Suspension - paint or powder coat

Best to get all the parts blasted first and then primed and painted. A decent shop will probably be able to do this all for you. I think I paid 140gbp for sandblast of all the arms, knuckles plus etch prime and then satin black for my 308.

The springs are maybe best powder coated. Shocks if they are ok again cab be primed and painted.

 

I paint all the Dino parts that were originally painted. I sand blast them in a cabinet and then lightly wet sand them to smooth the metal. I next spray them with Dupont 5717s metal conditioner and let that stay on there for a minute or so and then wash it off with hot water and then dry with a hair dryer. The metal conditioner is probably overkill but what the heck.
Next, just prior to painting, I heat the metal with a propane torch just enough to drive out the moisture which is readily apparent when you hit it with the torch. With the metal still warm but not hot I spray with Rustoleum satin black paint which looks a little too glossy when just air dried. Final step is to bake the part at 300+ degrees for several hours. This makes the sheen come out just right and the paint is very tough. Not powder coating tough but much tougher than air dried paint. This all sounds like a lot of work but once you get in the rhythm it's not too bad.

 

Do you bake it in a regular kitchen oven?

 

I used to bake in a regular oven but now have a little restaurant cook and hold cabinet I bake in. If you let the parts air dry for a couple of days the smell isn't that bad. You could also bake at a lower temperature for a longer period of time. Say 250F for 6 hours or so. You could try it with a small part for a test. With air dried paint you can run your fingernail across finish and leave a mark. With baked paint it's hard to leave a mark.

 

Luigi....I can see where this is going!!

Seriously powder coating is a complete waste of time as I have done my suspension arms twice now and it still doesn't last.

A good primer base coat and a chip resistant paint will be on the agenda for me next time and doubt that will last either, whatever you do will not last if you intend to drive the car Simon. I have sprayed Dinitrol into the small crevices to give additional protection.

tony

 

I know from my single seat racing days that mechanics frown on powder coating frames and suspension pieces because:

1) the thickness of powder coating hides cracks that would otherwise be spotted when visually inspected

2) when cracks are found, removing powder coating is more time consuming than removing plating or traditional paint.

Yes, I recognize that we are talking about a road car and not a race car but I think the concepts are still applicable.

My $0.02. Happy Holidays.

Keith

 

At least with paint you can touch up where needed. I think powder coating is a little over sold.

 

I rebuilt my 1968 sunbeam with suspension powder coated in 1996 (~18yrs ago), the front suspension of the Dino in 2006 and rear suspension in 2008 (~5yrs ago, pictures attached). Like Tony I coated the parts in Dinitrol. I wipe them down once or twice a year with a bit of white spirit, just to keep the dust/grime coat down, leaving the Dinitol deep in the crevasses. To my eyes, they still look pretty good. Any stone chips (and there have been very few, despite ~500-1000 miles/yr), I touch up with a bit of satin chassis black. I would certainly chose this coating again. The satin powder coat with a film of Dinitrol has a nice finish, which to me looks very similar to the original of both cars.
Kevin
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ever thought about chemi black with oil?

 

Cleaned spark plugs on the gas stove, once.....just once
Nothing must get in the way of a good roast beef and Yorkshire pud!

 

Don't quite taste the same with oil on it!!

Your'e lucky, my other half warned me before I had even thought of it

 

~10years ago I warmed a flywheel replacement starter ring in a tray of oil in the kitchen oven to expand before tapping onto the flywheel. I got caught. Strangely I have not used the kitchen for any engineering activities since.

Blackening steel with oil is one of those very satisfying experiences. Not sure I would choose it for suspension arms though, I doubt it would last longer than powder coat.

Kevin

 

If it came painted, then it ought to be painted.
If it has crappy welds, then crappy all the way.
If fit was not perfect, then why not persevere.
Rust, definitely factory, but get rid of it

Happy Holidays!
Alberto