Painting undercarriage

[TC4x4]

I was thinking rust bullet, then rustolium, but I want something that is more durable and with a little nicer finish, because the truck is a pretty clean looking truck and i would like to keep it that way, SO

What other paints and qualities of paints are commonly used?

 

[British Slave]

Eastman Chassis Black. Opps, Eastwood.

 

[Cornfield creations]

Eastman Chassis Black.

Eastwood Products
X

 

[rjfguitar]

I think the prep is just as or even more important than the type of paint you use. I just used rustoleum gloss black on my undercarriage, but I cleaned everything extremely well with a BIG power washer and then sprayed on a product called "rust ender" primer on everything. It neutralizes the rust and turns it black, and the coating is nice and thick so you then have a base that your paint can adhere to really well and also not have rust underneath the paint that eats the surface back up in a year.

The other trick is to not drive in the rain. My K5 will be tucked in the garage on anything but a sunny warm day.

 

[ryoken]

how much do you wanna spend?

I only recommended Rusto to you because 95% of people are all about price... there are faaaaaar superior finishes out there, but are you willing to spend $200, 300?

and as Bob pointed out, prep is 75% of a quality job..

 

[TC4x4]

I agree with Bob also, prep is important, I will be spending some time prepping, but the good thing is that the truck is rust free, so I am starting off ahead of many there, I would be willing to spend 200-300 dollers on paint for a higher quality paint, rustolium is nice and easy but this truck deserves a lot more than that in this case, its just to nice. So that gives me motivation to spend more, I want it to stay or improve over the years in quality!

So what other doors are there to open in the paint and undercarriage?

 

[wazzabie]

I recently looked at a 87 Silverado. They gut took it to a detailer who cleaned the under carriage and painted it back. He said he paid $200 for the work. It looked really clean but I wonder if he was trying to hide something.

 

[ryoken]

So what other doors are there to open in the paint and undercarriage?

well, any catalyzed (hardener added) paint is going to be the most durable.. it's a better resin than an air-dried paint uses... question is whether ya go enamel, cheap, gal kits can be had from around $80 to $150... or urethanes, which usually run $150 to 400 for a gal kit.. a gallon of black Imron runs about $275, with catalyst..

I've recently changed up from running flattened black Imron to buying some Hotrod Flatz satin black catalyzed urethane.. kit was about $160 shipped..

hopefully it rivals Imron's durability...

once you get into automotive finishes, most of the major paint manufacturer's PPG, Dupont, Glasurit, Sickens, etc all have an single stage urethane line out... might be worth a trip to your local bodyshop supply store to see what they push...


now, all that being said, be aware the project can take on a whole other level of involvement when you get into spraying 2 part automotive finishes.. everything from compressor, to masking/overspray issues, ventilation, safety, etc...

 

[TC4x4]

So what do you pray first and second? Do you add the hardener to the paint first? Obviously, I have a lot to learn before I do anything.

 

[ryoken]

you mix it prior to spraying.. most urethanes are 4 parts paint to 1 part hardener... depending on the paintline, sometimes you thin it after mixing in the hardener...... usually 5 to 15%.. ya do a poor mans viscosity test... pull the mixing stick out and count seconds till it stops dripping..... 4 or 5 seconds is pretty thick, 8 to 9 is pretty thin... 6 to 7 sprays well thru most guns...

i can tell ya how do it from a to z, but it's a fair amount of work and coin, from prep to paint..

 

[magik235]

Here is what I did on my 1971 Jeep CJ5. The frame was sanded then coated with West Marine's Rust-Lock before priming with 2 coats of Pettit's Rustlock Steel Primer. These products are designed for salt-water environments and Wisconsin has lots of road salt in the winter. Both products are available at http://www.westmarine.com/http://westmarine.com/.

Finally, the frame has 2 coats of Herculiner. It shows dirt but is tough.

 

[rthurstenson]

I work in a large body shop in Arkansas, and prep for the best painter in the shop. The most durable, and best-looking alternative I've seen and plan to use on my own truck is a rock-chip guard provided to us by Schutz. It comes in a can, but it isn't aerosol, rather has replaceable applicators activated by shop air. This stuff blows on black and rough. On rocker panels and lower doors, we sand the rough texture a little smoother, then seal/base/clear just like the rest of the car. The result is a high-gloss, extremely durable surface.