Chassis saver vs Powder coat on frame?

Trying to decide on Chassis Saver or Powder Coat on my 37 Roadmaster frame.
Would love to hear pros and cons of each.
Thanks.

 

never heard of chassis saver...what is it?

 

Chassis Saver is similar to Por 15, except made by a different manufacturer.
Is a supposedly a rust stopping and rust preventing paint that does not require sand blast to apply and is very tough.
Said it can be sprayed or painted on with a brush.
http://magnetpaints.com/underbody.asp
Have different local shops recommending these two paths, but would like to hear from experienced rodders before I commit one way or the other.
Thanks

 

I have used Chassis Saver. It's like POR-15. Not UV resistant, so it needs to be covered up if it's in the open (meaning you have to paint over it). It also likes to stick to rust, or etched metal. I think the Chassis Saver is more for existing frames that need finishing. I would powder coat if I were you. But that's spendy, and not as DIY.

 

i have no experience with POR-15 , i am sure that it and chassis saver are fine products. maybe i'm out of touch , i just have never been a fan of covering up rust....i'm more for sandblast and paint/powder coat while you have a bare frame.

i'm sure others will have different opinions

 

You can't touch up powder coating.

 

If its just rusty and you want to make it 'nice' then it works great but it will peel off in a year or two if there isn't actual rust to grab hold of. Clean sanded metal included...
I agree with powder coating or epoxy as the "best practice'.

 

Here is my experience, in 1998 I bought a farm fresh bare model A chassis for 10 bucks. I cut the vines and little trees from around it, pried it up out of the ground and hauled it home. While it was bare metal with surface rust it still had factory or at least factory looking paint on it in places.

The frame sat in the pucker brush, out in the elements for gawd knows how many years and still had some original 50 year old paint stuck to it. it was not rusted through anywhere and didn't need to be repaired to go under the A bone that it ended up under.

I took a wire brush to it and gave it a light dusting of dupli-color black. And stood it against the back wall of my garage. I intended to weld some spikes on it and use it fir a rear end rack. then I joined the HAMB and a fella needed it for a project worse than I needed a rear end rack so I sold it to him for 15 bucks.

That is my experience.

A chassis under a boat fender car is not going to be an element that is normally seen just spritz it and run with it. Some of you fellas way overthing it.

 

The manufacturer claims Chassis saver will adhere to sandblasted as well as solid rusted surfaces.
I do plan on having the frame sandblasted and there will be some new steel on it after it is customized.
Chipping powder coat and not being able to touch up powder coat is of concern to me.
The shop that is recommending powder coat says it is tougher that Chassis saver, but I have also heard Chassis saver is hard as nails.
I'm building a daily driver.
1) Is powder tough against chips ?
2) Would epoxy paint be best for a sandblasted frame?
3) Would truck liner be a viable option?
Thank

 

If you plan on keeping the car I would sandblast it and paint or powder coat,,the powder coat will not cover up pits but will hold up better than most paints. HRP

 

Powder depends on the prep work and quality of the person doing it. The same as paint. There is such a things as a bad powder coating job.

I'm going to prime and brush on tractor paint. Easy to touch up, and plenty strong.

 

Exposed frame - powder coat. Covered frame - Chassis Saver

 

I have had powdercoat on my 1931 Dodge frame for over 30 years without issue. Yes...you CAN touch it up (not that I have had to), but it just won't be the same hard surface as powdercoat.

 

I have had several recommend truck bed liner on the inside of my fenders and bottom of body.
Is truck liner a viable option to paint for the frame as well?

 

I used the por with the cleaner and zinc metal prep on my fram. It flowed out well and has lasted. that said my car is a low budget driver and full fendered. were I building a higher end car, I'd do owder coat or nice paint. All depends on your build.

 

I have used Chassis Saver with good results. It is tuff as nails and something you won't want to sandblast off later. If you go that route and have never used it, a few words of caution. Wear gloves. If you get it on your skin you will wear it for a couple weeks unless you remove it right away. Using a brush works well and flows out brush marks but being thin paint be careful of drips. Brushes are one time use for an hour or so. You can put a second coat to cover up if needed. If spraying with a gun, buy a cheapo HF special as you will never clean out the gun and will have to throw it away. Buy the size can you need and will use up. Left overs will harden up.

 

Rustoleum Black, gloss, satin or flat, take your pick. Lasts longer than any car I've owned.

Then again, I live in California and not in the frozen third circle of Hell.

 

Nope if you don't get a perfect seal it will trap water. Better to leave a frame bare then to trap water.

On a car with a covered frame I would consider por15 with the proper preparation, I suppose the por15 substitute will do as well. If it were a frame that I wanted to keep clean I would look for something glossy like a 2 part epoxy or even a good single stage enamel.

If I was building a show car and wanted the show points and bragging rights I may lean toward powder coat.

Something to remember is that when you ask the local shop they are going to suggest something that they sell either a service or a product. That is what they do for a living, nothing wrong with that it is just what they do.

You are way overthinking this.

 

A few things to think about when using powder coating. 1 if there is ever a need to repair or weld to the frame. Get ready it's a PITA! 2 Matching the color or texture, not so easy. 3 For what it cost to PC a frame you can paint it 3 times. My .02.

 

yes, you can.

 

I have a piece of steel they give (chassis saver) that was dipped in their paint, have had it over 15 years and everyone who sees it picks it up and bends it back and forth and the paint is still intact.

 

Some plating companies have large zinc chromate tanks. For new or old frame. If easily accessable rust, hit with an angle grinder.

Whole frame gets acid bathe first that will kill most inaccessable rust. Yellow zinc chromate (like class 8 hardware) is 9 times more corrosion resistant that white zinc chromate (like class 5 hardware). Acid and then zinc gets every where, inside tubes as well.

Makes an excellent primer if you want to paint over it and it was very reasonable for my small frame 9 years ago.

 

True you can touch up powder coating, with paint, or very special heat guns and a powder spray gun. Be sure to save some of the powder in a air tight bottle for later touch ups if you want the color to match. I have a powder coat gun and use it on smaller jobs which works well. But from what I see at work on our 200+ truck & bus fleet, after while, the factory powder coating can be pealed off in hugh strips.

Joe

 

I work for one of the Detroit 3
I am the "Paint Guy"
As a painter by trade I take it very seriously.
We are about to turn our materials engineering group loose on Rust Bullet and test the claims it makes on its website
http://www.rustbullet.com/testing.asp
We have already replaced a bulletin to our dealers talking about POR-15 -which in final analysis we find does not work well and is very expensive when used as recommended. We find that the best chance you have for POR-15 to work at all is to use all 5 steps - this makes it very expensive.
Rustbullet is a one product, 2 coat process with a 10 year guarantee.
If you want the best for what turns out to be reasonable money that can even go straight onto brown metal, Rust bullet is your answer. Its good enough to recommend to 5000+ dealers - its good enough for what we do on our stuff.

 

never powdercoated one. had good results with the por 15 no my avatar.

 

ps
keep in mind - most powder coat is just melted plastic dust... fine until a stone impact or some other impact the cracks it. then the rust begins... I powder coated control arms once - never again... They were a rusty mess in a 1-2 year time frame

 

ive used powercoating, por 15 and rustoleum over the years. powered coating isnt cheap, and i have had it chip off over a few years on some things ,other parts even sooner, rustoleum lasted pretty good and can touch up easy, but its a bitch to get it to dry. por on engine block held up good, on a frame not so good. i just built a trailer for my slingshot with mostly used steel, had it sand blasted and i bought some enamel paint called majic from tractor supply co. it is an enamel base with a hardner, and i used there primer. flowed out good, painted dried to touch over nite with hardner. seems real tuff so far. about 110.00 for gal paint ,gal primer, with hardner. happy so far, covered good. we will see. seems hard to scratch.

 

Rustoleum... Works good in SoCal at least

 

Thanks everyone for your feedback. Since I'll have a clean sandblasted frame I'm leaning towards powder coat or epoxy primer + paint. It would actually be cheaper for me to have it powder coated since I'm not doing the painting myself.

 

I've used a product called rust seal, from KBS coatings. I've used it over rust, and over sandblasted metals. Excellent results, I'm amazed at the coverage you get from a small can.I've had the best results using the 3-step process, a cleaner, an etch product, then paint. I have also used their gas tank sealer, engine paint, and heat paint. Good stuff, good people, superfast shipping. Mark