Jump to content

Chassis Paint


Recommended Posts

yeah looks great...

 

Pete, can you take a close up picture of the underside of the rear diff bridge or the inside of the front turrents....please...? i would be interested to see how well the powder coat got into the little nooks and crannys.

 

i always feared that the electrostatic appliaction would not get right into the corners due to the "faraday cage" issues.

 

cheers

Link to post
Share on other sites

Following up on an earlier post, here's what the trailer hitch on my Toyota pickup looks like after about a dozen years. Note the peeling sheets of powdercoat where corrosion has run underneath the coating. Yes, that's a longish time, but in the context of our TRs, 'tis nuthin'. No powder coated chassis for me.

 

i-j4jpqRW.jpg

 

i-GhDQ2TV.jpg

Link to post
Share on other sites

There's a lot more to powder coating than most of us realise . . . . . in the early 2000s I spent some years working for an engineering company that had its own powder coating facility, and some very specialist equipment and techniques. The difference between run of the mill low cost powder coating and high-end finishing is very substantial, and as ever you get what you pay for.

 

Average powder coating is fine for race car chassis, trailer queens and display cars, and even for those cars intended for DSUO and which live in dry storage the rest of the time. It is not such an appropriate solution for cars intended to be driven (or stored) regularly in adverse conditions.

 

Powder coating solid castings or simple sheet materials is one thing, and relatively simple to achieve an enduring finish. Any fabrication resembling a box section or otherwise hollow object is quite another matter, and every bolt hole or open end provides the opportunity for rapid damage and/or deterioration of the finish coat . . . . and corrosion spreading from these weak points. Detail preparation is everything, it takes time and it takes money.

 

The 'faraday cage' effect to which Nick refers can be overcome, that just requires the correct powder formulation and preferably the use of tribo rather than corona spray gun . . . . . and a slower work rate, unless there is substantial investment in additional specialist equipment.

 

As a guide, 10 years back the cost of budget powder coating a TR or similar chassis was around one fifth, 20%, of the cost of coating a chassis of say Aston Martin calibre to an acceptable standard. Unfortunately owners of relatively mundane classics tended to expect that they too would be getting the quality of finish that justified the use of powder coating on super car restorations . . . . .

 

Not so, no free lunches and they got what they paid for.

 

Peter is right enough that his powder coaters provide what looks to be a decent finish at a very modest price, and for minimal effort on the owner's part . . . . and for many owners that will be good enough.

 

Neil is also right enough in suggesting that 'ordinary' powder coating has more to do with bling factor than with longevity and/or integrity.

 

Cheers,

 

Alec

Link to post
Share on other sites

yeah looks great...

 

Pete, can you take a close up picture of the underside of the rear diff bridge or the inside of the front turrents....please...? i would be interested to see how well the powder coat got into the little nooks and crannys.

 

i always feared that the electrostatic appliaction would not get right into the corners due to the "faraday cage" issues.

 

cheers

Nick the body is back on now it does work very well, If I have some more pics I shall show them for you. Sadly just had a gander and no, no more pics.

 

Good luck with your rebuild, its a good job without doubt.

Edited by pfenlon
Link to post
Share on other sites

Safety ffirst ????????????????????

Link to post
Share on other sites

Safety ffirst

Very pro rebuild site, wish I could do that stuff. Love the colour of the car, few black ones abound.

 

Black is hard to paint and get toy look "Right' well done should be fine for donkeys Now.

Link to post
Share on other sites

At the risk of rehashing this:

The shot Blaster's who have just blasted my chassis are recommending spraying it in "hot zinc" then powder coating it.

 

Do any here have experience of this?

 

My inclination is to save the money and copy Nick with POR15. But I hadn't heard of "hot zinc" before and thought I'd ask.

 

Thanks

 

Mark

Link to post
Share on other sites

A few thoughts

 

Mild steel wants to return to rust. If there is any rust in it it will continue to rust. Grit blasting will not remove inter granular corrosion.

 

Ordinary 'soft' chassis paints will scuff when bashed on the kerb etc and can easily be striped back/cleaned/re-applied.

 

POR is a hard coating but can still scuff - how easy to repair

 

Powder coating is a hard coating and can scuff - how easy to repair

 

Hot dip galvanising may well coat the inside of the chassis box IF prepared properly. But a risk of distortion.

 

Hot Zinc spray only applied to the outside and can still scuff

 

All of these clever coatings have an apprx 10 year life.

 

Constant monitoring and TLC required for the simplest coating (Chassis paint) BUT ignore the clever coatings are your peril.

 

Roger

Link to post
Share on other sites

It does look good, but why not powder coat it ?

 

Only costs £120.

 

 

 

 

If you go down the route of powder coating you have to galvanize first of all to get good protection. Just powder coating on mild steel is not a good idea as you get no protection against creeping rust underneath the powder coating which always happens.

 

Bruce.

Link to post
Share on other sites

After blasting back to bare metal, I did mine with POR-15 black.

Just after I had finished Tony Millward announced he'd done a similar job on his TR6 chassis but used POR-15 white.

He did this to make it easier to spot any later blemishes or problems. (sigh) Why didn't I think of that.

Edited by littlejim
Link to post
Share on other sites

I've used the epoxymastic quoted earlier in the thread.. seems a good compromise between being resilient and yet not too brittle. Been on the car for 3 years and looks pretty good still. Also filled all the box sections with wax..

Cheers

Tim

Link to post
Share on other sites

Mark

I had the chassis on my MG TD hot dip galvanised and powder coated, it looked very smart in the beginning but I found that the powder coating was rather fragile and chipped off.

I had the idea that the powder coating was not getting a suitable key on the galvanised surface, this may have been down to the primer if a primer is used?

I was confident that the galvanising would hold corrosion at bay but the money spent on the powder coating was wasted and I certainly would not recomend it as a chassis finish.

 

George

Link to post
Share on other sites

As Bruce, George & many others have noted, this is what I found under my powder coated floors.

 

I was angry, at first, but that didn't do any good.

 

So, recommend against powder coating as a rust preventative.

 

As Neil said, it is only for bling effect. And, actually, it is damaging.

post-13442-0-40350100-1513085110_thumb.jpg

Edited by Sapphire72
Link to post
Share on other sites

Hot dip galvanising provides a very smooth finish - that offers relatively little grip for the powder coat. Not a good combination.

 

In contrast, hot zinc spraying provides an excellent surface texture for the powder coat to grip . . . . . greatly enhanced longevity.

 

 

Cheers,

 

Alec

Link to post
Share on other sites

If you go down the route of powder coating you have to galvanize first of all to get good protection. Just powder coating on mild steel is not a good idea as you get no protection against creeping rust underneath the powder coating which always happens.

 

Bruce.

Bruce I always have the chassis blasted and then immediately Powder coated. ensuring there is NO corrosion with which to appear later. The blasting gives a very good key for the Powder.

If you don't eradicate the corrosion completely before Powder coating you are wasting your time. old engine oil within the chassis and then sealed will also cause no harm.

 

POR15 and a proper paint job are also excellent, but we all, have our own preferences, its a pity that nasty /snide comments are made by those who don't share other peoples opinions.

Link to post
Share on other sites

Hi Ed,

you are quite right.

However whereas paint tends to indicate a corrosion problem (it flexes/contours with the shape of the corrosion underneath) the powder coating tends to stay as an intact sheet for far too long.

 

PC is not my choice but if people choose to use it then fine. That is their option.

 

I prefer the cheap paint avenue. It needs serious TLC every 2 to 3 years but at least you see everything.

 

Roger

Link to post
Share on other sites

Roger.. like your philosophy.. at least it means you do a thorough chassis inspection on a regular basis.. and given what I found on mine when I removed the body, there are often real gremlins under there!

http://72tr6.blogspot.co.uk/2014/08/

Have a new chassis now and epoxymastic coated.. hopefully should last a fair time as it lives in a warm/dry garage.. only need another 40 years for me..

Cheers

Tim

Link to post
Share on other sites

Hi Tim,

in many ways we are spoilt rotten for choice.

 

There are one or two small areas on the top of my chassis that I just can't :( get at to see the condition.

So when I'm under there I give it more than enough waxoyl type stuff to keep it going.

 

One area that did get me was where all the chassis rails come together at the breast plate.

It would appear that water can get in but not out.

So after replacing the plate it got a good soaking in wax and there are a few drain holes.

 

Roger

Edited by RogerH
Link to post
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Restore formatting

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

Please familiarise yourself with our Terms and Conditions. By using this site, you agree to the following: Terms of Use.