Powdercoat versus zero rust on frame? (1 Viewer)

[Ullr]

I met another local hot rodder today while I was sandblasting the frame in front of the house. He brought up powdercoating the frame and seemed to think it was worth the $ after all the work I have put in. I was going to paint the frame with Zero Rust, that way it will be easy to touch up after mods or getting scraped while wheeling.

For those who have powdercoated thier frames:

How did it stand up to abuse?

How do you touch it up after repairs or mods?

Was it worth it?

 

[FJ40onNOS]

ill just raddle-can mine, maybe a clean coat where is will be seen!

 

[1973Guppie]

I used zerorust and am very happy with the results. Really durable and easy to touch up. Hasn't faded and is super solid, haven't had any issues with it coming off either in the past 3 years.

Noah

 

[honk]

IMO your better off with a paint. Powdercoat looks good but really isn't all that durable - it chips off easily. Powdercoat can't be touched up except by painting chipped areas which ends up looking like the multiple coats of thick paint on an old fishing boat. I powdercoated the pulley that I put on my P/S pump and wished I hadn't by the time it was installed.

I haven't used Zerorust but I have used Eastwoods 'Chassis Black' topcoat (and their "Rust Encapsulator" primer/finish) , and it dries to a thick hard coating in either gloss or semi-gloss. The gloss is a very high gloss finish, BTW. Both products are available either in spraycans or in pints or quarts for user spraying. Neither one smells as highly toxic as POR-15 does. (I know that you didn't ask but I'll rant that I'll never use POR-15 again. It's overrated hard to apply garbage that comes off in big chunks with little provocation)

 

[flounder]

Powdercoating sucks. Impossible to touch up and we all know your gonna scratch something when you put it back together. Your then left with something that you can't do anything with.

 

[ken_79-fj40]

IMO your better off with a paint. Powdercoat looks good but really isn't all that durable - it chips off easily. Powdercoat can't be touched up except by painting chipped areas which ends up looking like the multiple coats of thick paint on an old fishing boat. I powdercoated the pulley that I put on my P/S pump and wished I hadn't by the time it was installed.

I haven't used Zerorust but I have used Eastwoods 'Chassis Black' topcoat (and their "Rust Encapsulator" primer/finish) , and it dries to a thick hard coating in either gloss or semi-gloss. The gloss is a very high gloss finish, BTW. Both products are available either in spraycans or in pints or quarts for user spraying. Neither one smells as highly toxic as POR-15 does. (I know that you didn't ask but I'll rant that I'll never use POR-15 again. It's overrated hard to apply garbage that comes off in big chunks with little provocation)

I used the eastwood stuff on mine too. 3 years later it still looks great.

 

[Ullr]

Powdercoating sucks. Impossible to touch up and we all know your gonna scratch something when you put it back together. Your then left with something that you can't do anything with.

Thanks guys, that is pretty much what I thought, but it's always worth asking. Thats the second person who has stopped by to introduce themselves and check out the project and the second time I heard about powdercoating the frame, must be a hot rodder thing.

 

[lingo]

It seems to me that powder coating would crack on a trail type rig. The first time you flex the frame it seems like it would cause it to get brittle. Any one ever see this or am I in left field with my thinking?

 

[Ullr]

It seems to me that powder coating would crack on a trail type rig. The first time you flex the frame it seems like it would case it to get brittle. Any one ever see this or am I in left field with my thinking?

Haven't seen it but it makes sense with our riveted frames. Could be some huge cracks too.

 

[Soul_Man]

my experience with powdercoating is that it doesn't do well once scratched. It always seems to me that if you get a little scratch and start getting some rust, the rust will spread underneath the powdercoat and start to lift it off in big flakes/sheets. that's really my problem with it, I think corrosion can spread between the powedercoat and the metal more easily than with paint.

 

[stinkyfj60]

Thanks guys, that is pretty much what I thought, but it's always worth asking. Thats the second person who has stopped by to introduce themselves and check out the project and the second time I heard about powdercoating the frame, must be a hot rodder thing.

Hot rods arent likely to see mud, rocks, scraping, and all that

 

[1969cruzer]

frame

I am in the same stage here alos on my '69 fj40. The rear of my cruiser has alot of pitting some deep, some not so bad. I want something to make this a little less noticeable when finished, what has been the deciding factor for everyone?

Spence

 

[largenfirm]

I am in the same stage here alos on my '69 fj40. The rear of my cruiser has alot of pitting some deep, some not so bad. I want something to make this a little less noticeable when finished, what has been the deciding factor for everyone?

Spence

I suppose you could "lead" it, or if you must use a modern product, Bondo.

Seriously, nothing will put that metal back but welding, and that seems like a lot of work.

Kirk

 

[62FJ40]

Same dilema couple yrs ago, if you powder coat I was told by some one in the business it is best to have blasting done with aluminum oxide vs silica sand...
silica residue on microscopic level is what affects adhesion and lets rust
get under power coat from a small chip or scratch they also said frame should be acid dipped to get all the rust/ grease out of inside of frame rail, impossible to reach with sand blaster.... really adds up!
Had mine blasted then spent 8+ hrs blasting inside rails the best I could
degreased several times, etched it really good, then used POR.

Round toilet brush w/ PVC pipe handle extension for inside rails,
sprayed outside with Harbour Freight spray gun. Have had no complaints!

 

[FoYoChe]

powder coat has it's place, the flaking off of the powder is from poor prep and not getting the metal hot enough. it should be sandblasted or dipped and phospated. if you use powder coat make sure it's a place that tests their adhesion regularly, there are standard tests, one is directly related to peeling and chunking, and properly done, powder coat will not peel off. we have a hard time sandblasting the powder back off, you are supposed to use a burn off oven to take it off. We powder coat as much as we can here, but like you say, it is hard to touch up, the area needs to be sanded lightly and sprayed, properly done you shouldn't notice the touch up, but the paint is not as durable as the original powder. as far as cracking, powder is fairly flexible, especially if you use a polyester powder(most common). for most used metal ie. pitted or hard to get clean, paint will be much more easy to apply. powder coat also galls against itself for moving parts, causes problems when parts need to slide against one another.

 

[ken_79-fj40]

I suppose you could "lead" it, or if you must use a modern product, Bondo.

Seriously, nothing will put that metal back but welding, and that seems like a lot of work.

Kirk

I had to do some significant "beefing" at the rear of the frame on mine by the shackle hangers and near the crossmember. I ground down the welds, and skimcoated the whole deal, and the outside of the framerails with bondo. Looks like a new frame.

 

[Kealy]

Would this Eastwood be okay under the hood, like on the radiator shrould (sp) or battery tray platform? Thanks