[sick472]

I am a big fan of using industrial enamels or single stage urethanes on the frame. I guess because I am not going for high end show quality and I don't want to spend a lot of time making it "shine" my vehicles get driven when the weather is decent and I am not going to crawl around under them cleaning up all the water spots.

A few coats of industrial enamel is pretty cheap on the frame and I really like using rustoleum on the underside of the floor pans, wheel wells, and wherever. I usually spray the first coat, but then follow up with a few coats of brushing to get some thickness to it and tie in the tight spots.

My theory on anything under the truck is "thick and heavy and satin". If you have every seen where the factory got a big run of paint, say on an inner fender, the area where the paint was one layer thick may be all surface rusted, but where the run is, the steel will still be protected and take some extra effort to strip off. Hence the "heavy" part of my theory. I like using satin paint just because it does not draw attention to any flaws and can be touched up with a brush. I can't tell you how many times I had to touch up the under side of a recent project due to scratches that happened during the assembly process.

If the vehicle is a trailer queen, seriously consider powder coat or another high end system, if not, two or three coats applied to properly prepped steel will be far better than anything I have seen from the factory.

If the truck will be concourse correct, then barely give it any paint and make sure you overspray in all the right places.

I sand blasted my frame and then used several cans of brake clean to wash it down the day that the self etching primer and paint was applied. Obviously, sand dust and residual oils can thwart your efforts. Prep is key regardless of the paint used!