Technical Chassis Paint Discussion

Check out ppg shopline jp377 as an alternative to dp90lf.
The first "real" hlvp gun I bought was a Sharpe finish line with several tips, shot a bunch of paint thru it, primer, base, clear.
SPI has great reviews, I haven't had a chance to shoot any of it yet, but plan using their paint on my next project. They offer a black single stage and a flattener if you're interested.

 

Something to think about is the breathing apparatus that is needed for some of the paints. Rustoleum on a brush is pretty safe, even sprayed it isn't too bad.

 

I have heard a horror story or two about painting with no respirator or proper ventilation.

Gladly I found a sweet Makita compressor, oil lubricated, that pushes 6.9 cfm for 300 bucks. Sadly, looking at the paint guns, I will only be able to use the cheapo ones, unless the description is only a loose guideline as the devilbiss guns need some odd 11 cfm.
Thanks for all of the help from everyone, as I like all of the alternatives. I have the chassis book from motorbooks workshop as well as the Vern tardell book and know that they suggest ppg. Is that a product placement sort of thing or is it supposed to be really good? As I understand, spi is like ppg but is tougher.

 

PPG is a very good product, PPG shopline is marketed towards collision refinishing, PPG is expensive. SPI is a private label, is not a huge corporation, does not market extensively to body shops or have the overhead in their business and pricing that PPG, dupont and others have.

 

I used Chassis Saver on the last frame I painted. It had good reviews from the salt belt. It turns chalky flat black after awhile though.

I use bed liner paint on a lot of stuff because it's really durable, hides a lot of sins and dries really fast.

It seems to me that old standbys like Rustoleum (that dried slow and set up soft anyway) must have changed formulas to meet EPA BS. It seems much thinner than it used to and seems to run more easily.

Bedliner applicators have different textures that they offer and different colors now too.

 

Somewhere you'll find the CFM ratings for compressors, this is based on your spray gun capacity.
I had to run a mod size compressor on 220v so she'd start each time more air was needed in the tank. Sorry, it's been 40 years, can't be more specific for ya. And get positive air to your mask. The activators, hardeners and urethanes are NASTY stuff.

 

If you use POR 15 they say you have to either etch or sandblast the metal or it will not stick.

 

Be specific and more descriptive. What do you mean by "texture" ? What specific "zinc" product has been used?

 

http://www.kbspaints.com/

With what you say about your build I would use the KBS coatings for the cost and work. Can be brushed on and is a very durable coating. I used it 4 years ago and it still looks good, I did not do the etching and pre prep stuff, just wire brushed and painted it on

 

Here is the frame so no more questions will arise about it. As you can tell I also show a little of the torque tube... The place that blasted it zinc coated it, so I do not know the exact process, other than that I took it out of a paint booth when I left.


In all honesty, I am not against brush on, but it just doesn't seem like how the pros do it. I plan to never go back and work on it, so I am doing this as a one time thing. Gotta be right...

 

You don't need a new compressor. Your little putt putt will work fine. I have painted whole cars with a cheap 2.5 HP (you have to wait while pressure builds up).

But for a frame and small parts you won't run out of puff.

You can get cheap spray guns from Harbor Freight Princess Auto etc. I got a set of 3 gravity feed guns for $86 and they are fine for the kind of work you are talking about.

 

Thanks rusty for the reassurance. People have me thinking that bare minimum will be a Quincy 24 gallon for 750 bucks... I will probably spring on that Makita as it shoots 7 cfm and I won't have to pay sales tax, buying from nh.

So, paint... Is ppg strong enough for be on the frame or is it more of a body paint? What is the final word on blitz black? The thought on Por-15 ( heard it spider cracks)? I am looking for a lively and informational discussion.

 

If you cruise behind plumbing shops you can often find perfectly good water heater tanks in dumpsters. They make for extra volume when painting with little compressors.

 

I went to shiptons and got a gallon of implement gloss black and a gallon of the primer. Seems to have worked out. You reduce with mineral spirits. Gonna try and get my front suspension painted this weekend. $36 a gallon.

 

I wonder if you can T your two compressors together for extra capacity. I can't think of a reason it wouldn't work. Can anyone else? If it will, I will borrow my brother's when I get ready to do mine.

 

Your frame looks like it has the typical grey-green zinc chromate primer on it.

 

Any closing words for me? I am getting the rolair 2.5 hp BIG compressor because I can always buy a tank, I need mobility, and it has a 100 percent duty cycle.
I am really considering ppg, and have talked to a paint guy near me who said that if I had the money, I should go with brush on ameron. I am building a driver that I want to be great quality and a show of my craftsmanship, so I want to do the right thing. Anyone?

 

PPG is very good paint, no concerns about durability. It is expensive though. Really, check out the PPG shopline. Actually NAPA has a good line of paint, easy to get, it was made by Sherwin Williams not sure if it still is.

I've used a lot of harbor freight guns, they'll work fine for frames and suspension. Get a 1.6 tip, 1.8 tip for primer. The high end paint guns atomizer paint better, and have more precise controls, so on a large panel the paint droplets are finer and you don't get splotchy spots and uneven metallics. Frames don't have large flat areas, you're shooting black or grey, so no concern over color variation.

Even if you decide to put metallic dark grey on it, as long as you don't get runs, you shouldn't have to worry about tiger striping it on a frame.

I've used a harbor freight gun and a pancake compressor with a regulator on the gun to shoot some large cabinets with some auto enamel I had laying around, set the pressure at the gun at 20-25 lbs, no issues running out of air. Paint laid out nice.

As always, you get what you pay for. For a frame and suspension, the HF will do fine. Step up to a better gun if you're planning on doing panels.

Por15 is hit or miss for me. Anytime I've put it on clean metal I ended up having to sand it off, after it cured it would peel. It really needs to be on rust to hold. Only time I use it now is on inside of doors, backsides of panels when I can't get in the to totally remove all traces of rust.

 

just curious- you seem very concerned with a nice finish for your frame; what's being done about all the pitting? If that's not addressed it won't matter how you "finish" it- those pits aren't going to look so hot. ( I hadn't seen this mentioned before.) Gloss black will make any imperfections stand out like a sore thumb. The key to any good paint job is preparation. And I'm still of the opinion that a decent nylon brush , and Rustoleum gloss or flat black will come out fine if you take your time- on a hot day it will lay right down. And you can always wet sand it and do a thinner top coat to really make it pissah.---just random thoughts from an old fart- as always, keep up the good work!

 

Good question. I have actually managed to fill and weld down most all of the pits. I am doing boxing plates so those in the c channel will not be seen, but I have not forgotten about them. Check my build thread as I updated it with a video of the frame.
And on that note, I guess I am just stuck on this because in the end, all of my metal work is being covered in paint, so it has to be done right in order for my car to look good. The idea is to do it once, and do it correctly, so that ten years down the road I will not have to worry about it. Again, I am not against it, but just want a super durable and reliable paint.

 

Just wanted to wrap this thread up.
I am going to use ppg once I get a gun setup, but if my retailer can get me Amercoat before then, I can just brush it on and it will be good forever. It is what they use on battleships supposedly. Any comments welcome.