Frame Coatings.. Which ones?and why?Powdercoating,Rhino lining ?

[Deranged]

I also like the old rattle can, BUT I have this thing called A.D.H.D., and I just cant wait long enough to let the paint dry.....

[TutTech]

Originally Posted by dillon_b12

TutTech: Did you think the Rhino had more of a rubbery feel to it than the Line-X? That has been my experience. Line-X is more like soft plastic and Rhino is more like hard rubber.

You know I could not have said it better and agree totally to that.
Yes exactly. I like the linex and my truck bed is done now because I liked it
so much on the cars at work. Plus they have different textures now also.
More smooth or larger etc. Very cool.


As for the rattle can I agree on some points to this.. my race car is also my test car and it's frame is rattle can black. This is so I can easily sand it and weld on it or add stuff etc. Then just rattle can it again.
But the body is never going to change as far as working on it. I may get new panels or upgrade the hood etc. but I am not going to be working on the body so it should be painted and done. It is amazing how long the powder coat has held up under the conditions I put our little race car through. We put nearly 2,000 race miles on our car last year! 3 200 mile races, 1 500 mile race, 2 250 mile races and my wifes powder puff race where she did another 120 miles on the car. This is not testing, pre running, rides before and after the races and trips to the desert for fun.. this is serious run through bushes, rocks, dust dirt, into other cars.... ooops not my fault they ran into us... Then times this by 3 years now and the powder coated body looks great... seriously I am impressed and Highly recommend that you do the body.

As for arms, suspension parts, frame etc. if you are still working on it then don't do it yet. You need to really be sure your done testing, changing etc before you ever powder coat the frame etc.
As said you will have to take the entire car a part and sand blast it clean to re powder coat it... very costly and tons of work.
So if your like me and you are still working on it I can agree to the rattle can for the sake of stoping rust, still looking ok with touch up after every trip out and just powder coating some parts and the body etc. that is what I did and it looks good.

Great topic everyone and this is great info.
Thanks a ton everyone for sharing. Any one else have more info or other coating info??

[nutz4sand]

I would not be against after painting (or powdercoating) adding clear rubber tube to the front arms and tubes of a chassis to stop rock chips and such damage. Slice it along one side and cut it to the length and hold it on with hose clamps. Just a little protection.

[minibajaman]

I've seen a Rhino lined buggy frame before and IMO it looks pretty bad, not too mention is very heavy. The rough texture holds a lot of dirt, so it never looks nice and clean. Powdercoating is nice if you are sure the buggy is 100% done and don't plan to change anything as it is a pain to remove, and touch up paint most likely won't be a perfect match. My buggy is currently rattle canned, it didn't hold up that well but the prep was not that good. I was going to strip it and get it powdercoated, but I may just rattlecan it again since I have a feeling I will always be changing or fixing something. Rattlecan is also the lightest weight option, and since I race mine, every pound saved counts...

[Gene]

I'd like to do a clear powder coat over a nicely tigged, rust free frame. That would be cool.

[K-fab]

Originally Posted by Gene

I'd like to do a clear powder coat over a nicely tigged, rust free frame. That would be cool.

IF I ever get the 10Dez done, the frame will get sand blasted and then clear coated. Body panels, suspension and all the little parts will get color, but the frame will stay clear and clean to watch for cracks and make inspection easier.

[IronSpade]

Originally Posted by dillon_b12

When we prepped our Baja SAE car for PC we sandblasted everything with playground sand. Coal slag or something with a little bit bigger particles would have probably worked better but our powdercoat has been very tough.

Dillon this is really bad advice and needs to be clarified! Never under any circumstances use "playground sand" in a media blaster, blasting cabinet, or sand blasting equipment without extensive respiratory equipment such as a particle respirator. "Playground sand" is primarily silica based and has been found to cause Silicosis. Please learn more here Silicosis - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia .

Most competent college professors in Industrial Arts and Engineering programs should have known this and not allowed you to use playground sand! Please if you know who may have been involved in this mistake, please by all means have them get checked out if you think they may have been exposed to the fine silica dust.

Aluminum Oxide, sodium bicarbonate, fine glass beads and even crushed walnut shells are available for blasting cabinets through TP Tools and Equipment at TP Tools & Equipment.

Again please never use "Playground Sand" if you care about your life or those who depend on you.

Other than that I've done both powder coating and specialty painting. If your concerned with keeping a bare tube frame from rusting, a healthy coat of WD-40 and a Scotch-Brite pad after every wash can keep it looking good for a long time but requires a bit of elbow grease. Also quite a few options of heavy duty primer etchers can be used before a top coat of Catalyzed Acrylic Enamel will provide a durable finish and can be touched up without too much hassle. If your really concerned with scrapes paint everything first, and Line-X the lower extremities and high risk scrape areas only. Best of both worlds!

Later Travis

[dillon_b12]

Travis,

I never advised anyone to use playground sand to blast anything. I was merely stating what we did. What I failed to mention was that we did use a respirator and that "playground sand" was our last resort.

We tried to use coal slag but the large particles wouldn't shoot through our setup. I'm aware of the dangers involved with blasting with silica sand as a media.

[diirk]

I'd definately recommend powdercoat, and with that said, pick a color that can be easily matched with spraypaint, that way if you have to make a repair or add a tab, you can do so and use spraypaint for touchup.

[nutz4sand]

Does anyone have any good tricks for getting powder coat away from an area you need to weld to reapir it?

Or is it a wire wheel in a four inch angle grinder and go for it?