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Author: Subject: Refurbishing front wishbones - powdercoat or paint?
Pete Jordan

posted on 2/9/20 at 11:04 AM Reply With Quote
Refurbishing front wishbones - powdercoat or paint?

During the winter, when I moved house, I transported my half built MK Indy on a trailer to a storage container, where I had to leave it for a few months while the garage in my new house was built. Despite my wrapping the car up in a tarpaulin, salt got in and my powder coated front wishbones now have pits of rust on them! So, as I restart my rather protracted build (work, an extended house refurbishment and life in general have got in the way!), I now need to refurbish the wishbones before the car has been on the road under its own power!

I've searched the forum and found various older posts on what the best coating for the wishbones is, everything from powder coating, POR 15, stone chip paint and expoxy but was wondering what the current thinking is.

I should say that I bought my kit way back in 2006, before MK changed hands, and have read some posts about the quality of their powder coating at the time. I have also noticed areas of my chassis where the powder coating is bubbling/flaking off, which might reinforce that.

As I see it the options are:

1. Get them blasted and powder coated and hope that the coating will be more durable this time around.
2. Strip them back to bare metal and paint them, either with:

POR15 - I have used this before and it seems to be a very hard finish. I'm not sure how it might stand up to stone chips, being so hard, and it also has disadvantages i.e. VERY expensive, seems once opened there's little you can do to stop the remaining paint from going off, needs a top coat, as it does not stand up to UV light.

Rustbuster and other epoxy coatings - Cheaper than POR15, might be easier to apply (spray) and seems to get mainly good reviews. I've never used it, so don't know how good/durable it may be for putting on wishbones.

Stonechip paint, overcoated with an enamel - Again, I haven't tried this approach, so not sure how durable it might be or how good the finish might be.

So, which of these, or other solutions do you think might be best?

thanks,

Pete





Pete Jordan

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jelly head

posted on 2/9/20 at 12:23 PM Reply With Quote
I'm not a fan of powder coat after having rust come through in the corners on the chassis after 12 months and it'd never been out in the rain, just a sometimes damp garage. Current chassis will be getting paint.

Re the rustbuster epoxy; i've used it on another project and can confirm it sticks like a good un, just don't get it on anything you don't want it on (tools, skin etc) cos it wont come off.

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Mr Whippy

posted on 2/9/20 at 12:39 PM Reply With Quote
I've seen some horrendous messes come out of storage containers, mint bikes now will seized brakes, clutches seized on, ally chassis covered in white power, sold on as non runners. They are not good at all.

I just paint everything in smoothrite, yeah it chips but easy to touch up. My beach buggys chassis, running gear and suspension were all painted in it and still fine after 25 years

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nick205

posted on 2/9/20 at 12:46 PM Reply With Quote
Personally I go for powder coat.

I painted my wishbones with red oxide primer + satin black paint (x 3 layers) + lacquer. It gave up pretty quick and rust came through.

I then got them shot blasted and powder coated. After 3k road miles in good and bad weather they still looked perfect. Whichever powder coater you select should do the blast cleaning as a default preparation on the metal part IMHO.

I've also have a steel mountain bike frame + rigid forks blasted and podwer coated in the same way. It looks absolutely fantastic. Cost £80.

See you're in Basingstoke. I used A1 Powder Coatings in Southampton.

http://www.a1powdercoatings.co.uk/

[Edited on 2/9/20 by nick205]

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Pete Jordan

posted on 2/9/20 at 02:32 PM Reply With Quote
Thanks for the replies. There do seem to be differing views on powder coating, so I think it may depend on who does it and what type/quality of coating they use.

Good to hear that the rustbuster stuff is tough. Can anyone comment on how well it lasts?

Re smoothrite, I used to swear by it but now I think there are better coatings out there.

Does nobody use POR15? Trouble is, by the time you buy the paint, thinners (I would spray it on) and the top coating wou.d cost over £100 for enough to do all the front wishbones!

Oh, and thanks for reminding me that I haven't updated my location since I moved house. I now live just south of Worcester. Im thin,ing of getting the suspension springs re-powder coated, as i dont fancy painting them, and see how good they are, so can anyone recommend agood powdercoatersnearWorcester or Upton upon Severn please?

Pete





Pete Jordan

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rusty nuts

posted on 2/9/20 at 03:46 PM Reply With Quote
I ended up stripping my car back to the bare chassis before using decent paint stripper to remove all powder coating before getting the whole lot blasted and using POR 12 followed by Hardnose . It has lasted far better than the powder coating which was peeling within a year of the car being on the road. The guy who blasted for me told me blasting would only remove the loose powder coating, just bounces off any decent stuff. Can’t comment on any other chassis treatment
.

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ettore bugatti

posted on 2/9/20 at 03:46 PM Reply With Quote
Has anyone have experience with E-coat/ electrophoretic painting?
Looks like would be adequate solution, https://www.plasticcoatings.co.uk/plastic-coating-processes/electrophoretic-painting/?_vsrefdom=p.17446.c.43494&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIq8rA6ufK6wIVTOzt Ch0vzwOlEAAYASAAEgJsl_D_BwE

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Pete Jordan

posted on 3/9/20 at 02:17 PM Reply With Quote
Thanks for all the replies. I'm going to be stripping it all down at the weekend and will probably try a local powdercoaters with the suspension springs to test price and quality and then male a call on what to do with the wishbones.

Pete





Pete Jordan

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SJ

posted on 3/9/20 at 02:33 PM Reply With Quote
Lidl black mental paint does the job for me. My car is 14 years old and the chassis is perfect as I can touch it up very easily.
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jester
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posted on 3/9/20 at 02:48 PM Reply With Quote
quote:
Originally posted by Pete Jordan
Thanks for the replies. There do seem to be differing views on powder coating, so I think it may depend on who does it and what type/quality of coating they use.

Good to hear that the rustbuster stuff is tough. Can anyone comment on how well it lasts?

Re smoothrite, I used to swear by it but now I think there are better coatings out there.

Does nobody use POR15? Trouble is, by the time you buy the paint, thinners (I would spray it on) and the top coating wou.d cost over £100 for enough to do all the front wishbones!

Oh, and thanks for reminding me that I haven't updated my location since I moved house. I now live just south of Worcester. Im thin,ing of getting the suspension springs re-powder coated, as i dont fancy painting them, and see how good they are, so can anyone recommend agood powdercoatersnearWorcester or Upton upon Severn please?

Pete


POR15 do a spray can not many people stock it found about after I hand painted some of my stuff.As you said yourself into not cheap stuff

Ps it is good stuff if I get a chance I well upload some pictures of before and after

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MikeR
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posted on 3/9/20 at 04:10 PM Reply With Quote
2pack epoxy seems to be the go to paint from my research. I'm close to the point I want someone to blast the chassis & zinc prime so I can paint (I'm not keen on powder due to hearing to many stories). Last place I spoke to wasn't keen to let me have the chassis without powder coat. Makes me worried about the quality of the job they'll do as the powder would hide a multitude of sins.
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Irony

posted on 3/9/20 at 06:57 PM Reply With Quote
2 pack epoxy. Try jotamastic 87 undercoat with hardtop Flexi top coat. 15 years submerged in salt water protection. Job done.

https://www.smlmarinepaints.co.uk/primers/jotamastic-range/jotamastic-87

I bought a big tin when I did mine. Only their dedicated thinners or acetone seems to touch it. I just threw the brushes away. Nothing short of a chisel will scratch it once fully cured. It can be brushed rollered or sprayed.

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jester
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posted on 3/9/20 at 10:18 PM Reply With Quote
quote:
Originally posted by jester
quote:
Originally posted by Pete Jordan
Thanks for the replies. There do seem to be differing views on powder coating, so I think it may depend on who does it and what type/quality of coating they use.

Good to hear that the rustbuster stuff is tough. Can anyone comment on how well it lasts?

Re smoothrite, I used to swear by it but now I think there are better coatings out there.

Does nobody use POR15? Trouble is, by the time you buy the paint, thinners (I would spray it on) and the top coating wou.d cost over £100 for enough to do all the front wishbones!

Oh, and thanks for reminding me that I haven't updated my location since I moved house. I now live just south of Worcester. Im thin,ing of getting the suspension springs re-powder coated, as i dont fancy painting them, and see how good they are, so can anyone recommend agood powdercoatersnearWorcester or Upton upon Severn please?

Pete


POR15 do a spray can not many people stock it found about after I hand painted some of my stuff.As you said yourself into not cheap stuff

Ps it is good stuff if I get a chance I well upload some pictures of before and after







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ColleyV12

posted on 4/9/20 at 04:07 PM Reply With Quote
I prefer blasting, then epoxy primer and paint, never been a fan of powdercoating suspension parts
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