frame paint

[jim schultz]

I've just stripped my 56 down to the frame and am having it sand blasted to remove alittle surface rust. Question: does anyone have suggestions about what to paint it with. I've had suggestions to use a Dupont Centari acrylic lacquer with a flatter. What experiences have you all had?

jim

[George Daina]

Rustoleum....

Semi gloss black, you can get it in qts. Looks great. Do search in the archives, been many a discussion on what to use on the frame.

[Joe L.]

Re: frame paint

Jim-----

I agree with George; I like Rustoleum, too. The only problem that I've had is that I could not find Rustoleum in semi-gloss black. All I could find that came close was what, at the time, they called "Satin Black". This had a look that I didn't feel was quite right. But, if they now have a semi-gloss black, that's probably perfect.

In any event, at the time being unsatisfied with the "Satin Black", I used a product called DeRusto Semi-Gloss black which is manufactured by Dap. This is a slow drying, high solids, rust-inhibitive paint. In fact, it's very much like Rustoleum except that I liked the look of their semi-gloss black much better than the Rustoleum satin black. I still use the DeRusto product to this day.

[dale pearman]

Re: frame paint

Aginst the bare steel you want to use a self etching primer, epoxy catilized , such as PPG's DP 90 (black). You can build yourself a mop-like swab to get inside the rails. This stuff etches itself into the surface of the steel and is PERMANENT! New vehicles today are built using etching primers. Speaking from the reference of a C1 enthusiast, If I were building a show car, I'd use the petrolium based frame paint that AO Smith used. This paint is a gloss that soon dulls out. It is NOT durable and spills of gas, brake fluid and anti-freeze will spot and/or remove it! For authentic restoration the rule is EXACTLY as St.Louis built the car; no better-no worse. It takes courage to use products like this when so many improvements are available. You might want to lightly coat the frame with semi-gloss before the final coat of petrolium base but be careful that the finished product is not thick with paint. I like the John Deere line of paints and they make a medium gloss that's ideal. By so doing, as the petrolium base paint ages, you don't get down to the primer.

For the street, forget the cheap paint. Go with something more durable such as those suggested in these posts. Good Luck.

Varooom!

[dale pearman]

Re: frame paint

OOPS! I got caught misusing the word "EXACTLY" in my prior post. Nowhere in the NCRS Judging Reference Manual does the word "exactly" appear. I should have used the phrase "appears exactly" instead of "exactly". Here in the south we say "zactly" to mean the same thing. It stands to reason that absolute intreptation of the word "exactly" would render the task impossible. I used the word "exactly" as it has been used at Bloomington Gold since its inception to mean the peak of a bell shaped curve depicting the degree of over or under restoration. The use of this word "exactly" or the phrase "appears exactly" is moot and can be argued to up-chucking ad-infinitum!

From the Judging Reference Manual:

"Cars are to be judged to the standard of vehicle appearance, and as equipped, at the time and point of final assembly by the Chevrolet Motor Division of General Motors Corporation. Presentation for judging is to be in the condition normally associated with that of a Corvette which has undergone the then-current standard Chevrolet Dealer New car Preparation for delivery to a purchaser, exclusive of any dealer or purchaser inspired aditions, deletions, or changes."

[dale pearman]

Re: frame paint

Also from the manual:

"NCRS Originality scoring is based on a part, component part, or area appearing to the judges to comply with out Judging Standard using their knowledge, experience and available information contained in the Technical Information Manual & Judging Guide. This judging specificically does not mean a successfully judged part is the original factory-installed part, but it does imply it APPEARS as though it could be. Likewise, in judging the originality of an area, such as body paint, a successful judging does not mean the existing paint is that which was originally applied at the factory, but does imply it APPEARS as though it could be. Generally, a component part judged to APPEAR as a complete original item will receive full credit, regardless of its condition.

So APPEARANCE is EVERYTHING! Thank you Vinnie Peters for pointing out my mindless misuse of the word "Exactly" I should have said, "APPEARS EXACTLY"

Dale Pearman, (appearing as Varooom!)