The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Paint and Body Shop Frame Paint?

I am in the process of cleaning and painting my 47 3/4 ton frame and axles. What is a good AFFORDABLE coating for them?
Suggestions?

Because you want "affordable" you should still get something reasonably decent so look for an Alkyd enamel like Rustoleum. Using a gray alkyd primer first will add much better corrosion resistance and color hold. A DTM (direct to metal) paint is no substitute for using a primer. Primer is primer...paint is paint... you can't mix the two in one product and have an equally good finish.

Stay away from Pour 15 and similar products because they are expensive and don't do as advertised in my experience.

Are you do the same thing for the under side of floor pans? I need to replace some floor sections and have been wondering what coating to use on the underside of the new floor pans.

I used bed liner for frame and running boards, top and bottom./ Make sure you sand, pressure wash and wire brush first..Bill

Dachshund,

Have you ever considered painting your frame and under carriage, with POR 15? It encapsulates your bare metal and keeps anymore rust from forming. I found it to be very durable. Haven't had any of it chip or peel, since I painted my frame with it, 15 years ago. I used foam brushes, in cooler weather. Trying to avoid leaving tell tale brush strokes in the paint. That seems to work pretty well. Just something to consider. There are a lot of guys on here that have much more experience than I have. No doubt any advice that you choose to take, will be good advice. Good luck with your project.

Rugo

Don't go cheap on paint! Doesn't make sense to me to spend hours on cleaning and preparation to follow up with cheap paint. We used Endura epoxy paint and it's really tough. The frame does takes a bit of a beating when reassembling the truck.

Re: POR15. Tried it and didn't like it. Looked good when painted on. Came back 15 minutes later and there were curtains. I guess it would be fine as long as you are only painting horizontal surfaces.

My take on affordable frame treatment goes like this.
No matter what you do, your springs will rust over time. You can spend a fortune sandblasting and powdercoating your frame, but your spring will still become orange pretty soon.
Degrease as best as you can, knock off loose rust, prime with Rusty Metal Primer, and paint with Rustoleum Semi-gloss Black. When the springs start to show rust, touch them up with the semi-gloss rattle can.

I just put two coats of POR-15 on my frame and it looks great and seems really durable. Easy to apply, but make sure you wear gloves.

I agree with Carl on the springs.
Or, just do not paint the springs?

I completely agree with Estock on the frame.
You could add the POR exterior black as a top coat; but, unless the POR will see sunlight, a top coat is not necessary.

Be careful with the POR time-between-coats directions.

Agreed with the drying time. I find the time to dry changes drastically depending on the temp outside.

A good Epoxy primer and the overcoat of your choice.

I did a 1940 half ton many years ago. I went over the frame with a variety of wire brushes in a die grinder. It's a good idea to wipe down any greasy or oily areas with solvent before and after the wire wheels are used. Once clean, I brushed on a coat of Eastwood rust converter. Next, I sprayed a coat of Eastwood Rust Encapsulator. I finished it off with a coat of Eastwood Chassis Black. I have no idea how this compares to other methods. I can only say that it's been over 10 years now, and no rust is showing anywhere. Note: Using wire wheels in a die grinder is not a real safe thing to do, and I imagine that the equipment manufacturers say to NOT do it. But, I do it anyway. It's very important to wear eye protection, and leather gloves help too. Those little wires come loose and become sharp little missles, along with rust chunks, rocks and lots of other stuff.