The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Paint and Body Shop frame restoration

I am looking for advice on how to restore the frame of my 51 3100.
I had planned on sanding it a little to knock of the bad rust and then applying POR15. Now that I have the bare frame sitting there I am debating whether or not to have it sandblasted. It seems I would save a lot of time going this way and a local guy is real reasonable on price.
If I decide to sandblast it then it I wonder what is the best finish to apply. It does not seem that POR15 would be the way to go since the rust would be gone.
Would I just prime and paint it with Rustoleum or is there a better option?
Thanks for your advice!

If you are planning on doing a grade A, #1 restoration on the rest of the truck, you will be sorry that you didn't have the frame blasted and epoxy primered, and painted chassis black.
If its going to be just a real decent daily driver, I would just clean all of the grease and oil off of it, remove any loose rust, treat with Ospho, wipe it clean, prime with Rustoleum Rusty metal primer and paint with Rustoleum gloss black.
I like this option because it makes it very easy to do touch ups later.
Carl

If you are doing the truck as original or just want it to look "correct" Chassis black is the only choice.
If you are doing it custom/resto mod, or just to make yourself happy, paint it any color you like.
The 48 2 ton has all chocolate brown frame and suspension.

A personal comment, avoid gloss black. In my opinion nothing says amateur restoration like a gloss black frame. I'm sure that will start some comments.

Not original, but I'm partial to the Rustoleum hammered black. The hammered finish doesn't show the flaws so much and is pretty durable. And as Carl says, easy to touch up.

Dennis

Black epoxy primer and semi-gloss finish coat.

If you blast the frame, POR-15 should not be used directly on clean non-rusty metal.

Thanks to all for the input.
I did check with Rustoleum and they recommended rusty metal primer and then a rustoleum automotive finish. I asked about using the Ospho as well and they nixed that idea.
I plan on driving this truck and where I live this means plenty of gravel roads.
My original thought was to use POR15 because I had read that it was tough.
I still have not decided which way to go but I appreciate everyone's food for thought. Thanks again!

Did my 37 with Rustoleum primer and gloss black back in the mid 90's and still looks great.

Did my panel chassis about 4 years ago by sand blasting and using the gloss black POR15 and it is tough and still looks good. If Tim is right I made a goof somewhere by putting the por15 on the blasted chassis. To late now!!

...on the next one I do plan to try the black primer and semi-gloss finish MAYBE. For some reason, probably being beaten as a child, I just can't seem to like the flat dirt catching surface of non gloss paint. Jim, I AM an amateur

Dennis, the hammertone sounds interesting. I have used "hammertone" on some stuff in the past and kind of like.

..and just in case anyone is wondering, Yes, I have driven my vehicles in the rain many times and 1000 mile trips. Still holding up good.

i wire brushed my frame and cleaned it up. I then used painted the rusty metal primer on with a paint brush (2 coats) and then used the gloss black paint. I think that it turned out great. It was not that expensive and was easy to do. Take a look at my pictures and you can get an idea of the end results.

Chris

Anyone have opinions on blasting and then powder coating the frame?

Not the best for a show car since you can't fill the rust pits.

Not the best for a driver since you can't touch it up and it tends to bubble up from rust.

Achipmunk, I did say if it isn't going to be stock, do what makes you happy.

The true chassis black has about a 65% gloss factor (satin) I wouldn't put that in the dirt catching flat category. Also over the years some manufacturers changed back and forth on finishes for the under carriage of different vehicles. There was a semi-gloss chassis black that was 80-85% gloss factor (incorrectly called Gloss)that can take it a step up without becoming full gloss.

The reason that manufactures used these finishes is that the steel and castings that were used on the under carriage had no attempt at surface finish quality. All sorts of production and tool marks (and half a century or more later, rust pits).
The rule is: the higher the gloss of the paint, the more the imperfections stand out.

On my 53, I disassembled the frame, cleaned and wire brushed. Wiped it down with acetone then brushed bedliner on the frame rails/crossmembers that I purchased from Harbor Freight. Used about 1/2 gallon and turned out very bullet proof for about 20 bucks. Wont be worrying about rock chips because it is very tough stuff. Plan on doing the inner fenders with it too.

I think there are some advantages to powder coating for non-stock restores.

If you have a frame well blasted or acid dipped to be ready for powder.

once that is done it is very hard to get primer and paint into all the nooks and cracks on an assembled frame. The powder gets into them much easier due to the static attraction and being a much thicker coating it seals spaces between parts better to eliminate creeping edge rust.
The finish is very durable.

Down sides are, if you damage it (scrape it down to metal) or have to repair after an accident, your only choices are a spot repair with matching paint (OK on a scratch or chip) or strip the part and start again.

However the same rule applies: The higher the gloss level the more imperfections show.
On the other hand, if you have a bright yellow frame who is going to be looking at tool marks.

Since Rustoleum does not sell Ospho, I am not surprised that they "nixed" it. If I were them, and didn't have any research supporting compatibility, I would not have recommended it either.
I have a 48 frame which was sandblasted and POR-15ed (bad move it turned out). It was left outside with a tarp on it which kept it out of the sun, but not dry. It rusted in a splotchy manner. I then cleaned it with paint thinner, applied Ospho, Rustoleum rusty metal primer, and Rustoleum gloss black paint. I returned the frame to the outdoor elements for 2 years without any rust showing up.
Carl

I like to spray Ospho in areas where metal overlaps and is difficult to adequately de-rust. There is plenty of controversy over the use of this product, but I have not experienced any paint failures if the product is wiped down with a wet towel before it dries.

If you decide to spray Rustoleum, You should ask or research about using a hardener with it. Times I’ve brushed it on without one, it scratches and comes off easily. SPI epoxy would be far better and their black has UV protection so is fine as a top coat. However, I have read the gloss level of it can vary depending on spray conditions. It’s low cost too, about 35 a qt. IIRC.

A buddy of mine is fond of Rustoleum, and he called them and asked about a hardener. They said "nope - none available. period."
He says it can take up to a year to fully harden. Oy.

-Michael

Sounds like Rustoleum needs a better PR man to answer the phone. Did he have an India accent and say that his name was "Kevin"? (No offense to anyone from India, or anyone named Kevin.)
Carl

I'm on the same page as Alvin,although I didn't need my chassis blasted (it didn't need it),there was more caked on dust and grease than rust with a fair bit of the original factory finish still left on it.
I went down the POR-15 route.
I've basically painted the whole chassis,the underside and inside of the cab and under all four fenders

I know the basic concept of POR-15 is 'paint over rust' but so far it's holding out just fine and the dirt washes off easily.

Just as well as i'm in cattle country,it's not just mud....

I've used Valspar, quart can and rattle can with nice results. Used the Tractor and Implement paint on the cab bottom, with nice results. Mike

I'm sure this will start some more comments.... My business applies many hundred's of gallons a year of liquid coatings. We do have a few things powder coated, but like the thoughts above it is difficult to touch up. It also is applied thick and therefore it is able to chip easier. We would however save money in the short term.... Just not the long term. We do a couple of full frame off restorations a year as well as half a dozen bare metal paint jobs. Our main business is architectural and large scale public art sculpture... We have many options available, but typically settle on a urethane based product due to longevity!

My method for chassis's....

1st choice: Sandblast and Epoxy prime ( DP40LF About $270 for the gallon and quart of DP402LF) and an automotive grade single stage semigloss paint ( about $275 sprayable gallon.
2nd choice: Sandblast and apply SEM rust shield chassis black ( about $100 a gallon ) 3rd choice: Knock off the rust and use SEM rust shield chassis black

I realize most people don't want to spend $800-1000 on getting the frame blasted, and painted, but when will you ever have the opportunity again? You will not use a gallon on just the chassis, but by the time you paint all the parts i.e axles, springs, brackets, engine accessory's, etc. you will end up using the whole thing and wish you had just a little more!

Nothing wrong with painting POR-15 over clean, sand blasted metal as a primer. I have done motorcycle frames this way. The only downfall is that it is almost impossible to remove! It laughs at sand blasting and paint strippers. Some people have the misconception that you can only paint it over rusty metal. Not true. It sticks very well, even better, on sand blasted surfaces. I have been using it as a primer for years and have never had a problem of it coming off.