MTFCA Forum

What paint do you recommend for chassis/axles/springs?
a) brush option
b) spray option

Thanks all

I’ve been using a single stage urethane paint “Valspar LIC40”. It’s an industrial outdoor paint with excellent UV protectant. Sells for about $100 gallon, and can be brushed/rolled as well as sprayed. Have painted several car chassis with it, and a couple speedsters too.

Which POR-15 product do you use as they have a few: is it POR-15 2K Urethane?
Thanks

same as my indian, powder coat. charley

I’m with Steve J on this.....Rustoleum satin black with a brush is easy to use, durable and touch up blends in nicely.

I am very happy that I got my frame and spring pieces powder coated. I used Eastwood extreme black chassis paint for the other chassis parts that I painted, and am happy with how that turned out too.

Here is the POR-15 I used

I like VanSickle Enamel for Ts and brush it on. It dries slow and flows out.

I would think that the first things to consider are: a finish that is in tune with the rest of the car; the road surface you will be driving on. All the product recommendations pretty much cover whats available. The second things to consideration are cost, and method. The finish I was looking for was for something that would not look like new technology (powder coat or urethane). Didn't want a glossy appearance either, went with Rust-Oleum Specialty Farm & Implement Paint, Low Gloss, Black. I brushed on the first two coats to get in all the nooks and crannies and rolled on the finish coat of the flat surfaces. The finish is hard and I doubt if I'll ever drive on a well seasoned rural country road.

Thanks all,

Has anyone used Hirsch black: https://www.hirschauto.com/Super-Black- ... oducts/10/

Cheers
Adrian

Everyone has an opinion. I wouldn't brush paint on a car I cared about!

Original Smith wrote: ↑

Sun May 17, 2020 12:04 pm

Everyone has an opinion. I wouldn't brush paint on a car I cared about!

I agree about not brush painting the body but the discussion is about the chassis.

It is well to stay away from things you aren't proficient with or don't understand. As many of the old cars were brush painted back in the day some consider it to be more authentic than modern spray painting. Slow drying enamels can be flowed on with a soft brush very nicely. The slow drying lets the paint flow out without any brush marks. Brushing lets you get into the corners and behind things that a spray doesn't. I know of some cars that have won national awards that had the wheels and chassis brush painted. With a little practice and having the paint the right consistency most of us could learn to do it.
As said, it is not for everybody.

What I did on a sandblasted frame. Brush painted a coat of rustoleum primer, waited a day and brushed on a coat of rustoleum gloss black paint and then a couple of days later went over it with rattle can rustoleum gloss black paint. Really smoothed out the brush marks and a year later while being stored out of the weather in a barn, the gloss has dulled nicely. Will be easily touched upped as assembly proceeds. My thought is whatever you choose, it will be a better quality of what came out of the factory.

Okay, so many choices in black. So I am wanting to do a Speedster in white. What about that?

Well, it just so happens POR15 is now available in a range of colours - including white.

One thing that 'hesitated' me with light colour is keeping the T lubed. That means oil will seep out and cover that nice white chassis and axle....

If you are a 'dab hand' with a rag on a regular basis it may well not worry you

Courtesy of the INTERNET

The key in preserving metal is the removal of corrosion properly (sand blasting preferred), an introduction primer (etching primer), bonding primer 2k (catalyst style), then a quality enamel/urethane (catalyst style) top coat. You can get it in semi-gloss, low gloss, flat, super glossy.

Most will disagree and say powder coating etc. Powder coat is not paint period! It is a static charged powder that is after applying, melted on in an oven. One scratch and moisture migration begins and totally destroys from within. There is just no substitute for quality. Seen beautiful equipment, cars, etc totally rot from the inside out. If you do not wish to do correctly, leave it alone as you might do more harm than good. Painting is painting by using appropriate solvents in the soak and flow. Yes it is a total pain to paint wire wheels etc, but they look like paint and I can see powder coat from a 100 feet away.

Just me being picky!,

Hank

So what is the best way to clean and paint leaf springs?

Disassemble, sand blast, scratch wheel, re-sand shape the lays, install new bushings, pre-prime contact areas, coat hidden areas with a nickel anti-seize, assemble, prime and paint. No more crying rust stains for life.

Many of you might recall the Model Garage series featuring Gus Wilson as the lead mechanic. I've read many many of the stories. The series started way back when ( 20's ?) as How To or DIY articles for Popular Mechanic readers with Gus appearing much later. Don't ask me to pin it down but there was a story where Gus brush painted his sedan and it was filled with tips and instructions on how it was done. As usual gus did a sterling job.

Complete step by step refurbishing Model T leaf springs. Includes some things you may not have thought of doing
https://modeltfordfix.com/repairing-the ... ar-spring/

Thank you Frank sharing this link. The way I made it is more complicate for the same result as well with your way... Always nice seeing more efficient way to make it.

I agree with Charley Shaver.
Powder coating is the way to go. Gloss lasts a long time, fuel, battery acid, oil, have no effect on it. Very resistant to stone chips. If you do get a chip, you can touch it up with epoxy paint to fill in the scratch. I find that rust doesn't spread very quickly with powder-coated parts, because the coating is literally melted onto the base material, almost like stove enamel. If you get a chip and develop a spot of rust, if you probe the area, you will find that the boundary of the damage is the edge of the chip. Paint seems to let the rust proliferate and grow under the paint, but with powder-coating, the rust stays at just that spot. .
My take on restoration is that we are trying to duplicate the original assembly of the vehicle:
A. With the proper parts, correctly manufactured to the proper tolerances and fits.
B. Installed by a motivated, competent workman, doing the best job he could, as a professiona, using the proper toolsl.
C. using the correct hardware, with the correct orientation.
D. with the machine properly adjusted to best performance as dictated by the design.

I realize powder coating can be considered over-restoring, but I disregard that, as I do not want a display car in a museum, I want an operating vehicle that I can drive or tour with on a regular basis, that will look as nice as possible for as long as possible. That is, I aim for a SERVICEABLE restoration with dependable operation being one of the requirements. If I was restoring a vehicle for a museum display, that might be different. But I want my car to be reliable in use.

I was very fortunate that when I got into antique cars, I wound up joining a group of men who were absolutely RABID about dependable touring. One of them finished his 1910 EMF on a Thursday, drove it around the block to make adjustments that evening, loaded it up for the tour that night, and departed the next morning for a tour from Tucson to the Grand Canyon. This was before the interstate system existed, so that was a LONG first trip on a freshly restored car. I was fortunate to have ridden with him and his wife on many tours before I had a car, and in 40 years of touring, I only heard of ONE time he had a problem on the road. I wasn't on that trip, but people who were, said that his jaw was very tightly clenched when that happened.
Every one else in the club was similarly oriented. They were meticulous and careful with their restorations, made sure every system was restored to like-new condition, and then they fully expected their cars to perform on a high level.
I am just hoping I can keep their level in my own restorations.