73 F100 4wd

 

Fish_bulb I have heard that if you powder coat something and it breaks that you can't weld it back. Not saying that you are going to break your frame but if something ever should happen and you need to weld up something you would be screwed. Now like I said this is hear say. I was told that the powder coating gets down in the pours of the metal and when you need to weld it you can't get a clean surface. I would just check around at some different shops. But if you aren't going to do any major 4-wheeling and no chance of breaking something on the frame you should be ok...

 

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I have some experience with powder coating. I had a plow frame done back in 1992. The truck gets regular exposure to salt. It has held up extremely well. In fact, the piece was very rusty and pitted. I have not experienced any flaking. The only thing I note is that the UV exposure has dulled the light buckets.

The part above about the welding issue is a myth. Powder coating can be removed with a chemical stripper, or heat will burn the coating off. I would say also that you could even make a spot repair and re-powder the area. Eastwood markets a high heat light set-up which will cure the powder on large objects such as differentials, etc. You might even be able to make spot repairs, although I am not sure how it they would blend in with the surrounding areas, but it may be feasible.

I have been planning to do a frame. The part that concerns me is that they acid etch the metal before applying the powder coating. Once etched and coated, there may be unprotected areas on the frame such as where cross members are riveted in or perhaps the areas up front where the frame is boxed. The other issue is that with powder coating all the warts show through whereas with paints you can use putty to correct imperfections. I do note that there are some colors where the coating is compatible as a base for paint, so you can putty and paint over some of the colors, but not all are compatible because they use wax in there to give the shine.

Overall, while expensive, I would say for the money, powder coating is a good investment. My suggestion would be to talk to the shop you plan on having do the work and get references so that you can see a frame first hand.

Do a follow-up post if and when you decide. I hope this helps.
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Thanks for the info Stockman. Like I said I had heard that about powdercoating. I have thought about having my frame done on my 79 4x4 but didn't want to incase something broke. Again thanks.

 

In my experience a draw back to powder is it tends to crack off under bolts/washers from the pressure applied.

1977 Ford F-100
400m/c6/4:11/Gear Vender O.D.
Crane hydralic roller, forged, ported polished,Deamon,Edlebrock, yada, yada, yada
280,000 miles
Stock on the outside
modified/rebuilt everything