Help with frame refinishing (1 Viewer)

[AR15doctor]

It finally feels like I am making some progress on my FJ40 project. I just got the frame back from the sandblaster and I am ready to refinish it. My initial thoughts were PPG epoxy primer follwed by Eastwood semi gloss chassis black. Now I am wondering if maybe I should start with POR15 first. I decided against powdercoating beccause it's just gonna get chipped and paint will be so much easier to touch up or even re-spray down the road. Thanks in advance.

 

[Volcano cruiser]

I'd go with the POR or Rust Bullet followed by chassis black while it is all out in the open. That way when you do touch ups you will touching up over a good solid rust free and inhibited base.
Just my .02

 

[AR15doctor]

How doeas POR15 lay down when applied with a brush? Should I get the reducer so I can spray it or just brush it on? It doesn't need to be perfect I just dont want big ugly brush marks.

 

[cjgoode]

Not sure how it lays down with a brush, but I would read there site about it, it is a very dangerous chemical especially if you are going to spray it, you need an air supplied respirator to spray it. Have not used it, if i do I will brush it.

 

[lostmarbles]

How doeas POR15 lay down when applied with a brush? Should I get the reducer so I can spray it or just brush it on? It doesn't need to be perfect I just dont want big ugly brush marks.

I've NEVER found ANY paint that lays down better than POR15 primer.

I can't recall seeing any brush marks left behind anywhere and I even handbrush it on my BJ40 bodywork prior to spray-topcoating!

Here - This has been POR15-handbrushed and the topcoat is exactly "as sprayed" (no sanding/polishing/whatever):



Brushing has the advantage of very little wastage too because POR15 primer costs $52 for 500mls here.

I like to choose the primer colour as close as possible to the topcoat colour too. (Thus scratches/chips look less ugly.)

 

[antFJ]

i'm sure your epoxy primer would work really well - as long as the surface is prepped well - the same goes for POR or rust bullet

 

[Gus]

I brushed on POR15 when I did the frame and axles on my 79, you do not see brush marks, it comes out smooth and even.

 

[MAD40er]

no brush marks if you use foam roller brushes...

 

[numby]

I wouldn't hesitate to powdercoat a frame as the psi required to chip through is much higher than even the best epoxy paints. Easy to touch up with epoxy paints and the like. I'd start with a zinc layer and then color. Acid dipping after sand blasting will help get to areas the sand can't touch.

POR-15 is decent stuff but successive applications will peel if not properly prepped. Kind of a problem after a few years of mud and dirt have gotten into the difficult to reach places. Requires a special primer for conventional paint topcoat and is UV sensitive. It may web across gaps and seams better than powdercoating. Not certain that matters much once you frame starts to flex in uneven terrain.

Galvanizing has been used successfully but I'm leery of the 800° application temps. Perhaps nothing to worry about. Rob Mullen outlined doing this in an old Toyota Trails article and it sounded like a huge PITA. There is a reason they galvanize boat trailers, though.

Unless it's a show car and won't be used in anything other than fair weather, I'd still use a lot of wax/oil based rust preventative to get deep in the miniscule spaces between the riveted frame sections and channels. Pretty won't stop rust.

 

[apeterson]

POR itself needs to be topcoated... get there chasis black as a top coat (it will not lay as smooth, just an FYI) or you have to get a special top coat so you can spray paint over it... I would always follow the directions as layed out by POR

 

[lostmarbles]

The only POR15 products I commonly buy are their Marine Clean, Metal Ready, and Primer.

I spray my topcoat on while my primer is still tacky (within 1 or 2 hours of brushing it on) and when doing this have had no problems at all with adhesion. (And I reckon black-gloss rattle-can is fine for chassis work because I think that one thick coat of hand-brushed-primer is pretty good for corrosion protection.).

But of course this isn't following manufacturer's instructions. (Although I note that at least one other person on MUD has independantly arrived at the same method.)

...Edit - Maybe "tacky" is the wrong word here. It may actually appear "dry-to-touch" after 1 1/2 hours but because it is so "fresh" I think the topcoat thinner is still able to "bite into it". If I was to wait 3 hours - I think I'd be stretching it! ...... And I have very little confidence in the POR15 "tie coat" product (but perhaps the can I was sold was "old-stock" and past its best?).

 

[riverrock]

wouldn't hesitate to powder coat the frame

We just finished putting zinc rich primer powder coating on my 79 frame and will finish it off with matte black powder coat after working all the bugs out of my body fitting and drive train setup. Another advantage of powder coating your frame is if you get an attentive shop to do it, they will powder the inside of the frame rails for maximum protection.

 

[AR15doctor]

No going back now! We only had about 3hrs today but my paint expert and I got the first coat of POR15 laid down today. My local body shop carries most of the POR15 line so I got the tie coat primer that will go on next and will allow me good adhesion and no compatibility issues for the final topcoat of Eastwood satin black chassis paint. I am also going to spray the Eastwood black inside the frame rails and follow it up with a wax type of rust preventer to keep the rust away for a while. My son is only 8 and even though I have owned this FJ40 for 10 years, it is both of ours. Today while we were painting, he said "Dad, this is really fun. I'm glad we get to do this project together". Every time this project gets frustrating, I', going to remember him saying that so I remember that all the $$$ and time is going to be worth it in the end. Can anyone tell me how I get a build thread going? Thanks. BTW, I was wearing a t shirt and shorts and I will be wearing some black POR15 for the next week! Atleast I had my son put on some old pants and a long sleeve shirt or his mom would have not been too happy with me.

 

[wdFJ40]

Check out the Eastwood chassis paints before you buy, the first (old) one says you can't re-coat (or something like that). I got it, it looks good, but I have scratched it. I think the next version they came out with you can re-coat.