The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Paint and Body Shop Paint/coating recommendation for leaf springs, axles, diff

I have a 1958 Apache 3100 half-ton. Probably going the POR 15 route on the chassis, but would like to know what some of you have done to coat or paint the other items that attach to the chassis.

Unless you take the springs apart you will have "rust dust" seeping out between the springs. The good part is when that happens you can just clean it and spray some more paint on it to make it look good.

...I took my 52 apart and painted them and used the polyliners. No rust dust!
My 37 was only painted and seeped rust dust. I just cleaned it off and painted them as needed. Somehow it finally stopped??

Achipmunk,

I will be taking the springs apart in order to get all the rust and and other road grime off of each leaf.

What are other Bolters doing to paint or coat the leaf springs, axles, differential, hubs, and any other parts attached to the chassis? Are you guys painting these (how/with what) or coating them with POR15?

I used flexible bumper paint on the springs mostly because I already had a can on the shelf but also hoping it would last longer since it has some flexibility and the springs flex.

Anybody ever paint/coat the springs, axels, wheel hubs, and anything else that is considered part of the running gear with POR15? Did you use a primer? If so, what kind? If you didn't use POR15, what kind of paint did you use?

With only two replies to this post, other than my own, and a whole lot more have read the post, to be sure some Bolter somewhere has painted/coated these things as part of their restoration. I'm just looking for some help so I only do this once.

Thanks in advance.

Not as durable as the POR15 but I use RustOleum hammered black for the frame and all underneath. It seems to hold up well and is cheap. But then, I don't mind touching up things once and a while.

Dennis

DennisM,

Thanks!! Now, that's the kind of input I have been looking for. You told me what you use and how you feel about it. Thank you again.

John

I used cast blast. I think you can get it from summit or eastwood

I steam clean everything, wire brush loose rust, wipe it down with paint thinner, brush on Ospho, brush off any residue the next day. Then I prime with Rustoleum rusty metal primer and paint with Gloss black.
The reason for this strategy is that any touch up can be done with paint that Ace Hardware always has in stock. Rustoleum black paint flows and levels very nicely out of a rattle can.
Carl

I started using Rust-oleum's 'Rust Reformer' a little over a year ago. I get it at Wally's world. This is not an advertisement for them but I have found it to be user friendly as it is cleaned up with water. They recommend scraping loose stuff first, and I do and like Carl especially with wire brushes, then clean it [I use 'purple power' and rinse it really, really well with water]. After everything is dry I then put on the RR and then re-coat with rust-oleum black or rattle can. They recommend waiting three days before using lacquer or aerosol paints. On some of the hidden parts that don't really need a top coat I use a 2nd coat of RR [they recommend that as well]. I realize many painting purists will cringe when they read this but I have found it to be a fine product. Funny, I have yet to run into anyone else who uses it. We live on a small farm with the usual rust in Louisiana and are constantly battling humidity, etc on metal - stored or sitting out in the weather. BTW-I did a lot of homework and small projects to establish that this is good stuff.
Is my check in the mail Rust-oleum?

Lane

sorry, i forgot to say that I use RR in both the spray can and the little 8 oz. container and that's the one which is water soluble ......... the spray is not water clean-up, obviously.

lane