Sandblasting then powdercoating the frame, How important is it

[tripleblack]

I am swapping the frame on my LWB to a SWB frame and i am probably going to buy one from a member when i am ready in a few months... i was wondering how important it is to sandblast and powdercoat the frame. I am asking now ahead of time so i can find a legitimate person to do it for me at a reasonable price, but a good job at the same time. I know if i didn't do it and i found out that i should have, there is probably a very slim chance i will want to take the whole truck off the frame for another time to do something i should have done in the first palce. Any insight? Thanks.

[Longhorn Man]

How important is it? Will, if you have a non coastal honest Texas frame, it probably has another 50 years to it.
So if it is just a driver and never expected to be perfect, then it is not very important at all.

Personally... I would not powder coat. It just doesn't hold up like it should (talkin daily driver here) I would use por15 or that eastwood stuff. Rock hard, and pretty much won't come off.

[Sweet72]

I agree with Andy. I did mine myself, sandblast, paint with eastwood chassis black over a moisture curing urethane called MasterSeries silver permanent rust sealer. But then my frame had some heavy rust scale on it and needed it badly. turned out great. If I do another frame, I'll pay someone else to do the blasting cause that was a real b****!

[cdowns]

i've had very good results useing rustoleaum// using thier rusty metal primer then followed by a black flat, satin or gloss it sprays easily when used with automotive enamel reducer is long lasting easy to touchup and at around $8quart easy on the pocket

powdercoaying a frame is an excellent start to spending $25thousand on a truck with a final value of $12thousand

[Joe67]

If you have some decent contacts you can get a frame powdercoated for a reasonable price. It does hold up well as it does not crack, chip or peel like conventional paints.

No, it doesn't mean you have to spend $25K on your project...

Painting a frame will not hold up quite as good as Powdercoat, but is a good alternative.

Prep is very important for both of course

[tim m]

I had my frame blasted and powder coated, smf then cleared for 450. I think it was worth it.

[special-K]

Sandblasting is the easiest way to prep a frame with all it`s different sides,edges,and nooks`n`crannies.It makes the surface hang on to the paint like nothing else and saves alot of elbow grease.For me,there is no question there.Powdercoating?I wouldn`t.1)you don`t get the rust inhibiting qualities found in the choice of paints you`ll find.2)It`ll chip,is hard as hell to sand and feather for touch-up.Water can get behind it through a chip or wear spot and do some serious pitting(trapped water)before you even know it`s there.It`s like a shell and by the time it flakes,it could be a whole section damaged.I try not to spend alot of time under my truck.3)Everywhere a bolt or washer is torqued down it can pop loose.4)It doesn`t get between pieces that are not seperated.It is intended to be used on individual pieces prior to assembly.So,unless you are planning to strip your frame to it`s individual components it will not hold up.
All this said,if it`s a babied show truck that will avoid rain,rough roads,and be kept clean as a whistle is a different story.But,paint can look as good and is more serviceable.
You can get $25,000 for these trucks,but they better be nut`n`bolt meticulate.Certain unrestored models can go for $12,000 unrestored.I`ve seen plenty of both.

[tripleblack]

I appreciate all the info. I am probably going to sandblast indefinately. Whether i powdercoat, well, that will be based solely on my wallet size at the time. Thanks.

[BigSky71]

Sandblasting is the obvious way to get down to bare metal, but I would not suggest the powdercoat especially if you ever plan on doing any modifications to the truck that would have you grinding or cutting on the frame. Modifying mine for bags, c-notch, shock relocators, and such has required the removal of at least 20 frame rivets and frame cutting. Course if you wait to powder coat after you have done all your mods, then more power to you, but who knows when the mods are done...

[GlennBrittain]

I agree with BigSky71 and I also live on a dirt road. I have a frame that I am or was working on, I do not yet know all of the modifications I will be making. I definately will go with a sandblaster in Appleby TX, after that a good primer and black paint. I can touch up the paint if needed anytime, was told that the powder coating route would make touch ups more difficult. That is when I get back to that project.
The only thing I do not like about the sandblaster in Appleby is I have to look at a 69 4WD Blazer when I go there that I can not buy. The rolling frame has been blasted and painted, the body has been balsted and primered and it just sits there. I was told another customer of theirs paid a local restorer in advance who spent the money elsewhere and his project is in limbo.

[jugernot]

There is a pic of my frame after media blasting and powder coating in a satin black. I was very happy with the way it turned out. I made sure I knew what I wanted to do to the frame before, ie blazer tank, extreme drop center x member from ECE, front sway bar. I lost track of how many rivets I had to drill out.