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Best Chassis Paint & Rustkiller


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Hi Guys,

 

This winter I am going to sort out some light rust on the chassis.

I want to firstly kill the rust and then apply a coat of black paint. Could I have some suggestions which is your recommendation for the best rust killer and what is the best and long lasting black paint to use for the chasis.

 

Thanks Phil

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Now rust is NOT alive, it does not "reproduce".

 

The metal is is fact burning up by combining with atmospheric oxygen. It needs water for this reaction to proceed.

Rust will stop if you can exclude air and water.

 

The ideal way to do this is oil. But this tends to be removed quite quickly by attrition from road spray.

But inside sections and up in corners oil or wax is good.

 

So we come to paint. All paints work a bit, some stay on longer than others. None is permanent.

 

One of the key things you want when choosing paint is a shortish, not too short, drying time.

You want to easily be able to apply a couple of coats in a day.

 

In the past most easily available shop bought paints dried off in a timely manner. But recently they got re-formulated and now they don't dry. It can take weeks! This is NBG because a second coat will dissolve the first and you don't get a build up.

 

At the moment I find Bondarust tough and it dries like paint used to.

 

For parts that you can remove, doors, boot-lids and so on, phosporic acid based rust-removers are useful.

NBG upside down on a floor-pan or chassis really.

 

You do not have to remove every trace of rust before painting. Big loose bits must come off of course.

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Hi Phil,

you have had some very good replies so far.

 

Depending on where the rust is will direct your attack on it. If the rusty bit can come off and fit in a bucket/trug then removers such as DeOxC from Bilthamber is very good.

Jenolite also works well.

If it is the top surface of a flat panel then you can build a plastercein dam around the problem and fill with the above .

If you are upside down then life can get messy. There are Gel rust removers but I have never had any luck with them.

Grit blasting will sort most rust problems. You can get DIY guns from MachineMart etc but you will need a compressor.

 

As Alan stated Bondarust primer (as suggested by Stuart many many times) does an excellent job.

If you can mechanically remove as much rust as possible and then coat with 'Bondarust' this will seal the rust in. It will keep oxygen and water out.

It is very easy to use and there are few cautions. Other paints (POR15 etc) are very good but can be problematic.

 

As for chassis paint - Frost/Eastwood do expensive 'chassis black' and cheap 'chassis black' paint. Go for the cheap stuff as you will be touching up next year, and the year after, and the year after.

 

Roger

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Phosphoric acid-based rust treatments are EXPENSIVE.

Jenolite - £8.39 for 150 mls

DeOx-C - £12.82 for 1000mls

Bondarust - £11.32 for 1000mls (inc. Zinc)

(Bargains may be available)

 

If you are dealing with large areas, like chassis rails, the phosphoric acid itself is excellent and very CHEAP.

Milkstone remover - EG £8.70 for FIVE LITRES!

 

Milkstone remover is used by farmers to clean out milking machines, and is the ingredient in CocaCola that gives it its 'bite', and ability to clean a coin left in the dregs overnight. It's an 85% solution of phosphoric acid, nearly three times more concentrated than rust removers, so your five litres is more like FIFTEEN of those!

 

The point is that strong acids (eg hydrochloric) react with rust, or the iron it sits on. Weak, organic acids (like vinegar) can attack rust easily but barely affect the native iron. But most weak acids produce a soluble product, whihc cleaves the iron naaked and propne top flash rusting . Iron phosphate is insoluble, so sits on the surface and when dried forms a tough, rough surface layer suitable for priming. Thick rust is weak, so pre-treatment by wirebrushing or another acid will get you down to the remaining iron surface, before you use the phosphoric. It's more work to get down to that nice, clean, black surface that shows you have 'killed' all the rust, but a LOT cheaper than seven bottles of Jenolite!

 

John

Edited by john.r.davies
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Hi, just a point, don't forget the hidden rust inside box sections, it will eat its way out just a easily as from the outside, if not quicker as it can't dry as quickly. Sills and doors need love and attention too.

 

Mark

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Phil if your handy with a welder and grinder you can make a grit blaster a lot cheaper than buying one, Ive made one to remove rust and paint though necessity due to our rural location, then treat the bare metal as prescribed above.

 

Have a look,

 

http://i1278.photobu...zpsc615eaff.jpg

 

http://i1278.photobu...zps40d39a52.jpg

 

http://i1278.photobu...zps0f650d0d.jpg

 

http://i1278.photobu...zps9338da31.jpg

 

 

Gavin

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Alan T,

 

POR15 chassis paint is different than POR15 normal paint and can be applied over painted surfaces. Here is a description.

 

POR15 Top Coat in Chassis Black (was Chassis Coat Black) is a permanent black topcoat developed for application over painted and primed surfaces. Apply over POR15 Rust Preventive Paint for the toughest, most permanent protection against rust and corrosion ever developed.

POR-15 Chassis Coat Black is non-porous and will not crack, chip or peel when properly applied. It has amazing scratch and abrasion resistance and is similar in strength to regular POR-15 coatings. Chassis Coat Black is not sensitive to ultra-violet light and may be exposed to sunlight without damaging consequences.

Follow directions carefully and you will be rewarded with the best chassis protection in the world!

Chassis Coat Black paint has a smooth, satiny semi-gloss finish, and is probably more correct as original for underhood and chassis components for cars produced in the USA from the early 1950's to today.

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  • 5 months later...

John

 

when using the Milkstone Remover do you it neat or diluted given its extra strength?

 

Iain

Depends on the job you are doing but Phosphoric acid always works best with a little water around, ... to clean up rusty nuts,bolts, screws and small items a 10 to 15% solution in a jam jar or ice cream tub left over night works wonders, a solution like this can be used several times for different jobs, so keep it (in a labelled container of course) .. to get Phos. Acid to creep into rusty body seams etc then dilute 50:50 with IMS, ( wash and thoroughly dry after treatment and before any paint system is applied) .. to make a nice gloopy solution similar to Jenolite mix with some ready mixed wallpaper paste and paint on with a cheap paint brush.

Don't forget to wear rubber gloves and eye protection, any spills on the skin will burn quite badly, any spills on your clothes or overalls will destroy them, well, they'll fall to bits the next time they are washed!!

Cheers Rob

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Thanks, Rob!

Couldn't have put it better, and I like the wallpaper paste idea!

 

A clue to knowing if the treatment is sufficient is that in the morning the dried item has a white/yellow look - that needs more work to remove residual rust.

John

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I agonised for ages as to what to use on my chassis, scouring this and many other forums.

 

Although I don't as yet have any long term experience to support using Epoxy Mastic 121 from Rustbusters (http://www.rust.co.uk/epoxy-mastic-rust-proofing-paint/c28117/) in the end I decided on this material because I liked the finish I had seen a shows but more importantly I tracked down what I am 99% sure is the source of this rust preventative system.

I'm confident that its made by a very high end Norwegian specialist who seems to be de rigueur when you want to protect your oil rig or similar - and that was good enough for me. It isn't cheap, and I might have been quite happy with another epoxy like Bondaprimer, but so far I'm pleased I went this route and compared to the total i have spent, it's peanuts!

 

Norman

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Great replies to my question guys, appreciated. :D

 

As for paint, I go with Stuart, Bondaprimer every time. I used it on cleaned panels on the TR over 35 years ago, the top coat has got chipped and revealed the red bondaprimer but no rust....cant ask for more its as tough as old boots.

 

Iain

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