I am nearly ready to put a finish on a 37 Lasalle chassis. I would like some input on wether I should paint a satin black finish or I can get it sand blasted and powder coated for appox. $200.00. Your thoughts please...
$200.00 sounds way too cheap. Did you mean $2000?
Gene,thanks for the reply. The cost for powder coating is $200.00-$250.00. It is a very good price I believe. This is a special deal through the community college where I am taking auto restoreation class. I have seen another chassis done this way, it looks great. Would a powder coated satin finish be a wise choice or should I stay with paint?
4
powder coat is awesome and durable
but if it chips you cant just touch it up
also any tollerances in parts will need addressing after the coating
threads,anywhere bushings go in etc
also if there is anythig less than perfect metal surface,it will show up very visable and rough in the powder coating as you cannot fill any imperfections with the primer and sand smooth before painting
it does take a lot less effort to powder coat then it does to paint also
$200 is a super great price,specially if that includes the blasting
I agree that price is super reasonable, but when the time comes I will be painting my chassis with a tough polyurethane. I have had suspension parts powder coated in the past and they will chip.Paint will get marked too but it is more like a spec rather than a large divot. With paint you can have a zinc or chromium primer underneath that will protect it from corrosion..and as mentioned, you can touch it up as needed.
Cheers,Pat MacPhail
Brady,
I'd vote for the powder coating but w/ two provisos:
1) Get it up in the air and leveled and then drop plumb lines from critical points to check the alignment of the frame. If it is not absolutely square, take it to a frame shop and have that work done first.
2) After blasting, check everywhere and especially at the various gussets to make sure there aren't any cracks, broken welds or rivets. Again, get the repairs done first as you don't want to be patching in w/ paint once the frame is powder coated.
All that said, if you do get a chip somewhere down the road, Rust-oleum #7777 is a fair match for the satin black that most powder coaters would apply to match the original chassis black.
If the frame is properly prepped and the the powder applied and cured properly, I think you'll find it is incredibly tough. Much more so than solvent borne paint. But as been pointed out, you need to plug every dimensioned hole and threaded (female) part, or you'll have hell to pay when you go to assemble every thing.
Mark Lowery, CLC#25216