The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Paint and Body Shop Por -15?

I'm going to start the off frame on the truck next week, and need to do the following.

Wire brush the frame, rear axle. How much Por-15 should I order. I also plan to traet the underside on the new cab as well as the inside of the cab floor with Por-15. ANybody done this and any additional infor would help.

Jake

I ordered a whole gallon and was able to do my frame in two coats and still had about a half gallon left. so, if i was going to to more than just a frame then 2-3 quarts should be plenty. looking back i would have rather used the quarts because they are smaller and if you have left overs you dont have to worry about a whole bunch going bad.

Jake,

I painted a small lathe bed with POR this weekend. I hadn't used it before this task. All I can say is do not put this stuff where you don't want it with the intentions of going back later and just 'cleaning it up'.

It dries like Kryptonite, so once it's attached to anything it's final...fingers included.

The product I used was a satin or semi-gloss finish. It didn't dry with a consistent sheen. I think POR makes a very good case for Rustoleum!

Stuart

Jake, I am PRO Por15. Its some good stuff. I just coated my 52 panel chassis with it and it looks great. If you do a search here you will find all kinds of threads on this stuff. As suggested order it in quarts. JimCarter carries it now and if your a contributor to Stovebolt you will get 10% off and only charged actual shipping. I think it comes out to be about $35 a quart total.
As suggested don't put it where you don't want it. Use rubber gloves, old clothes AND a baseball cap. I got some of this stuff in my hair and.....well, I don't have much hair to start with! I'm sure you understand! Use and old shirt to keep it off the arms and do the hard to get to places first as I KNOW your going to get some on you no matter what you do.
Be SURE to have good ventilation. This is some nasty stuff and all though you brush it on it can still be bad on the lungs! At least have a small fan blowing a litte air. OH, be sure to use throw away brushes. If there is such a thing as good throw away brushes buy them as the bristles will pull out of the real cheap ones and stick on the chassis. No big deal but the chassis doesn't grow hair!!
As suggested on the can DIP out what you need to avoid getting it on the edges so it will seal/close up good and use some saran wrap before putting on the lid.
Pour out only what you need and if doing a lot at one time take out small amounts. This stuff "flows" real good until it starts "thicking up" on you. You don't have to be fast but don't pour out so much that it will start setting before you get it done. Good luck. It will look nice.

A tip for storing POR-15. Once the can is opened, I prefer quarts to gallon cans. Clean out a used quart oil bottle with something like lacquer thinner. Pour in the left over POR-15 and squeeze the bottle until the POR-15 just about comes out of the top. Put the oil bottle cap on tight and you don't have to worry about it going bad and it's now in an easy to pour container.

Another tip, if you take the lid off a partially used can and there's a hardened skin over the top of the POR-15... do not, I repeat, do not lean over it with a screwdriver to puncture through it. Been there, done that... POR-15 when curing creates carbon dioxide. As the top skin cures pressure builds up below it and once you puncture through it it will shoot about three feet out of the can... and you'll end up with POR-15 in your face, hair, etc. Then find out the true meaning of panic when your first thought is having to possibly shave your head. Fortunately I found out that immediately putting shampoo in it will keep it from curing in your hair.

Another thing, don't worry about getting POR-15 on you... because no matter how careful you are somehow you still get this stuff on you. I've found out that if I stay in the shower long enough that I can get a fingernail between the skin and the POR-15 and pick it off (works on hands, but it's a little tougher).

If you put POR-15 on too thick, you might get bubbles in the finish.

Lee

Order a pint or quart of their Top Coat. POR-15 isn't meant to be a finish coat.

Jake, you probably did a search and read all the articles by now but if you didn't I forgot to mention that Por15 by itself will NOT resist UV light so don't do anything exposed to light or it will fade out.....like exposed bumper brackets unless you plan to paint over top of it. Now, go git-r-done!!

There are lots of good tips here that I wish I had known before ordering POR-15. It's good stuff, but even when it's stored inside a sealed can it forms a hard, dry surface crust. As many have said, buy it in small cans. POR-15 does not dry with a uniform luster. Use their Top Coat product if surface appearance is important to you.

When sealing I always try to blow into the can to remove all the oxygen I can which is replaced with my carbon monoxide. I use to do this with house paint and it really works. I figure it may help to keep the Por15 fresh.
The Por15 can says to also put a layer of saran wrap over the can before closing it AND its best to store it in the refrigerator. I didn't and mine, what little I have left, held up pretty good. Opened it and used it about 4 times over a 3 week period.
I don't know why it doesn't "dried uniform" but on my chassis the places where it looked a little different were where some rust had set in. It could be that its the way the light reflects on it?? If I look straight down on those area's it appears to be the same....and of coarse it may depend on how well its stirred?

They've got a couple of primers out now that allows for it to be topcoated with any paint. One is Tie Coat, a light blue primer. I used it on my bedsides and a few other parts. It has a nice smooth finish, but it's not meant to be sanded very much. They have a self etching primer out now, too. From what I read in the catalog, it can be used as a tie primer over POR 15 or on bare metal by itself. It's supposed to be sandable, too. I haven't tried it myself.
Also, in addition to the regular topcoats, they also have the Hard Nose and Yaght paint lines, which are 2 component paints. I've considered using them to redo my Blazer if/when I paint it, if I don't use tractor paint. The only differenc between the Hard Nose and the yaght paints is the color chart, the Yaght paints have more pastel and naval colors.

POR15 has a tech support section. Give them a call, they can tell you more than I can.

Top coating POR15 is easy. use one of their top coats, primers, or per their instructions, prime with your favorite primer when the paint is still a little tacky, then spray with your favorite paint. I personally use PPG epoxy primer over the top for the tooth required for body work.

If spraying, really really really clean the gun when you are done, or just throw it away if you are too lazy to clean the spray gun thoroughly as any POR15 that remains can not be dissolved. Also, dish-washing gloves go up the arms far enough to not get over on the arms when wearing a long sleeve shirt. You will also need to get the POR15 solvent for spraying.

Spraying small parts, I use the preval sprayers from the local auto parts stores, however I found that Menards and the hardware stores caries these sprayers for a lot less.

Always use a really good respirator when spraying (buy the best one you can). You do not want to breath in POR15 overspray as it will coat the inside of your lungs permanently.

i have an unopened can which is about two years old. if unopened does it go bad over time?

O.K. Here is the plan. Yeah Right.

I figure I can paint on the POR-15 by itself on the frame as it really won't see the "light" of day directly. The floor of the cab will be covered by a rubber mat and undeside of the cab will get a coat also. The following area are what have me concerned.

Since my hood went under in Katrina, although it was dipped stripped and epoxy primed there is some area that are showing rust on the under side and I "thought" that a coat of POR-15 would be great followed by a coat of Rustoleum Semi-Gloss black. The firewall would get the same treatment. The new inner fenders would simply be primed and coat with the semi-gloss black.


Any Guidance iformation on what you have done?
Thanks
Jake

I did my frame with POR 15 gloss black. I went over the top of it with rattle can Krylon Rust Tough Enamel in semi flat black with no ill effects and that was 3 yrs ago.

I had my S-10 frame blasted, then I boxed it. I sprayed POR15 (3 coats) followed by PPG epoxy primer and a top coat of a custom mixed 1 stage enamel. Bottom of the cab was POR'd then undercoated with 3M undercoating. Inner floor was POR'd, epoxy primed, and painted black. Held up great.

For my 3100, I acid dipped the inner and outer fenders, latch panel, radiator apron, POR-15'ed with 3 coats and a single coat of PPG epoxy primer. Final paint will be all at once.

The fuel tank received an acid bath, POR 15 US tank sealer on the inside, and POR 15 on the out side followed by a rattle can of Valspar anti-rust semi-gloss black.

For the frame, I would POR 15, then top-coat with either a rattle can of your favorite semi-gloss, or POR 15 chassis black.

Jake,
I just finished my 51 - 3600 chassis over Thanksgiving and found it very easy to work with. The results are awesome! I found that a little paint thinner would get any spills off my skin as long as you do it within a half hour. If you have a friend/contact who owns a garage he can order it through CarQuest. I got a gallon for $110. I used about half of it. Good luck!
Bob

Hey Scott,
What did you use to spray with? How much pressure? Did your equipment clean up?

Would you use theri tie coat primer or the etching primer?

I painted POR 15 on the chassis and under the cab etc with a brush and did a bit of a shabby job. There are some spots I could not reach.

I am hoping to clean up the bad spots and try again but i would like to spray and then prime.

Your help is appreciated.

Thanks,
Brian