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MG TD TF 1500 - Ideal Chassis Coating

Once the weather becomes bearable, I will be finishing the sandblasting of the chassis of my PA at which point, it will have to be painted. This is new ground for me and I need some guidance.

It seems that there are several options for sealing and painting the chassis. I expect that the finished job will be mostly bare metal, but there will always be nooks and crannies that even the most vigorous sandblasting can’t get at.

I have a question concerning the surface hardness. Some products brag that their product leaves a rock-hard, almost ceramic surface, whilst others will leave a softer, more workable finish. Which is best?

In Québec, we use enormous quantities of salt, the City of Montreal uses a product by Rohm & Haas called “Catholic Black Max” (seems like a weird name) on the chassis of their many salt trucks. Eastwood have at least 2 options including a ‘Ceramic’ system. And there’s the 3-step POR process. Googling “chassis paint” brings up many more alternatives.

Some even require that the surface have rust on it as part of the process.

I’d be grateful for your comments.

Gord Clark
Rockburn, Qué.
Gord Clark

Gord, After sand blasting, I primed this with a black primer and then applied 2 coats of Martin Senior Tough Coat enamel. It looks great and is very durable. If I did another, I would use the same paint, but of course, that's just my preference. PJ


Paul161

Another shot,



Paul161

Gordon, I recently had my chassis undergo some repairs and had most of the work done by a local builder of hotrods and custom cars. The standard of his work is extremely high, winning best car at show at major gatherings in an arena where the presentation is of the top order. I pretty much took his advice on the process followed.
He initially did repairs as needed and checked the geometry to the specifications in the workshop manual. The chassis was then wet blasted with a rust preventative ingredient in the solution which gives a bit of breathing space to get the primer on. This method also keeps surface temperatures down during blasting (which is more important when doing thin panels than a chassis). The only areas I had to do more work on by hand were between the pedal box and the chassis and inside the front cross member. I used spray degreaser and rags on sticks to get rid of grime and prepare for painting.
It was painted in a two-pack epoxy primer which was left several days to cure. I then rubbed the primer down with wet and dry which gave me the opportunity to knock off dots of weld spatter, slag and such and tidy up any sharp edges with a file. When smooth to the hand it was touched up where needed with primer, left to cure again and then sprayed in a very hard surfaced satin black paint finish somewhat similar I believe to POR 15 but not as critical in its application protocols. I will need to check on the name of the product used.
I believe I now have a chassis that is very well protected against chipping or abrasion. The guy who did the work says that you can belt it with a hammer and the paint wont come off. I will take his word for it.
I used Bilt Hamber Dynax S50 inside the box sections. It is available in spray cans with a long thin flexible wand.
Hope this is of interest to you.
Michael


M R Calvert

Probably not the direction you want to go Gord, but I haven't seen any reason yet why the powder coating I had done wasn't a good choice. I had various parts coated on my B that are also prone to corrosion that still look just as good today as they did 20 plus years ago. Something that I would not have been able to say about any paint I have ever used. Since I live in a very dry climate and don't have the MG's out when they spray mag chloride on the roads I can't say how well it would hold up to more extreme conditions.

I know that a lot of people speak highly of the Por product but I have no personal experience.

MG LaVerne

I've always thought powder coating would be a great choice IF you've got a guy with a big enough oven...
Geoffrey M Baker

Some very useful information here. Thanks a lot.

You're right LaVerne - powder coating is more than I care to do. What's more, the only oven big enough to bake an MG chassis, is abt 75 Kms form here.

Paul, your chassis is about where I'm going to go. Taking extremes to finish a chassis that we won't live to appreciate, is not my cup of tea, and I doubt the next owner (in my case, my kids, now in their 50s) probably won't appreciate it either.

Fortunately, I don't have a pedal box, but I do have outriggers, so something like Bilt Hamber Dynax S50 is of definite interest. Eastwood also make a similar product - see:- http://www.eastwood.com/internal-frame-coating-w-spray-nozzle-qt.html. Thanks Michael. Your chassis is a work of art.

Incidentally Bilt Hamber products seems to come highly recommended, but I couldn't find them in North America. Looks like I'll have to import the product.

Obviously, the prep is the key. Except for coating over rust, most are a 3-step process.

I'm still open to suggestions, so let me know if there's anything out there I should be looking at.

Gord Clark
Rockburn, Qué.
A. Clark

I've always been a fan of POR15, top coated with their Chassis Coat. It gives a period appropriate finish and is hard as nails. It also won't let rust creep underneath like other coatings. It can be applied with a brush and leaves a nice smooth finish when left to self-level and cure. Prep is extremely important however, as any oil or grease will cause the product to fail in those areas.

Not a TD but here's a photo of a front end I did in this finish.

Steve Simmons

Gord, the primer used on my chassis was manufactured by De Beer and called Epoxy 1. It was given 2 coats. The finish coat was manufactured by PPG and called Amerlock. This is also a two pack epoxy system. It was given an initial very light coat followed by 2 medium coats, (what he called two and a half coats).
With your problem of salt on the roads, (which thankfully we do not have here), you might like to read the testing done by the University of Hertfordshire School of Engineering on Dynax S50 and a number of other similar products. It is titled “Assessment of wax coatings using a cyclic salt spray corrosion test”. You can find it at http://www.bilthamber.com/media/downloads/PG-BH13-001.pdf. Admittedly commissioned by Bilt Hamber, but nevertheless gives a bit more confidence than just reading the back of the can.
Michael


M R Calvert

GORD.
I was introduced to POR-15 around 1971. At that time I was building a marine business on a canal leading directly to the Gulf of Mexico.Om my dock I mounted a gas(petrol) pump. It had a provision on top for one of those round globes.In it's place there was a rectangular 10" square plate.It was very rusty. The tech rep from South Marine suggested that I try POR-15. A light scuffing with sandpaper and a singular brushed on coat of POR-15 was still in place and showing zero rust some 12 years later when I sold the business.
I have used it on MG frames by both brush and spray gun. The rep suggested that I flow water on the booth floor prior to pinting as moisture accelerated the curing process.
Sandy
Sandy

More great info - thanks again. I went to the Bilt Hamber web site and got up-dated. I'm pretty well decided that I will use their Dynax S50 for the nooks and crannies. The Bilt Hamber product seems to me manufactured in Poland, but I will buy it from the UK.

One issue that seems to have been sidetracked, and that is the process of etching. I will be starting with a bare metal frame, except where the original finish simply cannot be removed; and I will apply the product immediately following a sandblast session and before I return the chassis to the garage. I imagine it will be neigh-impossible to do the entire frame in one session. Any comments on etching?

For the main coating, it looks like POR15 has the best record. I tried to find the Martin Senior Tough Coat enamel recommended by Paul161, but came up empty handed.

I would like to set the record straight about the use of road salt. It is common Sodium Chloride (NaCl) - not 'Calcium' or as some have suggested Magnesium Chloride (Comparatively expensive). Road salt is used between December and April here in the North. Except for Sandy (Sanders) who, although he now lives in Florida, spent a good part of his life here in Québec, so he and perhaps Laverne, will know that we don't drive our MGs, or any expensive car for that matter, in the winter. Salt is murder on a car, particularly early cars. And you should see what it does to interior carpets!

For comparison for you Aussies, Queensland is abt 1.8 mln Kms², Québec is abt 1.5 mln Kms² and Texas is abt .8 mln Kms².

Again, thanks for some valuable guidance.

Gord Clark
Rockburn, Qué.
Gord Clark

Gord, I didn't mention that My chassis has a thin coat of etching primer for it's first coat and then two coats of Dupont primer on top, so really it has three thin coats of primer verses one heavy coat, took three days to prime it, then the Martin Senior went on. Sorry I didn't mention that in the beginning. PJ
Paul161

I use an epoxy primer after sandblasting and pit filling then use Rustoleum satin black enamel. better than factory, looks factory, not like powder coating, and is easily touched up down the road. It's a nice system.
Brian W.
ZBMan


Steve, that looks like a 36 Ford front axle and hubs. PJ
Paul161

I used POR15. I did a test area over existing paint but it peeled off in sheets. I then sand blasted and treated the metal as specified by POR and it turned out great.
Mike
Mike Hart

Pretty darn close, Paul. It's a '39 pickup. Still has a long way to go before it's back on the road. So the '25 does all the lumber and engine hauling. Tough old trucks, these.

Steve Simmons

This thread was discussed between 11/02/2016 and 15/02/2016

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