Can anybody give some feedback on powdercoating a frame, suspension, etc. vs. using black POR 15. What seems to work better, what is preferred on finished product, any advantages/disadvantages on either? Thank you
If a frame is pitted and you powder coat it, I believe you will have a piited frame with powder coat as the end product--meaning powder coated pits. If you epoxy the frame and top coat it you can first fill in the frame and sand so the pits do not show. In other words it can be made to come out smooth.
If you have pits use the silver POR for a first coat as it has a higher solids content and will fill the pits real good , if pitted very bad may need a second coat , then top coat with the Chassis black for slick finish .
the costly part in the powercoating is trying to buy an oven to bake the powercoating on a frame por 15 doesnt do well with uv rays or sunlight the por 15 you can do at home with gloves and a brush unless you have a dedicated oven powder coat isnt easy to do at home
Powdercoating is easier....take the parts to the powdercoater, give him money, and take the finished parts home! Figure $400-1000 to have the frame blasted and powdercoated. They might do the parts for no additional cost... Powdercoating will require the parts be sandblasted first. With POR, you can get away with wire-wheeling the loose rust off and then painting it. Jim made an important point...if parts are pitted, priming/sanding/painting will give a nicer finish. It will also take ALLOT more time, effort, and $$ if the time and effort is someone else's. Durability is a toss-up.... proper preparation is the most important aspect to having the finish last. But when powder coating fails, it rusts under the coating then peels off in sheets. Paint is weaker, and will blister where it fails, and is easier to repair if needed. Powdercoating is nice if you can live with the existing surface defects, can afford to pay someone to do it, and the car will be stored indoors. If funds are limited, you have the time, and just want it to look 'pretty good', POR will work fine. If you are going concourse, extensive surface prep, time, money, and paint will give the best results. What are you working on???
First off, thank all you guys for your input. it is much appreciated. I am in the early stages of redoing a 67 GS 400. This car was my dad's from 67-87 and we tracked it down recently and convinced the current owner to sell. This being said it's not going to be something that will be sold in a few years, it will remain with me till I die so I definately wanna do it right. It is also not going to be a show car but a nice driver, although I am very fussy and like having things done correctly. Both the POR rep and the powdercoater are very convincing of their product. Also remember that this is a boxed frame and there is alot of areas that will remain uncoated. Money is always an issue but I will not cut corners to save a few $$$$. The powder coater told me about $900 to blast and coat the frame, A-arms, spindles, rear end, radiator support, front inner fender, etc. There seems not to be any visible pitting on the outside of the frame. Keep the opinions coming, this is a great website as the people are extremely knowledgable, friendly, and helpful
$900 for all those pieces is not a bad deal. I'd be curious what a painter would want....it takes more time to paint than it does to powdercoat. Have you gotten a quote from a painter for the same parts? I would base your decision on the condition of the parts. You may want to wait until you see them sandblasted and can see if the surface is pitted. Ask your powdercoater if he has a method to repair pitting.
Using the correct POR 15 you will not have a uv problem . You need to rad the instructions to see which one is uv resistant . Their top coat is very uv resistant .
One more thought: The powder coat is applied with electrostatic charge - meaning it will get every where in the frame. That may help you make the decision since it is boxed. You may want to get the frame chemically stripped vice sand blasted for that reason - but that has issues as well. Talk to your powder coat guy and see what he says about the blind holes and inside the frame. I know our local guy does excellent work and can get full coverage in most applications. - Bill
Actually since the powder is applied similarly to spraying paint, it may not get as deep into the recessed areas as you might wish, unless the applicator has some trick equipment. An acid-dipped/caustic-stripped frame may still have uncoated areas in the interior of the boxed sections. The only really good way to solve this is coating via immersion. I have a project for a 2011 OEM that requires a fuel filler pipe get ID powder and it's been a serious pain so far. Devon
I have never used POR 15. With that being said, I must say that all of my powder coating experiences have been great. I do agree that it is difficult to compensate for pits with powder coating, but the durability is second to none.. Have seen any of this powder caoters work on large items like frames? $900.oo is a great price if the work is up to your standards. Good luck on a project that is obviously very important to you. Allen
i don't know where your located, But this is what someone recently paid in Okla City. Heck of a deal I say. Finally progress on the restroration - V8Buick.com DL
I powder coated my Wildcat frame and alot of suspension parts. Used Chasis Black and very happy with the gloss. Yes the pit marks are there but hey she's gonna be a driver and durability counts. Also there are several levels of gloss black so you can slightly change the gloss factor on things. One of the car magazines had a great primer on powder coating less than a year ago, maybe Hot Rod or Car Craft. Dan
Once again thank you to everyone who shared their advice and opinions, it is much appreciated. This website is a helpful tool in my restoration, it's hard to find good advice on this stuff locally. I have not gotten any pricing on getting the frame, etc. professionally painted. I was either going to POR it myself or have it powdwecoated, that seems to be the way they're doing in my neck of the woods. I would imagine that paint would be close in price to powdercoat and probably not nearly as durable. I was also concerned about turnaround time and the powdercoater is telling about a week which sounds fair enough. I plan on replacing all the suspension bushings so the heat from the baking shouldn't be a problem. It just seems like a pain hauling all this stuff around when I can do the POR in my garage, although if the por causes problems later hauling a frame 7 miles will seem minor. Keep the advice coming. Anybody have powdercoat flake off for any reasons? Ryan
Has anybody ever looked into having a frame chemically stripped(dipped) then having it e-coated(also dipped) that way every surface inside and out would be covered, then fill any pits or defects then paint the frame? I had this done to a GS hood a few years back & it still looks fantastic, with no rust bleeding back out of the seams!
A previous large-scale e-coating discussion: http://www.pfonline.com/dp/forums/forum_results.cfm?t_id=5611&f_id=117&pub=PF and one site that does big projects: http://www.musclecarrestorations.com/ecoat.html Devon
Powder coating, in my experience, is exceptional for uniform results and tight spaces, especially where detail is as important as durability. Regarding the "filling" characteristics of POR 15 liquid for surface imperfections vs. the electrostatic application process of powdercoating, the fact that the pits show more - or surface condition at the time of application - are so visible in powdercoating is actually the same reason it is also so very good at coating tight and partially enclosed spaces including seams, nooks and crannies, etc. It is because the electrical charge involved - present equally all over the receiving part - actually helps spread the powder so very evenly over the entire surface (vertical, horizontal, even upside down) where ever the powder is sprayed and airborne. The particles of the powdercoating actually migrate to a position on the part to essentially make a uniform thickness of material over the entire part. The POR 15 will be affected by gravity to a degree and collect in tight nooks & crannies. But, no doubt the POR 15 is by far more w/in reach of most of us do-it-yourselfers. I thought Eastwood had a very reasonable do-it-yourself kit for the average person w/ a garage that could be used on some very large parts. There is an attachment for spraying the powdercoat material in boxed areas and very tight, long or curved areas.
