Powder Coat Frame/chassis

[TSUART RINGWALD]

I purchased a kit from RCR. I want to powder coat the base chassis/frame. Has anyone done this before? I would like to know a ballpark price in doing this. I am very experienced in powder coating in manufacturing, but I am not sure what it would cost on a chassis.

 

[Neal]

I had mine coated. $2200 for everything, chassis, panels, rollbar…

 

[Howard Jones]

If you powercoat something remember you can't see cracks under it. IMHO you should never powercoat suspension parts or other highly loaded pieces.

 

[Mark H.]

Just today had a Cobra replica on the lift. Frame was powdered about 15 years ago when car was newly built; peeling off in spots, rust under some locations, areas between the aluminum panels and frame corroded at the rivets. Seen it all before, but maybe just poor prep and application? I doubt it. Powdercoating might be better now?? Paint you can touch up, fix, weld new brackets, weld up holes, etc...powdercoat not so much.

 

[Neil]

Just today had a Cobra replica on the lift. Frame was powdered about 15 years ago when car was newly built; peeling off in spots, rust under some locations, areas between the aluminum panels and frame corroded at the rivets. Seen it all before, but maybe just poor prep and application? I doubt it. Powdercoating might be better now?? Paint you can touch up, fix, weld new brackets, weld up holes, etc...powdercoat not so much.

After sandblasting prep, I much prefer a good two-part zinc chromate epoxy primer followed by a polyurethane aliphatic isocyanate resin topcoat.

 

[Joel Heinke]

If you do decide to powder coat ferrous metal chassis parts, I'd suggest that a smooth powder coat be used. I chose a powder that gives a "textured" finish for my Ferrari 250 GTO recreation. The textured finish looks great but might not provide 100% coverage over the metal. On mine, there must be non-visible pin holes in the finish as over time you can see evidence of rust forming through the powder coat. I never drive the car in wet weather so rust must be from humidity. The rust showing is very small spots, so I just rub a little WD-40 over it to keep under control because it's not a daily driver.

Paint or powder coat aside, I do recommend a lighter, tan or grey color, as dirt/dust do not show. Painting a chassis black is just inviting a dirty looking piece.

Like I said, the textured powder coat finish looks great but maybe not the most durable option. Same color in smooth probably would never rust assuming it is done over a sand blasted base.

 

[Bill Kearley]

Power coat is tough but a big pain in the ass to touch up if any further work is required on the frame.
Epoxy paint is a better bet in my mind !! No big oven, transportation or cost required .

 

[TSUART RINGWALD]

I used to do custom paint jobs on cars... about 50 years ago. I like the two-part zinc chromate epoxy primer followed by a polyurethane aliphatic isocyanate resin topcoat. I can spray myself or pay someone. Has anyone payed for this? ball park cost please

 

[Jean-Marc]

Powder coating gives a kind of encapsulation of the part. If you have no crack or no hole the part will be protected. The problem is that there is no chemical product inside the formulation that inhibate the corrosion. I think a classical paint with corrosion inhibitor inside one or two layers will be far superior. Do I am wrong ?

 

[Randy Folsom]

I was going to powder coat the chassis until I realized that most of it is not visible on a completed build. You will also still want to use some sort of bed liner on the bottom and in the front wheel wells to reduce road noise. I ended up patching many holes in the aluminum tub which would have delaminated any powder coat within 2’. I also drilled and cut the chassis in numerous places. I may still powder coat the roll bar because I want something other than black, but high quality chassis paint looks pretty good and is very durable. If you really want show quality, then do as the pro shops. Complete the build then disassemble to apply finish be that paint, anodized or powder coat.

Here is a short list of items you might want to complete before powder coating if that is what you decide to do.

• If +2 or + 4 rear suspension, open the lower live link openings
• Holes for fuel lines and fuel pump access
• Holes for AC hoses
• Holes for wiring harness
• Spare tire well access panels
• Remove the ridiculous upper rear live link guards and patch the holes
• Holes in the engine bay tub for starter, electric water pump, etc
• Clearance bumps in the firewall for mechanical water pump
• Hole for windshield wiper shaft
• Holes for air lift hoses