What did you use to coat your chassis?

[Dave240]

Now that the body is off, I'll be stripping my +2 chassis down very shortly. I plan to take it here to have it dipped to get everything off of it and start with a clean slate. I was quoted between $400-600 Canadian to have that done.

After that is complete, what are my options? I'd like it to be a permanent solution so that it won't have to be redone for as long as I drive the car.

I've got a quote for powdercoating and they said its about $1000-$1200 for the average car frame, less if the frame is smaller. So I'm assuming it might be a bit lower than that.

I've read people using POR15. Does anyone have experience with this? If I remember correctly, it's a brush on application right? How much would I be looking at? I've only ever applied it in very small areas, never to something as big as a chassis.

I'd be hesitant to just use rust paint, as I can't imagine that would hold up as nearly as long as the other two methods.

Do I have any other options? Anyone care to comment on those three options at all?

Thanks!

[AHM]

Have it galvanised

[mbell]

I've por 15 mine but only the areas I could get to with out removing the body. Looks good and should last well.not sure how it compares to powder coating thou.

You'd probably need two pints or a quart to do the chassis. So looking at $50 I'd guess.

I used less than half a quart on mine and am happy with it.

[ncmarc]

I used POR15 to coat the chassis of an F250 pickup truck 2 years ago. The truck has been driven in harsh salty, sandy South Texas terrain and has held up very well. Don't get it on your skin- it will be with your for weeks. Highly recommend. Inexpensive.

[pharriso]

If you do a search on here you will see people divided between:
1. Powder coating - good but can crack & then water can get under
2. POR15
3. Rustoleum

Do the search & then make your own mind up, I think I will go with #3.

btw Miles Wilkins stopped galvanising chassis because they were distorting when dipped.

[Maulden7]

Galvanising ......... my Lotus supplied galvanised chassis was in fact nearly 1.5 inches higher at the rear on one side when compared to the other.

Not noticed until after the chassis was fully built up, engine / gearbox in, body on, electrics rewired, & I was carefully setting up the suspension.

I took the difference out in with the fully adjustable suspension (to level the car out) Not ideal, but all that I could do in the circumstances. Having said that, the car handles superbly on track.

Would not recommend galvanising myself because of this, but perhaps the problem could be sorted before building up if it is found right at the start?

Dave M.

[jono]

In my experience powder coating tends to chip and peel easier than a conventional paint.

Mine is a Spyder chassis admittedly (you may have to be more circumspect with the folded chassis) but I took it a local firm who specialise in blasting and painting structural steelwork.

The grit blasted it back to bright metal, gave it 3 coats of zinc primer and the a top coat of 2 pack. Just looks like new. Cost - ?80

[KevJ+2]

I was at Spyder's factory a couple of weeks ago for some sill members but asked about their chassis. I was told that the folded chassis deforms if galvanised which took me by surprise. They then showed me their stove enamelled chassis which was very nice and is given a 6 year anti corrosion guarantee. Kevin.

[Dave240]

Thanks for the replies so far. I'm not going to galvanize as I've heard many people talk about twisting and bending the chassis.

Jono, that sounds pretty interesting. I've never heard of 2 pack paint before. I wonder if we have a different name for it here in North America.

[jono]

Dave,

I think that 2 pack is basically a paint which is mixed with a activator/hardener.

I'm not too clued up on paint systems but it looks good and is durable. The zinc paint beneath is the main protective coating, the 2 pack is more decorative finish and is the same as would be used on the body unless cellulose were used.

Jon

[gus]

If you are seriously considering thousands for finishing, buy a new chassis.

The front end of your original chassis is on its way out, one way or another, It was never intended to last 40 + years

After repairing or replacing the front shock towers, possible motor mount cracks, weakened lower diff mounts, dipping, painting, cleaning, hauling swearing waiting.................how far ahead will you be?

I doubt the new galvy chassis are any worse than the original were.

When I reconstructed the front end of my original chassis in 1986, the lower left suspension pin was over .1 out of position. Cut it out and fixed it so we could make it fit in our welding fixture. Was not bent, was built that way

That repair lasted 6 years. Bought a Spyder.

Except where the exhaust or floor jack/wrenches get to it, their 'stove enamel' will last forever. 19 years so far

That said, if you are determined, Rustoleum lasted as long as that chassis did, probably still would be fine.

They didn't have POR back then, that stuff is killer

If you intend to drive the car in the manner for which it was intended, you need to cut the front end off of the chassis, and at the very least replace it with .09 thick material. The original closing plates are paper thin by now, and once they are gone the towers are like a cardboard box with no bottom. happens in a day

[Dave240]

Gus,

Thanks for the helpful post. You're right. It doesn't make a ton of sense to spend all of that money refinishing it when buying a new chassis isn't much more expensive.

I'll need to do some reading on stiffing up the chassis before I go to much further.

I've been doing some reading today and Rustoleum and VHT Chassis paint both seem like good options for a hell of a lot cheaper.

[Jeff@Jae]

Are you going to use that restored +2 as an all weather commuter car ? That's what I thought. POR 15 should do the trick and that will probably be overkill for a casual use old sports car. Having it simply primed and painted would probably last a lifetime (of the car and owner !). It's a little like trying to make an old sports car into a modern, why bother.

[stugilmour]

Dave, not sure if you can find this service in Edmonton, but in Calgary I used Consolidated Compressor to sandblast some smaller parts. I didn't do the chassis as I replaced it with a new Spyder spaceframe.

The beauty of the Consolidated Compressor setup was they have blasting booths where you can DIY at an hourly rate including the blast medium and safety gear. Might be a less costly option for you if you decide to proceed with refurbing your existing chassis. They listed having soda medium available but I didn't see the setup or use it, so not sure on that one. Several guys have used soda blasting for initial stripping of the body, so that's why I mentioned it.

I agree with Jeff regarding considering the final use of the car. My Spyder with stove enamel is fine, although prone to chipping. Appears to be galvanized under the enamel, or some kind of zinc primer? Given the car is stored during the harshest winter season I am confident it will outlast me.

If you decide to look in to the new frame option, a few tips. Shipping of the roughly 5' x 12' x 3' welded and bolted steel box Spyder uses is not trivial. it comes by ship to Montreal and truck to a bonded warehouse at your 'Port of Entry' (Calgary in my case). Shipping to your home requires a crane equipped flatbed by a shipper experienced with pickup from the 'Customs Long House'. You have to be present at the Customs Long House with a bunch of cryptic paper work that you have waited in line to get cleared (at a different location naturally) when the local truck arrives with the meter ticking. Sean takes care of shipping to the port of entry, you take care of local delivery and clearing, or I guess engage a local broker to guide you through the process. Make sure you have them state on the outside of the package "Vintage Car Parts - Over 25 years Old" and there is no duty. You pay GST. I think the total shipping, brokerage, box construction piece was close to $2,000 and several months, so factor this in to your planning. I had never done anything like this before and found it quite puzzling; YMMV.

Here is another big bonus for us with the new frame option. Order up every part you possibly need for your build and have it put in the box! Sean and Andy at Spyder even filled it with a bunch of bulky stuff I had ordered from Sue Miller. Was like Christmas when I got the box! Only one discussion with the better half for most of the parts! There is a ton of extra room in the box with the frame bolted down. They included a full five speed transmission and clutch parts, interior sound proofing felts, wishbones, shocks, steering rack, springs, you name it. There was still room left in there. I think the total weight was like 600 lb or 800 lb. My guess is the box alone was about 200 lb and they charge you for building it. The local crane equipped truck lowered the box on to two platform fridge dollies for me, and I rolled it in and out of the garage for several years during the build and used it as an outdoor work bench. Box was donated to a guy who helped with lowering the body in place and became a well pump house; you might get $100 for it at a scrap yard.

A couple of pics

HTH

[Dave240]

Jeff - You make a good point. The car, when finished, isn't go to see a lot of adverse weather. I think painting will be the way to go. I'm not sure which direction I'll go but, I've got some time to figure it out. I read Gary's Sow Ear Chassis thread and I think I can get the paint he used here locally. Painting it red would be a nice touch!

Stu - Thanks for the wisdom. I think you've convinced me not to go the new chassis route, at least for the time being. That would really cut into my budget for the engine rebuild. Thankfully, I have two options to get the smaller parts sandblasted. My father-in-law is a mechanics teacher at a high school in St. Albert, and they have a small booth that I can use. Not big enough for a chassis though. My buddy with Datsun Roadster is also in the process of setting up a booth in his garage too, so I'll have that I can use too. PS - I still need to come take a peek at your car when I'm in Calgary sometime, although I'd imagine its in hibernation already!

I think I've decided against getting the chassis dipped and will go the sandblasting route. I won't be able to easily paint the inside of the backbone, so stripping it of its paint would likely not be smart. I'll stick to sandblasting the areas that I can repaint.