Frame Paint

[Engineer]

What works good to paint the frame with?

More specifically, what primer should I use, and what is a good finish coat that will be durable?

Should I use an epoxy primer? I don't see using a basecoat/clearcoat on the frame, but I do want it to look fairly decent.

Thanks All.

[zieg85]

It depends on how much prep work you are going to do.  The top paint system you can put on a frame is zinc rich primer, epoxy intermediate and urethane topcoat.  A near white blast with at least a 2 mil profile is required but will outlast anything else you can put on it.

2 K epoxy with a urethane topcoat would be a good second choice. 

Paint choices all depend on the bare metal/surface prep. 

[nico]

On past projects, I have done lots of work with sanding, priming, painting, etc., but...

A fellow club member recently did his 68 Buick's frame with POR-15 and a cheapo paint brush.  From now on, everything I do will be POR-15...  Easy to apply, very durable and a very nice gloss black.

All he did was coat the frame in oven cleaner, scrub the worst areas, pressure wash and clean the worst rust with a wire wheel and grinder.  I'm amazed at how smooth the POR-15 spreads out, and really looks like powdercoat.

[Blazin]

Chassis Saver is half the price of POR 15 and its the same stuff. Clean with pressure washer degrease etc. Then needle scale any rust scale off it. Paint with Chassis Saver. I have had the best results top coating the Chassis Saver, and POR 15 with some sort of acrylic enamel single stage paint.

[Armor]

on my dads 51 i got a frame coater kit from KBS Rustseal, basically POR-15, but i could get it here in canada easier, its fantastic, and easy enough for anyone to do with a paint brush

[Engineer]

As far as metal prep....I am planning on sand blasting the bare frame. I have some cutting torch damage to repair from a rear bumper removal that was a long time ago. Also, I will have to wait and see just how severe the rust pitting is around the rear spring hangers.

Since this truck will be a 4x4 pull truck, I am looking at a "custom" paint job. I was thinking of a light blue body with either a gold or silver frame. Still just throwing ideas around at this point.

Thanks for the replies.