The definitive chassis protection?

[Discopotatoes]

Hi All
I'm about to repair my chassis and need to think about what to paint it with to protect it so it lasts another 20+ years
I have done a lot of research but still can't quite decide.
So which is best and why?
Which prep is best?
And which needs top coating and with what?
A. Por15
B. KBS
C. Epoxy
D. HDG
E. Zinc spray
F. Powdercoat
Any that I may have missed? And any downsides to any of them?
Cheers
Disco

[m4tti]

I bought the KBS rust seal kit. It is good stuff and goes on really smooth. I did a review here

http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a... Rust Seal Review


The only thing I didnt like about it is that around the exhaust manifold and the cats it has discoloured. Thats probably partly due to user error (i should have used their high temp paint in that area) and that the speed six runs a gazillion degrees celcius.

On the plus side the stuff is incredibly tough. Painted some smaller parts with it and you can hit the finish with a hammer and it does nothing to it.

[Discopotatoes]

Cheers I did read your review as part of my research

[Daryl Benfield]

Try this.

http://www.bilthamber.com/cavity-waxes

[Nurburgsingh]

You've missed "U-Pol Raptor" truck bed liner.

[buzzer]

I would say surface preparation is just as (well probably more) important as what you coat it with... 35 years ago I had a Scimitar GT which I took the body off and welded up the chassis and out riggers. I had it shot blasted and when it came back... I welded it again where the shot blast had exposed thin areas of metal! The shot blasting also showed up quite a few cracks in certain areas which I had not noticed even though I had wire brushed it. At the time I coated it with red lead paint, and then a couple of coats of chassis black air drying enamel. It lasted for years in perfect condition.

About 7-8 years ago I saw it for sale on Ebay in a sorry state, but one of the things in the description was that it had a perfect chassis.

I did also coat the insides with Waxoyle which was easy enough as I tipped a load in, and then turned it over and over and let it run out!

What car is it?

[Discopotatoes]

It's getting shot blasted when I have completed all the obvious repairs then ill go back over it and check it for any cracks and the like.
I've been told that if I use por15 I'm better of leaving it to get surface rust before painting it?

[buzzer]

Discopotatoes said:

It's getting shot blasted when I have completed all the obvious repairs then ill go back over it and check it for any cracks and the like.
I've been told that if I use por15 I'm better of leaving it to get surface rust before painting it?

Great if it’s getting blasted. Many places that do this will also give it a coat of etch primer, which is quite important as soon as it’s out the blast cabinet, it starts to rust. On a damp day I have seen it go quite rusty in a couple of hours! If they don’t offer this… I would take it somewhere else. My preference would also be to use a single or two pack enamel, and I would not be adverse to brushing on a couple of coats rather than spraying. (single pack if brushing). Time consuming, but you will achieve a nice even film thickness, particularly in the joint radiuses, where spraying sometimes does not cover too well. If you do this, make sure you follow the manufactures instructions regarding recoat times.

I would also suggest that if the blasting reveals areas that you have to subsequently repair, you still go ahead with an etch prime before taking it away. That way you can do the repairs at leisure, and repair any coating damage locally.
POR15… I have limited experience of this, but from what I have seen it dries rock hard and brittle, not something I would want on a chassis that flexes a bit. I definitely would not want to let the chassis go rusty before applying it though.

The other thing I would add is that having done many bike restorations over the years, I still like to use paint, rather than powder coat… A couple of reasons for this, firstly it’s easier to repair if it does get chipped, secondly, it looks better (my opinion, although it has improved over the years) which is not so important on a chassis, and thirdly, you can inspect better for cracks, particularly important on race bikes.
That said, I recently looked at an early Westfield that had had a hard life and many many miles on the road and the chassis on that was nigh on perfect! Westfield used to blast their chassis and have them powder coated. (I used to see the chassis piled up in my local shot blasters / painters) Contrast that with a 1996 Caterham chassis I looked at during a vehicle inspection a couple of years ago and it was just crusty rust. VERY poor. Come to think of it… I don’t think I have EVER seen a poor Westfield Chassis on their road cars… (Race cars with the built in roll bar would not go in the oven though so these had a different process!) Many Caterhams I have looked at thought have all had varying degrees of rust on the chassis…

So, to sum up, If It were my car I would have it etch primed straight after it had been blasted. This is the key to a long lasting finish. If the company doing it has a British Standard process, they should also be able to supply you with temperature, time and humidity and film thikness data. They are probably familiar with doing this anyway, depending on the type of work they do. I would then get it home, inspect it carefully and repair any damage, and then patch up the primmer locally. I would then apply a couple of coats of single pack or even two pack paint. Not sure what facilities you have at home…
I guess if it was perfect when it was blasted, I would not be averse to having it powder coated or painted with two pack.

One thing is for sure… Every manufacturer will tell you their product is best… People that have used a certain manufactures product… will tell you it’s the best, even though they have no evidence to base this on!

[hotrat]

this stuff is very good http://www.rust.co.uk/content/6/8-epoxy-mastic-rus... i brushed it on. i am now about to try another of there products "custom 421" i will attempt to spray that on.

[Discopotatoes]

Great advice, thank you.
I will do a bit of due diligence with some local companies and find out what processes they use

[226bhp]

I found PO51R to be too brittle, it just chipped off.
If you are starting from a freshly sandblasted chassis with no rust then you can't beat:

Etch primer followed by
Epoxy primer or normal high build
Then something which stones will bounce off - the Raptor liner mentioned earlier will do this.
Finish off by a thorough wax injection.

Nothing sticks to bare metal like Tetrosyl Etch primer, you can't scratch it off, it's even high heat proof.