what to use to clean & paint frame

[blazer2007]

I was wondering what good products to use to clean and paint my frame. I have the engine out now and has been pressure washed but what seems to work in the corners etc. will brake clean do a good job,and what is a good paint to use on the frame ,something tuff.Is not a show truck but still want it to look decent,thanks

[old Rusty C10]

you have two options the way i see it you can either buy POR 15 which is kinda on the expensive side or you can use a couple of coats of rustoleum. Ive used the latter with decent results and i use my trucks strictly for work nothing show about it
there is a new product out called rust bullet but im not sure about it
for cleaning it i used a wheel type of thing on my drill and sandpaper and got it reasonably clean

[Thumpin455]

Well, what I do with them is sandblast the frame and suspension, diffs and stuff, Take apart what I need to and replace the bushings, then usually all the rust is gone. A coat of epoxy primer, then two to three coats of tractor enamel, its also called implement enamel. That paint is durable and will look good for a long time. The can of black I have was $90, so it isnt too bad. The epoxy primer is two parts and it will run over $100 for gallon. Two quarts should be more than enough for a frame.

I have had surprisingly good luck with Eastwoods rust encapsulator, a gallon is a little over $100, but a gallon will cover a couple cars entirely. Its a single stage process, other than cleaning the surface. I used it on the rusty sections of my 76 to test it. So far the rust hasnt come back through the paint, no bubbles, and its been sitting outside in the snow all winter. So I guess it works.

If you cant blast the frame, then small brushes and hand sanding will do the job. It will just take elbow grease to get in there and clean it all out.

[Flyin Sparkplug]

i have to agree, the Eastwoods rust encapsulater works very well, its what i used on the rear or my truck. Also i believe they sell a kit with the stuff in it with 3 coats(rust converter,encapsulator,and chassis black paint) this worked very well and looks half way decent to

[James McClure]

I PORed mine the primed and painted it. POR is not UV protected, I don't know about the others. Whatever you use the frame has to be sandblasted or sanded. Don't use a wire brush because all that makes is shiney rust. All the anti rust coatings need a "tooth" to attach themselves to, so the base (steel) should have a dull look to it before you paint. Jim

[1984 swb chevy]

My frame was just dirty and had a lot of grease and grime on it. I went to the auto parts store and bought a gallon of industrial de-greaser and a long handle scrub brush. Everything came off the frame and it was ready for paint.Is your frame rusty or just dirty

[gchemist]

I would use Zero Rust.


I tried POR15 too. Zero Rust wins in my book. Checkout how other things turned out. Nice black metal finish.

[tyjoja]

I had my bed off to install shackles and hangers, it was easy to take off (8 bolts and a guy on each corner) that gave me good access to the frame, also put on cab bushings at the same time wich put the cab up 2-3 inches also. while exposed, pressure washed and cleaned with a small wire wheel on a drill that got me into almost all corners and tight spots of frame and springs and axles etc. then got some laquer thinner in a plastic spray bottle and sprayed everything down to get ready for paint. I used krylon rust tough enamel that I got at napa in flat black. Looks great and went on well. I too do not have a show truck but wanted to do something with the surface rust on the frame. good luck, bob

[tyjoja]

also did the same as a primer to all the underside of all the sheet metal and then got some rattle can black undercoating and sprayed on it. bob

[Russell]

I did my frame and axles up by sandblasting then coating with zero rust. That stuff is incredibly tough, both to impact and as far as chemical resistance goes. The coating never got hard on my frame, and doesn't chip.

I once had to take some off to do some welding on part of my frame, and man, was it ever a chore to get it off again.

[James McClure]

Morning guys: As I said in my post, DON'T WIRE BRUSH THE RUST!!! All this does is polish the rust and any rust bonding paint won't stick to it for long!!! You have got to sandblast or grind everything so it's dull in color with NO flakeing rust. In tight spots use a scaler that goes in your air chisel.
I used POR because it came highly recommended by the body supply place I deal with. Others probably work just as well or mabey better, who knows. Russel is right about getting the stuff off to do any other work. About the only way to break the bond is burn the spot with a torch then grind it. I should have paid more attention to the guy at body supply when he told me rather emphaticly, don't get this stuff anyplace you don't want it!!! I got drips on my garage floor I haven't been able to scrape off yet. The spots I chiseled off peeled up some concrete and if it sticks that well to something it wasen't designed to stick to, imagine how well it works when used as directed.
Good luck with your project Jim

[blazer2007]

where do you get zero rust I see Russel is from Can. so maybe I can get it here in b.c.

[Russell]

I picked it up at a local bodyshop supply store to the tune of a 120 odd bucks for 4 litres. Half that can did my entire truck's frame, differentials etc. I went to go use some the other day on a new crossmember for my truck, but it was hardened up in the can, so I had to throw the rest out.

If you go to zero rust's website, shoot them an email asking about where you can find it locally, I was given a very prompt and very enthusiastic reply about the various places I could find it, and was even contacted later on to follow up on what my thoughts about the stuff was. I told them I was nothing but impressed with the product, and particularly their customer support.