The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area General Truck Talk frame restoring

good day all i wwould like to know if there is a site that deals with chassis restoring for paint.cab and box removed chassis s been sand blasted and etch primed . biggest reason for buying was able to look at the carriage and it is solid. what id like to know is should the axels be removed for and painted seperatly? and what s the better rust paint to finish with for long lasting results.. so u know its a # matching 1971 3/4 cheyenne stock 350/th350 tran solid body with traditional problems eg cab corners outer rockers all original worth restoring as what she is. please if anyone has a site that is explicit in the resoration of chassis s id like to know because ive never done frame off before and since its apart id like to do it right the first time thank you

The book "Collector Car Restoration Bible" by Matt Joseph
ISBN: 0-87349-925-5

Grigg

welcome Steeves71: hey, your at the right place!! Look around the site here and become familiar with it. You will find many ways to do things and usually settle on the one that suits you. Check out some post over in the paint and body and learn to do seaches in the forums. Opinions vary on many things but one thing seems to be commom....most all of them will work!

As for "me" I blasted my chassis and used the POR15....a question about POR15 alone will get you a days worth of opinions and reading. Just do a search on it!!!
Be sure to post your questions in the appropiate forum and let the experts guide you through. No question is to stupid to ask.

See ya around the garage!

Steeves71,
There are a lot of opinions and I had to wade through all of it before I sandblasted and painted my 55 frame. Below is a link to my project and you can see how I did mine. I narrowed down my process to 3 things:
1. Sandblast and powdercoat.
2. Sandblast and Por15
3. Sandblast and Epoxy Primer and topcoat with Chassis Black
I went with number 3 because I knew I would be adding a motor mount cross bar and a rear mounted fuel tank which would destroy the powdercoat. I decided not to do POR15 because it seemed so toxic and my life is more important. The Epoxy Primer sticks incredibly well and will keep the frame from rusting for a long time. The Chassis Black isn't as tough as POR15 though, I heard people beating POR15 with a hammer and nothing happening! But if I get a chip in the topcoat the epoxy will still protect it from rust and I can always repaint it. Just seems more user friendly. But you will get arguments from other people. In my opinion, if you are doing a frame off resto, you should go all the way and remove the axles, springs t-case and everything else. Rust is under all the spots you cannot see, I guarantee it. Good luck. 55 NAPCO project

I choose to sand blast and powdercoat, as it was cheaper than just buying the good epoxy primer if I were to spray it myself. So, I figure the powdercoat is a good idea, but if I end up scratching it a lot I'll just repaint the whole thing over the powdercoat with PPG's DP-90, a black primer that works great as a first and final coat on a chassis.

Grigg

I epoxy primered mine and then painted with a gloss black. If you go this route use a black primer. I ended up painting a couple of times to cover gray. I would remove everything prior sandblasting/painting.
Dan

Black epoxy primer would have been a good idea now that you mention it. Grigg, do you have to scuff the powdercoat before applying that PPG DP-90? Is that a special primer that adheres to powdercoating?

There is a product called Zero Rust that is MUCH more user friendly (read as less dangerous) than POR 15. I have not gotten my truck on the road so I cannot comment about durability yet but there are several Bolters who have used it.

Yes, needs to be scuffed with a scotchbrite, it's just regular primer, but it's really good stuff, and stands up to the weather great even when used as the final coat, also looks about right as far as color and texture for our old trucks.

My two choices were to use DP-90 after sandblasting the bare naked frame, or to powdercoat. I chose powdercoat, but because I am still building he truck I am having a few scratches and rubbed places here and there. If the truck was done before I had it coated and all I had to was reassemble that would be great, but I am still fitting, fabricating, and drilling holes.

I am still glad I had it powdercoated, but in the end I may need a good coat of DP-90 over the whole chassis minus engine and trans, then reinstall them and the sheet metal and be done. That way I get all the bolts and stuff painted, that otherwise I have to do as I install them.

Grigg