Suspension Paint

[Kevs02Accord]

Just looking for some opinions. I am refreshing the suspension on my accord and I want to repaint them. What do you guys use for repainting suspension parts? After I clean the parts really good I want to put something protective on to prevent rusting.

 

[Idle Serge]

Which suspension parts?

Powder coating?

 

[OCD]

POR-15

http://www.por15.com/

 

[nehog]

Eastwood has several products that should work well in your application.

 

[Colin Len]

I've used Eastwood's Chassis Black with pretty good results. It's not as durable as POR15 or powdercoating but it looks nice, is more affordable, and is a lot easier to use than POR15.

If this is a show car then I'd definitely powder coat. If you want to go all out but DIY then I'd do POR15. If it's just something you want to protect from rust/corrosion and want a quick/easy job which sacrifices overall protection a bit then go with the Eastwood stuff.

Here are some pics of my Integra's suspension which was done with the Eastwood Chassis Black:










All of this was done 3yrs ago and it's holding up well but the car sees very very little use as it's a track day toy and is a CA car (no salty roads). But it has seen some off track excursions which undoubtedly put the suspension through some pretty terrible debris. All in all I wish I would have taken the time to have it all powder coated but at the time it just wasn't really practical in regard to time or money.

 

[48RON54]

I agree with what said above. If it is a full show car and you can afford it, then powdercoat it.

If you are just working on the suspension of a driver and you want to protect it, then eastwoods or por 15 are what most will advise you to use. If you are on a tight budget, then you can just grab some rustoleum. Personally, I just use the rustoleum as it is under the car and no one sees it but me. I also live in so cal where rust isn't much of an issue, so that has to be taken into account.

 

[ryanm]

hi, used VHT "roll bar and chassis" paint for the wheels on my FX4 F-150. really like that stuff and it held up perfect through this past PA winter. might want to google it and see other reviews. powercoating is of course much nice, but if you dont need a world class finish, maybe check out the VHT

 

[Gerald O]

I like rustoleum (bulk can, not spray bomb) for a daily driver. It's not as durable as powder coat or POR15, but it's cheap and easy to touch up any chips or scratches. Goes on easy, no difficult cleanup or prep. Looks good for a long time.

 

[jimbbski]

I like rustoleum (bulk can, not spray bomb) for a daily driver. It's not as durable as powder coat or POR15, but it's cheap and easy to touch up any chips or scratches. Goes on easy, no difficult cleanup or prep. Looks good for a long time.

To be more specific I like their line of "Hammered" finish paints. It dries fast and is hard and seems to hold up well. I also like it because you can touch it up and you can't really tell due to the finish. It comes both in a quart can and spray can. You do have to put in on heavy to get the best hammered effect so some paint runs may occur.

 

[Kevs02Accord]

Thanks for the input guys. These parts are for my daily, so not looking for the cost of powder coating. I have calipers, hubs, control arms, etc...I will most likely go with the eastwood or rustoleum just for ease / price, I just wasnt sure how well they would hold up. I might for for POR-15, havent totally decided yet. I havent seen the cans of rustoleum in the box stores, are they usually in a different section other than paints, although I probably overlooked it.

 

[pauleyman]

2nd vote por 15. Yes ive used it on suspension. Very tough stuff. 70 olds control arms.

 

[Kevs02Accord]

2nd vote por 15. Yes ive used it on suspension. Very tough stuff. 70 olds control arms.

Cool, it looks like the POR 15 has some decent prep needed but the Eastwood stuff didn't get good reviews. I guess I'll choose between POR and Rustoleum.

 

[OCD]

POR 15 applied with a brush, while the rear end was still on the car,

The three step prep process isn't too bad, and the final results are worth it, the stuff hardens like armor...

 

[AldeanFan]

I've used por15 on some restoration projects and it turned out well, but the cost and amount of prep required are not worth it to me. For a show car the best alternative is sandblast and powder coat or a good epoxy paint.
For a daily driver you can't beat rustoleum. I painted the hitch on my truck last spring and it looks great even after a hard Canadian winter. I'll probably crawl under the truck this summer and paint everything I can reach, all for about $10 in materials!

 

[Randy in Maine]

This stuff is pretty good also.....

http://www.kbs-coatings.com/Large-F...ce=eblast&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=03-15

 

[LigouriRd]

I have had pretty good luck using spray can appliance epoxy. Its my theory that it is flexible enough to stand getting pelted by rocks.

 

[Angelfire]

I must have really bad prep or something as I found POR15 to be pretty crappy. I have found a number of folks love it and at least the same if not more that hate it. I sprayed it on skid plates that had been prepped with their products. Stuff peeled off in sheets. Didn't have very good luck with Eastwoods stuff either. Has held up really well but chalked in no time. Of course, the sun in nm is merciless so that may be part of the issue.

 

[rburke65]

Well if it came off in sheets then I would think it was ad prep. I have had good luck with POR 15

 

[48RON54]

Thanks for the input guys. These parts are for my daily, so not looking for the cost of powder coating. I have calipers, hubs, control arms, etc...I will most likely go with the eastwood or rustoleum just for ease / price, I just wasnt sure how well they would hold up. I might for for POR-15, havent totally decided yet. I havent seen the cans of rustoleum in the box stores, are they usually in a different section other than paints, although I probably overlooked it.

rustoleum can be found at home depot. In my home depot, it is on a shelf next to the locked cage that has all the rattle cans in it. You get a lot of coverage out of one small (Pint? quart?) can so I would just pick up one to start with and see how far it takes you. People say to apply it with a foam brush to minimize brush marks, but I have had no luck that route. I use a regular old paint brush and lay it on thick. I personally like the gloss black, but there are other colors to choose from as well.

 

[CJM8515]

POR15 must be prepped properly, if you dont it wont stick and will flake off eventually.

I use rustoleum pro spray paint. Ill scrape off any bad scaling, pressure wash the chassis, wait for it to dry and then go to town. Any surface rust gets rustoleum rust converting paint and then everything gets topcoated with satin black. I replaced the rear in my truck 4 years ago, it was used and looked like it was sitting in the mud when the junkyard sent it to my shop. I wire wheeled it clean, sprayed with the above mentioned and its still fine.

 

[Capt Chrysler]

Please NOTE:
This is NOT A RANT OR BASHING! Just stating what has happened to me.


I have 1 good run (1994 brushed on) with POR-15 (looks great and I love it!) and 2 bad ones (2004 brushed & 2006 sprayed). Bubbles or solvent popping.

So this year I try Chassis saver FREAKING popping again! Even have solvent popping in the plastic mixing cup. This was brushed on, no reason why. Tech folks at Chassis Saver couldn't answer WHY. They did replace the 1 qt I used. $200.00 later it's off the chassis.. A car shows up last weekend for some work. Inside is POR-15 and full of bubbles / solvent pops. The owner wants it gone. So here I go again.

I wish you good luck, as I really like the idea. But I see way more with bubbles than not.

Capt. Chrysler

 

[toplessHO]

Use pro grade Rustoleum and mix some hardner in with it. Will be able to handle parts in a couple hours and hardens it up good too.POR-15 is just too fussy and will chalk if sunlight hits it.

 

[roan65]

I used rustoleum in the past with decent results. However someone recommended valspar paint with primer. It's available at lowes. So far I like the application much better than rustelium. I found that it works better to let it cure for a couple days before handling it.

 

[Justanoldguy]

Use pro grade Rustoleum and mix some hardner in with it. Will be able to handle parts in a couple hours and hardens it up good too.POR-15 is just too fussy and will chalk if sunlight hits it.

Don't turn your car over and the sunlight won't " hit it"

 

[senlow]

Don't turn your car over and the sunlight won't " hit it"

In that case, POR-15 would be a poor choice for my Jeep.

 

[mikester]

I sprayed the frame and suspension parts for my Malibu wagon with SEM Hot Rod Black. It comes in a kit. You get 1 qt of paint, hardener, and reducer. Goes on nice. Looks pretty good with the right semi gloss.

 

[charlie v]

I used a stain black header paint spray can. Cleaned the parts well and wipe down with a degreaser and usually put a couple of good coats on. After 7 years and some 60,000 kms, it is starting to show some minor wear in a couple spots. But, overall I am very happy with it. I have also power washed the underside about 4 times in the last 7 years.