You must all have experienced this-

You want to mount something to the chassis if your car, and find you need to make a bracket, and you want to use steel because the aluminium that you have to hand isn't thick enough or strong enough.

So, you cut up a piece of steel and are just about to pop rivet or bolt it to you chassis. But wait a minute, shouldn't you put something on it to stop it rusting?

I usually use stonechip paint from an aerosol, but it does take a couple of hours to dry hard enough, then I need to turn it over and do the other side, unless I am in a real hurry in which case I use a hot gun and dry it quite a bit quicker.

It is frustrating though, when I want to push on, having to find another job to do while I wait for it to dry, so if anyone has any alternative suggestions then I would love to hear them.

John

Generally, I have a bit of patience!
I fix pop riveted plates on with cleco's and then remove them and have them powder coated.

I tend to suspend it from a bit of wire hanging from my workbench, get the blowtorch on it to heat it up and then spray it with acid etch.

Hanging it from wire means I can do both sides at the same time, heating it up first makes the paint go off quicker.

I find a quick mist of Upol no 8 dries very quickly and leaves a nice finish.

Paul, how is the finish from your powdercoating macjine.

I have a tin of 'cold galv spray'. It's good for the little trinkets and dries really quick. I sprayed some on my roof rack 4 years ago and it's still good.

depends entirely on wether you want a rust stopping coating thatll just stop rust, or a pretty rust stopping coating that will be hard and look good etc - i use a spray on rust inhibitor on some stuff, cant remeber the name of it right now but it leaves an thickish grease coating on the part - can be scratched off with a nail- this stops rust and dries v quickly, like in 10 - 20 secs, but it doesnt look good and its not hard, things scratching takes it off.

While its still warm from cutting (or heat it up) i spray on red oxide primer, then paint it with the same chassis paint once fixed to the chassis.
Im currently using silver Hammerite Smooth.

I just de-grease it, spray with halfrords rattle can primer, and then rattle can black, then clearcoat..... can be done in about an hour... takes 15 mins to dry....

For parts that are not exposed to serious elements.... it works realy well!

Use stainless steel? It's not actually that much harder to work than carbon steel if you have a drill press and use the right drills/speeds.

Cheers

Fred

[Edited on 19/4/09 by Fred W B]