The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Engine Shop driveline and suspension painting

I recently asked this is the paint forum, so now I'm trying here too.

I'm getting ready to start finishing my driveline and suspension - axles, springs, etc. What are you guys using to provide a lasting protective finish to the underbody parts?

Who's using what and why is what I'm looking to hear. My frame has been powder coated already.

Once tax season ends (April 15th), I'm going to hit it hard and fast.

Are you using POR, Zerorust, Eastwood's stuff, or something else? What about UV protection?

Thanks for sharing!

My friends use POR. But they strongly warn that you have to use a cleaner and scrub the surface first with a wire brush. Use a cleaner that leaves no residue. Don't use carb cleaner. The residue it leaves will cause the paint to peel right back off.

I think POR is way overpriced. I'm sure there are other products that work just as well. You might cruise into an automotive paint supply store and ask them what's available.

Believe it or not, a friend of mine who builds street rods uses pickup bedliner stuff that he buys per gallon and then shoots on with a spritz gun. If its not put on thick it actually looks pretty cool. Of course the metal needs to be really clean, ie, sandblasted or near that but not necessarily that. It really does the job on floor pans, etc.

I blow away the loose stuff & spray right over the rust with Rust oleum rusty metal primer. Then I color coat it in about a 1/2 to 1 hour. It is tough & lasts a long time.

Right or wrong, this is what I do. I prep the metal by either sand blasting, grinding or high speed wire wheeling the surface as clean as I can get it. Blow off the residue and wipe it down with paint thinner and blow it dry. I got some stuff at my local body supply store called SEM rust-seal. I paint that on and let it set over night. The next day I either brush or roll rustoleum gloss enamal over the rust seal. After I assemble several parts, I paint another coat over everything that may have been scratched or scuffed in the assembly process. Here in the rust-belt, you have to take as many precautions as possible to stop/prevent rust.
Scott

Ace Hardware has it in rattle cans, and as long as the weather is warm and fairly dry or your in a heated shop it works pretty good.

Boo Radley

Boo,

Will it last though? I'm concerned about spending a year or more pounding away only to have something like that be my failure if it doesn't work or last.

Any body else care to weigh in?

The areas underneath my truck that look best are areas that I Zerorusted then covered with the Duplicolor brush-on bedliner. The bedliner is tough stuff and holds up well to grit, gravel, and road salt. That stuff just sandblasted off the areas that were ZR alone. Mine's a 4 season Illinois daily driver.
http://www.chuckthetruck.homestead.com/page1.html

this is why i love this site
it's so helpfull,i havent started mine yet but i sure am learning alot for when i do.myself i'm going with the bedliner stuff ,used it before.
Thanks guy's.