[font size="1" color="#FF0000"]LAST EDITED ON 21-Mar-01 AT 06:38 PM (EST)[/font][p]I'm working on restoring my 53 f100 and am wondering what the proper black is to use on the chassis and bumpers. It appears that it was a gloss black, but was this used everywhere (frame, axles, springs, steering coulumn, etc)? Thanks

 

Hi Eric, my opinion is a matter of what you would like. I am not an "expert" as I just purchased my first F-350 vintage 1960. Seems to me that a glossy surface would clean up easier and look better.

 

Gloss black or Red (try it! you'd be surprised) looks like a million dollars compared to the matte finishes I have seen or tried.

Just my opinion, though. I honestly don't know what they had originally.

/Kris Taylor
Winnipeg, MB, Canada

 

If you prefer a satin black finish, try John Deere Blitz black. It is an outstanding chassis paint. It is durable, dries fast, and has excellent adhesion and rust resistance qualities. It can be used without primer but I usually like to use a primer like rustoleum. The stuff is about $28 a gallon at Deere implement dealers. I like the satin finish because it hides the minor flaws. (Like my welding for instance!)

Dewayne

 

 

I used centari black epoxy primer and it worked great. My paint guy said that it was the best thing to use because it was tough as nails. I have heard of people using the stuff for motor paint and it withstanding 30,000 miles and counting. That sold me on it!

Andy

ps-I went with flat black so I wouldn't have to wash every time I went through a mud puddle!

 

[updated:LAST EDITED ON 18-Mar-02 AT 07:07 PM (EST)]No body has told you what the "PROPER "paint is and I can"t help either. I've done two frame off restorations (68 Vette, 55 T-bird) and used Eastwood (eastwoodcompany.com)chassis gloss black both times. Paint covers well and holds up well against stones.
Sorry i can't help with the right paint..

 

I can't tell you what the "proper" frame paint is either but I CAN tell you that I didn't find ANY paint on the frame of my '56 F-250. I took the entire frame apart (counted, cussed, and drilled out all 182 rivets) as there was a lot of rust pillowing between riveted sections. I grit-blasted every single frame part myself with a smallish grit-blasting unit and can say without hesistation that, if Ford ever put any paint on that frame, it was taken off very thoroughly by somebody before I bought it. I'm quite serious - there wasn't ANY paint ANYWHERE on the frame members, even in places where there was bare metal under the caked-on grease and dirt (near the engine and spring mounts for example). Is anyone out there absolutely SURE Ford painted the frames, at least in 1956? I'd be astounded if they did. But then, I don't mind being astounded once in a while.

For my restoration, I used a two-part sprayed-on catalytic epoxy primer to give a semi-gloss finish. The epoxy primer sticks to bare metal extremely well, especially with the grit-blast anchor pattern. It's very tough and won't chip or crack even when it's cold and it gets hit very hard with stones or tools. The manufacturer says it's fine to leave the primer without a top coat since it won't absorb water and won't be damaged by road salts or UV.

The other methods in previous posts probably work nicely as well. As far as I can tell, the only "authentic" restoration would be to leave it bare and that just doesn't seem right given all the work we put into these old girls.

Whatever you decide I hope you get as much satisfaction as I have in taking a tired old truck and making it new again. Have fun!

George

 

I can tell you that modern Chevy truck frames aren't painted either. They're coated with a waxy, undercoat like goo called, strangely, "frame wax". Maybe Ford used it too?

 

I used POR gloss black on my 1979. It sticks like crazy to rust--I just scraped and blasted off the real flaky stuff. Its ideal for a frame where you either cant get at the frame very well, dont have the time or patience or whatever to get it all down to bare metal.
Downside is that its not cheap

 

While paint may be original, it should be avoided unless you want to reapply the paint in a few years.
Check out POR 15 products, they provide the proper (an acceptable) color, unless you are a very strict show only restorer, and a finish that will not chip from rocks, will not rust, and is hard to beat. I used it in the bed of my '58 before a spray-in bed liner and on the frame and underside of the cab and bed. Do it once, do it right!

Steve