frame Prep

[chuck hardy]

Hello all, Can you tell me who has the best preparation kit for a mid year (67) frame restoration? I have heard about a number of suppliers but really wanted to know who had the most correct paint etc? Thanks, Chuck

[Joe L.]

Re: frame Prep

Chuck----

I hate to sound like I have a financial interest in Quanta Products (I don't), but as I have previously, I would recommend their products for your frame restoration. Quanta carries the EXACT same asphaltic coating(not actually a paint) used on Corvettes from the factory and this product is sourced from the original supplier to GM. However, if you intend to drive this car even a modest amount, I do not recommend this product for your application. This product is very useful for "trailer queen" type cars, though. This paint is not very durable, at all. GM didn't care about durability in this area. All they cared about was keeping the frame reasonably presentable until the car was sold to purchaser. I don't mean that in a perjorative sense, either; the appearance of frames is just not important to the VAST MAJORITY of people although a rusty frame might be disuasive at the time of shopping and purchase.

If you intend to drive the car, I recommend the use of Quanta's chassis paint. It will appear virtually as original, but is much more durable and cleanable. Also excellent is DeRusto Universal Black. This is a quality, slow drying paint which is just about right in appearance and VERY durable.

Quanta sells a variety of other chassis products such as stencils, inspection mark dyes, and frame marking crayons. These are excellent and about as good as you're going to get.

[Bob Johnson]

Re: frame Prep

Chuck,

I can tell you what not to use. Do not use Eastwood's Chassis Black. It looks good at first, but does not adhere very well. I will be forever touching up my frame. Live and learn!!

Bob

[Brandon K.]

Re: frame Prep

Joe-

Do you (or does anyone else) have any experience using either industrial Imron or plain old black DP-90 as the top coating for a frame? I'm going to be at that stage in about 2 weeks and I'm debating which one to use over the primer. I'm thinking that the DP-90 will be easier to apply, but cost-wise they are about the same, and probably the Imron will be more durable (especially for a driver). I'm going to have the Imron gloss flattened to the proper semi-flat.

Thanks.

[G B.]

I got your durability right here.

I've used POR 15 semi-gloss on the last couple of frames. I've never seen anything else stick like that stuff. I applied it according to the maker's instructions: directly over clean metal without thinning. The flow-out and coverage was excellent. As far as adhesion, I can't chip the dried coating with hammer blows. I was able to burn it off with a torch, but it didn't curl up or flake from the heat. One bracket I painted was later blast cleaned by a shop prior to welding. They had trouble getting the POR 15 off with beads and had to use coarse sand.

The only down sides are cost and color. I believe it sells for $75 a gallon in Hemmings. You'll need at least a half gallon to do a frame and the attached pieces. The semigloss black color is okay, but sometimes a bit too flat. It dries several different sheens depending on the weather, gun pressure, your personality, etc.

[Brandon K.]

Re: POR 15

Jerry-

Thanks for the response. The POR 15 seems to be somewhat temperamental, and more than a few people have told me that it sometimes tends to peel off in sheets. I'm sure that had to do with the prepping of the metal underneath. It seems to need a very coarse surface. I tried it on some smooth metal and over other paint, and it scraped off with a razor blade, so I'm kinda skeptical. Plus, my frame is going to be done in an epoxy primer when I take delivery from Sunshine Corvettes. Maybe in the future I may give it a try. Oh yeah,it fades w. UV light, but that shouldn't be much of a concern on a frame....

[Joe L.]

Re: frame Prep

Bob----

Yes, I agree completely. Eastwood's chassis black is also FAR TOO GLOSSY. And I'm talking about their regular formula product---not the "Glossy" type. Usually Eastwood products are pretty good, but NOT THIS ONE.

[Joe L.]

Re: frame Prep

Brandon---

Sorry, I don't have any personal experience with the products which you mentioned. However, from what I've heard, I think that either would suit your purposes about equally well. You may be right in that the Imron would be more durable. Imron is pretty tough stuff----regularly used on aircraft.

[Bryan L.]

Re: frame Prep

Man, am I glad I read this message today. I just bought a quart of Ewood's chassis paint. It would have ruined my day to have it not turn out right. It's bad enought what is on the frame now, glossy POR-15. To make it worse, it was put on with a brush!! It is stuck on for sure, I'm thinking about sanding it smooth and topcoating it with the proper semi-flat. Any thoughts on this? I would prefer to do it only once. The frame was blasted and dipped (?) according to the previous owner and it pretty nice except for the paint job, which looks like it was applied by Lighthouse for the Blind.

Thanks,

Bryan

67 BB roadster

[Joe L.]

Re: frame Prep

Bryan----

I would recommend the use of Quanta's chassis paint. I'm talking about their regular chassis paint, not the OEM asphaltic coating which Quanta also supplies. The latter product is ok for "trailer queens" where exact originality is required and durability is not an issue. But, for drivers, I don't recommend it.

If you want to get real fancy you could go with Imron, appropriately flattened. Very, very durable and it can be made to look original if you know what you're doing.

[P. Terry #6573]

Re: frame Prep

I Agree John. I have used the asphault, and enamle products. The asphault base looks good for about a day and is very difficult to repair...I have also had very good luck with powder coating. This stuff is extremely durable. I coat the frame, front suspension, and real axle housing. Only problem is that you have to make sure that you chase all the threads. It coats so well, if you don't have bare metal in the threaded areas, you can have some grounding problems.

[Wayne]

Re: frame Prep

I did a frame some years ago with an Imron semi-gloss formula I got from some old Corvette article. I used the recommended Imron self-etching primer. I was very pleased with the outcome, though it might have had a touch more gloss than the original asphalt paint. I show the formula in my records as Dupont N8079U, which any Dupont dealer should be able to access and mix.