I'm looking at anti-rust coatings I can apply to my Miata's frame and suspension links. Does anyone have personal experience with any of these products or one that I don't have listed?
Pretty easy to assemble your own powdercoating kit... all you need is a gun, compressed air source, the powder (which is not toxic at all AFAIK just particles of plastic) and a junk or spare oven. I'm honestly not sure how your oven would smell if you decided to use your main one. In my machine shop some friends found a free oven from craigslist and used that.
Much less toxic than DIY anodizing
Thinking back to it I've used POR15 on some small applications a long time ago and as far as I remember it worked well. IIRC it's pretty nasty stuff though and I wouldn't use it on anything more than surface rust.
POR15 works really well. If you clean up the rust then apply that, it won't rust again. A friend of mine sandblasted a car frame, then used a spray gun to apply the POR15. It ended up with a fairly smooth and glossy finish. Looks pretty nice actually. And it is hard as a rock.
I'm planning on having my truck frame coated with POR15.
If you have a garage... and don't live in an apartment![]()
POR 15 is good for applying to items that are already rusted but I suggest you get one of their kits and go by the instructions for the whole procedure to get the best results. Even if you need a quart you are better off buying it in smaller cans that you think you will use up during one application since once you open the can POR 15 starts to slowly cure. You can keep it for short periods but be careful not to put the lid on the can without first covering the can opening with Saran Wrap (or equivalent) or you will not get the can open again.
POR15 is also UV sensitive so it is advisable to top coat it with another type of paint. Eastwood sells a chassis black that works well but you can use just about anything you choose. If you do not the POR 15 will start to deteriorate almost immediately.
Use POR 15 in a well ventilated area as it is quiet nasty. Also be careful about using it on parts you may weld on in the future. Burning POR 15 is deadly.
I would suspect that under a car isn't going to get too much UV exposure. My differential cover on my previous car was coated in POR15 and aside from dirt it looked like it had just been sprayed a year later.
"One of the reasons I left Sabbath is Van Halen was blowing us off the stage every night. It was embarrassing." Ozzy
I've read good things about POR15 and old motorcycle gas tanks
Necro, but I've looked into this considerably since the OP made this thread. There's an awesome experiment this guy did with all the different products over several years. The verdict: the plain jane, cheap, over-the-shelf Rustoleum was up there with the best.
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=131753