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Lightest Finish for Chassis ? (paint)
Tris - 19/10/11 at 08:27 AM

Hi all,

I am just about to start the rebuild of a racing fury, and one of the things that i would like to do is to sand blast the chassis and re-paint.

I know there's been much discussion on this, but what's the best the best approach to painting the chassis from a weight and durability point of view ?

Cheers
Tris

Benzine - 19/10/11 at 08:37 AM

single coat of epoxy 121? straight to metal so no primer, tough as an unusually tough thing

BobM - 19/10/11 at 09:23 AM

Epoxy and powder coat will be more resilient than paint but any finish WILL get damaged, especially on a race car. This is partly because they get lots of rocks rattling round them, partly because race cars are much higher maintenance and inevitably get minor chips from spanners etc.

Thing about epoxy and powder coat is they're difficult to touch up whereas if you paint it you can easily touch up the chips etc.

Thicker coatings can also hide early cracks etc. and these are common around suspension and diff mounts.

The weight's a bit of a distraction really, not a lot in it.

Tris - 19/10/11 at 10:02 AM

Yes, I was thinking that paint would be easier to touch up and maybe a lighter option than epoxy or powder.

Paint wise, would would be best to use ?

Cheers
Tris

BobM - 19/10/11 at 10:25 AM

quote:
Originally posted by TrisPaint wise, would would be best to use ?

Oh god, here we go with world war three again !!

There are those who say you should stick to cellulose paint. I've seen anecdotal reports on here of dire consequences from exposure to 2 pack but the fact is that 2 pack is easier to use - it goes on better, you can get a better finish out of the gun, it's more durable. It is however toxic and you need to cover up and make sure you aren't inhaling it. In my view (and I'm a doctor) there's a word of difference between occasional careful use of noxious chemicals and regular occupational exposure.

You make your own choice. I've used 2 pack for the 2 race cars I've built.

Confused but excited. - 19/10/11 at 11:29 AM

A good start would be etch primer first. Applied as soon as possible after grit blasting.

[Edited on 19/10/11 by Confused but excited.]

motorcycle_mayhem - 19/10/11 at 02:45 PM

It's a race car, not a showroom, sunny day, pub, wax and polish car, you're actually going to drive it (hopefully) and probably break it.

Please don't powdercoat it. If you need to repair the car or add some extra bits (brackets, engine change, etc.), getting rid of powdercoat in order to weld cleanly really isn't an easy task.

Anything else is great, just a red-oxide primer and an enamel or polyurethane finish is wonderful.

I've got a bent powdercoated car on the bench right now, it's a b????????? nightmare.

procomp - 19/10/11 at 04:45 PM

Hi

As above never powder coat a race chassis. Paint wise just a good etch primer in the colour of choice. So that's oxide red or black.

Cheers Matt

Stott - 19/10/11 at 05:58 PM

Can't you just get it coated like galv or zinc passivated etc, must be thinner than paint?

iank - 19/10/11 at 06:16 PM

Problem with powdercoat is if/when you have an off you won't be able to check for hairline cracks without stripping it off as it's plastic enough not to crack at the same time (unless it's really bad).

Acid etch, then enamel in a light colour (light grey, duck egg blue, cream, maybe a bright yellow) would be my choice.
Light colours make it much easier to see the source of oil leaks and a crack really stands out compared to black.

BobM - 19/10/11 at 07:19 PM

quote:
Originally posted by Stott
Can't you just get it coated like galv or zinc passivated etc, must be thinner than paint?

I've been using Trimagard self-phosphating paint on my sub-frames, wishbones, fasteners etc. and it's single coat and so far appears pretty durable. I've been using it as an alternative to plating. You need to either dip or spray parts initially and ideally it benefits from curing in an oven. It gives a sort of satin black finish.

Here's my rear sub-frame.

Bare - 25/10/11 at 05:18 PM

Seriously? for a track machine... Rattle can it.
You only need to have a coating to prevent rusting.
Plus it's clever to have an easily removable/retouchable paint for inspections/repairs and the inevitable mods.

theduck - 7/11/11 at 07:38 PM

Considered plastidip?