Looking for a heavy duty gloss black paint for spraying my cradle, undercarriage, frame, control arms etc etc. Something that’s really tough and rust resistant…sort of like a super duty rustolem just better. I see a couple doing an internet search but wondering what teh experts on here are using. Thanks!

If this were 1990, I'd say DuPont Emron. Or was it Imron? Anyway, that stuff would survive salt abrasion and high heat for years. I know, I watched it.

[This message has been edited by Isolde (edited 04-18-2011).]

I'd do it with POR-15, it's an air-cured urethane that flows out like glass and is easily applied with a brush. Prep is basically scrubbing off loose deposits and rust, it sticks to hard rust no problem. The only down side is that POR-15 doesn't have any UV fade resistance, so you'll need to topcoat it where ever it's exposed to sunlight.

(JazzMan got there first, prep like he stated) I use POR-15, apply it and wait about an hour (when it starts to get tacky use a spray paint to top coat your parts or undercarriage. Do not let the PO-15 dry or the top coat will not stick to it very well. I like Eastwood's Chassis Black for a top coat.

Jack

[This message has been edited by J Gunsett (edited 04-18-2011).]

Anybody ever hear or "Rust Bullet"? it came up on Google search when i looked for the POR15. IT says it's better than POR15 and has UV protection and doesn't require a top coat? But that was there own ad so who knows?

In the process of restoring my 66 vette chassis, I used 2K urethane gloss black with powder coated suspension parts (about 2 years ago). My fiero has 2K urethane flat black and powder coated suspension.
The vette chassis paint held up great with all the assembly that came after. It was very durable to impact of tools and other parts that accidentally hit it (I was trying to be careful, but it is inevitable).
The fiero chassis was mostly retouch where changes were made, and I wanted it to match the original look. It was done many years ago and has held up very well.

I have used POR-15 on various parts as well, and it is very durable as well. I used it on door jams for a 67 mustang (gloss black).

I also used dupont Emron paint (FRP grey color) on the underside of the Vette fiberglass body to seal in the fiberglass and protect it (since the factory never did).

Of them, POR-15 seems the most durable, but it also cost the most and was the slowest to dry/cure. It was the most forgiving in terms of how to spray versus the prepping of the parts. It was a little thicker of a paint than the other two I used. It does not play well with many other, more common paints, though.

The other paints required Primer to work well, POR-15 does not.

just my novice observation.

-Dave

adding a picture of the 2K chassis paint

[This message has been edited by IFLYR22 (edited 04-18-2011).]

Sandblast everything & shoot it with PPG epoxy (DP) primer, then black urethane. Catalyzed urethane over epoxy primer is about as tough as you can get once it fully cures, & it's very glossy (& therefore easy to wash).
POR 15 is second rate at best.
And it's Imron (not bad paint either).
~ Paul
aka "Tha Driver"

Whats wrong with POR?
I also have used it on frames and liked it.

quote Originally posted by 2.5: Whats wrong with POR? I also have used it on frames and liked it.

Nothing wrong with it. I did my cradle with it 8 years and 145k miles ago and it still looks great (where it's not been scraped off or covered with oil). It's inexpensive compared to dealing with epoxy primer and needs very little prep compared to epoxy primers and ordinary paints. POR-15 tenaciously bonds to everything, even rust. The reason you remove loose rust (wire brush is fine) is because the rust bond to the underlying surface is poor. Gotta get the POR to a good surface.

quote Originally posted by 2.5: Whats wrong with POR? I also have used it on frames and liked it.

It's not made for a permanent glossy finish (in fact it's nowhere near as glossy as urethane). It has no UV protection. Yes it adheres well to rust, but not that well to clean shiny metal (they even say to not use it on clean metal). It's air dry. Overall it's nowhere near as good as urethane for a permanent glossy finish (or even a matte finish like semi-gloss/satin black urethane).
I've been doing restorations for 40 years, & I've used POR 15 quite a bit on cars that are NOT hi-dollar complete restorations. It has it's merits when you don't have access to a sandblaster or are just trying to cheap out (build something on a tight budget).
EDIT: I even know of one case where a guy sandblasted his frame, & then left it out in the rain to rust so that POR 15 would stick to it! kinda stupid & defeats the purpose, IMO.
~ Paul
aka "Tha Driver"

[This message has been edited by Tha Driver (edited 04-18-2011).]

Ive used POR and black epoxy. Both have worked well for me. Both hardened with a porcelain like shiny hard finish. I wouldnt recommend Imron, its just catalyzed acrylic enamel. I painted several of my airplanes with it and was never happy with either finish or durability. I did do a Corvette frame for a guy that wanted black basecoat/ clearcoat and it didnt look all that great to me either. Epoxy is my choice personally, hard, rustproof, hard to scratch it up and looks like it was dipped.

The eastwood company just came up with a new product that I been wanting to try.

For the cradle and suspension POWDER COAT. It is the toughest coating you can put on it. For the chassis POR 15 easy to put on and is very tough.

Joe Sokol

I just recently used two of Eastwood's products, Rust Converter and Rust Encapsulator. It's flat black (at least the stuff we have) and seems to be holding up well on the rusty tow dolly I cleaned and painted up last fall. Only wear is where the cars rolled up and down and it was used probably at least once a week since then.

Rust bullet was junk. I tried it and the rust came right back. I have had good luck with por15. Wears well, durable. You just need to top coat it, and its not good for shiny metal. Use por15 on rusty sections and chassis black on the other sections.

I sandblasted my cradle last night so i can't use POR-15 on that. I'll have to check out the PPG epoxy primer/urethane and chassis black. Maybe I’ll get the POR-15 for those areas that are prone to rust but not visible like up over the rear wheels and undercarriage. Thanks!

I have used POR-15 on parts that I sandblasted. POR-15 adheres well to sandblasted parts, do not use POR-15 on clean shiny parts.

Jack

quote Originally posted by J Gunsett: I have used POR-15 on parts that I sandblasted. POR-15 adheres well to sandblasted parts, do not use POR-15 on clean shiny parts. Jack

You can use POR on clean metal you just need to "prime" it 1st.

http://www.por15.com/METAL-READY/productinfo/MRG/

"PREP & READYTM provides the best adhesion for POR-15® on any metal surface, including aluminum and shiny polished metal surfaces. Our simple process gently etches metal, creating an ideal anchor pattern for coatings such as POR-15®, while simultaneously leaving a zinc phosphate coating to insure chemical bonding of paint and steel. "

You can also prespray it with zinc-chromate primer. Works especially well on aluminum or cast parts. Thats the greenish or yellowish color you see on the insides of aircraft. I used it on semi cabs, and on some body parts of some exotics that are aluminum. Lots of Ferrari body panels were aluminum. Without the zinc primer, the aluminum oxidizes and turns to white powder similar to rustout on a steel car.

quote Originally posted by rogergarrison: Without the zinc primer, the aluminum oxidizes and turns to white powder similar to rustout on a steel car.

I bet a few of us have witnessed this on our 2.8 intake plenums..

I second the zinc-chromate primer. I went this route on an mg. Holy crap does it stick.

learning lots of good stuff in here.. i decided to powdercoat my subframe and susp parts months ago. also, i dont have much space to spray in a one car garage full of fiero.

I used POR15. Also, it's available in many colors.

would tossing some clear coat over it solve the fading issue? some uv tolerant clear of course.

Most clearcoats are brand specific. Use on the recommended basecoats under the clear. I never mix brands of paint and more to the point, types of paint.

I like Hammerite. It has a 30 year track record, can go on over rust, dries quickly and forms a rock-hard glossy surface. It flows out nicely, you can get it by the gallon or spray can and comes in a variety of finishes including matte and textured (the silver is very cool in this finish). It dries quickly, to the touch in an hour, for use overnight, builds quickly (much thicker than POR) and grips tenaciously. The only thing it can't do is go over aluminum or galvanized metal without its primer.
It isn't cheap (about $10/can if I remember right), but is great stuff. I'd recommend hunting around until you find a place that carries it and try at least one can. I guarantee you'll love it. In Denver about the only place that has it is Painters Supply, a commercial paint supply store that also carries automotive, Dupont, HOK etc..

[This message has been edited by countach711 (edited 04-21-2011).]