[Michael Everson]

O.K. I know both of these have been covered many times, but I am at a crossroads here. It is going to cost me somewhere in the neighberhood of $800 to have my frame powdercoated in silver. this includes blasting. The money is not really a concern so lets not factor that in.
Would you powder coat or POR 15. I never plan on taking my car apart again so I want to make the right decision. Which is truly better/stronger and will last longer? Wanna hear from people that matbe have used both.
thanks Mike

 

[fredzo]

I very much wanted a silver frame myself. I tried the POR-15 Stirling Silver but quickly realized to get a good job would probably require spraying, beyond my capabilities given the safety factors involved and it's just too difficult keeping it mixed to get an even color while you're painting. If you REALLY want silver I think powdercoat would be the way to go. Also, other than a bit in the engine compartment how much of the frame do you really see once the car's together? My 2 cents.

 

[swydra]

If you have money to spend go with Powder if not POR-15. I think Powder is much harder to scratch but for the price I used POR-15. I feel that POR-15 levels out very nice and almost looks like powder. You should use sponge brushes and replace them often, POR-15 is a bunch of work.

 

[steve card]

If you dont factor the cost and you really dont think that you will ever be doing any mods that require welding or teardown,then powdercoat is tougher, better,and would live longer. And you do get more "cool" points when showing it off. Im going to paint mine because I dont want to load it up,spend a day getting it to the place, and reverse this whole thing when its done. From the day you get it home you will have to be very careful to not hurt it. It isnt all that tough when your swinging tools around. With all the work that you will be doing, this will really slow your build. And you said that bad, bad word, "never". Thats a sure way to bet that you will have to do something someday to your car that will hurt your nice powdercoated frame. Paint wont have to be respected so much. It can be touched up. Ive done both on hotrods, and my last one, (the toy that I plan on keeping forever) I painted the frame so I can just play with it without the worry.

 

[oldguy668]

Mike:
Sandblast and Imron (or any other 2-part epoxy paint). It's cheap, it's durable and it can be touched up really easy. You can spray it on and it looks like glass. Powdercoating is too expensive and you can't touch it up. POR15 is way too toxic and the results aren't as good as an average home spray job. I used Benjamin Moore Industrial Epoxy and I'm happy as a clam with the results. I might even have enough left over for you to do your frame. Think about it.

 

[Misu]

Joe:
What do you think about a two-part epoxy paint on the FFR factory delivered black painted frame??? Would that be an alternative or would you still have sandblast first then use the epoxy on the frame???

misu

 

[DrewFFRCobra]

If you want a perfect showcar frame, then expect to spent a week of evenings or a weekend grinding off welding flash and smoothing out the welds to get the aluminum panels fitted properly. If you go to that length to prep the frame, then you might as well powder coat it.

Otherwise, just trim the aluminum panels to fit around the larger welds and don't bother with grinding off the welding flash. But, do take Old Guy's advice: spray the frame with epoxy paint.

As Scott mentioned above, POR-15 is a whole lot of work and mess to apply by brush. I have over 30-40 hours invested in cleaning, etching, POR-15 base coat, and Chassis Coat Black top coat over the entire frame. It takes time if you don't want to have POR everywhere and drips / paint runs all over the frame.

After all that effort, I'm still not overly excited about the final finish, but realize that most of the frame will never be seen and hope that the rust protection that POR advertises really will be worth the extra effort in the long run.

Drew
FFR#3928

[ November 30, 2002, 03:27 AM: Message edited by: DrewFFRCobra ]

 

[Dior55]

Mike, you've gone this far, I vote for the powdercoating. I'm glad I got powdercoating when I ordered my kit and I've never looked back. After seeing what the New England weather does to your frame, I'd go for it and powdercoat. This is your baby, after all!!!! After going through all the work of completely disassembling your car, don't stop now IMHO!!!!

I've used POR on some of my donor parts and I'm not all that excited about it. You can't put a POR painted part next to a powdercoated part and even begin to think they are similar.

 

[oldguy668]

Misu, I don't know about the other epoxies, but the Benjamin Moore instructions started with "new metal must be abrasive blasted"...so I did.

[ November 30, 2002, 07:42 AM: Message edited by: Joe Leone aka Oldguy668 ]

 

[blinn]

Mike,
The POR silver is a bit tough to lay on evenly with a brush, you really need to spray it and that can be hazardous to your garage to say the least! The other problem is 6 months after the silver is painted.... it turns GREEN!! I have a silver powdercoated frame that is matched up to the Alumablast from Eastwood so I can touch it up if needed. (Like after I weld my 3link upper bracket) I can't believe the difference in cost of powdercoating between Mass and SC, mine was blasted, chemically cleaned and powdercoated for $300.00, and they did an excellant job. I know you guys are taxed to death up there but come on!!!!
Good luck,
Brian

 

[wolfman]

I have done both POR-15 and powdercoating on various projects.

IMO...POR-15 is great at smaller parts (and yes I sprayed the underbody of a 70 Mach 1 and engine bay) due to the time and cost involved with the powdercoating. However, if you really want a nice finish and durable/long lasting, go with the powdercoating.

I had mine frame, rearend cover, oilpan, and some brackets,etc. all sandblasted and powdercoated in chrome silver for $600. Prior to handing it over, I ground down all the welds and did all of the mods (if any) to the frame prior to powder coating.

It turned out fantastic and I haven't ever regreted doing it either. It is one of those things I didn't want to "redo" later and have it last for the lifetime of the car.

 

[Misu]

Thanks for all the info. First mistake....... not having the frame powdercoated by FFR when I ordered it. Next step, remove all panels, grind welds and then get estimates from local shops for sandblasting and powdercoating or epoxy painting frame. A little disappointed, but look at the bright side, for my next build I will know better. .......

misu

[ November 30, 2002, 11:46 AM: Message edited by: misu ]