[N/A] Painting the Cobra Frame

SoonerAviator said:
Have a local shop powder coat it. They have a ton of colors to choose from. I wouldn't do the frame in red unless it was a show car/SEMA-type thing, but that's just me. If you want some color underneath, I'd do things like sway bars/calipers/etc. for a splash of red color (or whatever the body color will be). I'd go with black or dark gray for a frame.

As for POR15, it's a great product, especially for things like Jeeps/trucks/vehicles being driven in salt-weather/salted roads. I wouldn't be using it on a Cobra that's going to be a fair-weather vehicle stored indoors. Powder coating will have a much cleaner look that slopping on POR15 all over the frame rails.
Click to expand...

POR 15 is out for me just because I'm looking for a color other than black. @Matthew 's friend makes a good point about gray so you can see what color fluid is leaking more easily. In our case, we mostly want red because it's a color you don't see much and adds some interest. The frame is mostly visible with the hood open from what I've seen, or when you look under the car. Less visible when you're driving down the road or walking around the car.
 
I understand. I have just seen a number of classic muscle "Pro Mod" vehicles do the bright paint colors on the frame to match the body color, and it always just looks overdone to me. Same as some guy adding a bunch of chrome accessories to his truck. Sometimes a little is just enough. That's just my personal take on it, though. I understand the thought about fluids and the grey frame, but it really wouldn't be a deciding factor if it were me. You're going to notice an oil leak on the ground or coolant leaks fairly easily. There are only so many places a leak can originate from with a 302 if you need to track it down, so having grey paint on the frame just for that purpose is probably unnecessary. Having an oil leak on a motorcycle with a relatively small reservoir becomes catastrophic much quicker than a 6-7qt oil pan, which is why it may make a bit more sense on a motorcycle to have a grey frame.
 
SoonerAviator said:
I understand. I have just seen a number of classic muscle "Pro Mod" vehicles do the bright paint colors on the frame to match the body color, and it always just looks overdone to me. Same as some guy adding a bunch of chrome accessories to his truck. Sometimes a little is just enough. That's just my personal take on it, though. I understand the thought about fluids and the grey frame, but it really wouldn't be a deciding factor if it were me. You're going to notice an oil leak on the ground or coolant leaks fairly easily. There are only so many places a leak can originate from with a 302 if you need to track it down, so having grey paint on the frame just for that purpose is probably unnecessary. Having an oil leak on a motorcycle with a relatively small reservoir becomes catastrophic much quicker than a 6-7qt oil pan, which is why it may make a bit more sense on a motorcycle to have a grey frame.
Click to expand...

I agree, and ability to easily track down a leak has never been high on my priority list. It may end up looking overdone, but it sounds like a fun touch for the time being.
 
GRG55 said:
I'm not sure what we use will work in your instance because of the red color you are preferring.

We use Eastwood POR 15, but their prep and application sequence process is critical or it won't perform. Do it right and we have found it to be an excellent product for our trailer frames and other equipment. We do not cover rust, it's always applied over fresh sandblast (we won't leave the bare steel overnight). Everything we do with POR 15 is gloss black, and I don't know if there is much of a range of top coat colors, which is why it may not be the right product in your application Ted.

For our corporate brand colors we are moving more to vinyl wrap instead of paint.
Click to expand...

So as I'm continuing to consider this...

POR15's website says that you can paint over it with any paint. So if I were to do POR15 with paint over it, that could be an option worth considering and might work better long term. Do a couple coats of POR15, few coats of paint, be done.

So to you (and others who've used POR15 successfully):

1) Has anyone actually painted over POR15 successfully and had it look decent?
2) @GRG55 when you prep it, do you do the 3 step they recommend, or how do you go about it? 1 coat of POR15 or 2?
 
SoonerAviator said:
...As for POR15, it's a great product, especially for things like Jeeps/trucks/vehicles being driven in salt-weather/salted roads. I wouldn't be using it on a Cobra that's going to be a fair-weather vehicle stored indoors. Powder coating will have a much cleaner look that slopping on POR15 all over the frame rails.
Click to expand...

If your painter is "slopping it all over the frame rails" he should turn the gun down :D. I'll stack up the finish my painter produces with POR 15 against any power coat. His work is outstanding, in part because his name is Ron and years ago we caught a tiny run on one of his jobs and the name "Run" stuck. :p
 
Consider CorrosionX’ing inside the frame if access available. AFTER painting.
 
I have only brush applied POR15 and not topcoated it (it doesn’t get any sun exposure where I’ve used it).

It flows and flattens amazingly well, but a consequence is that you can end up with a drip on the lower part of the rails, so just take care to not over apply. A little goes a long way.

I do 2 coats.

I had a frame once that I started to strip and it looked so good I was going to clear coat it, but there were a few ugly spots, so I primered the whole thing with Rustoleum around 1995. The car doesn’t see rain, and it has held up great.

I think you’ll be fine whatever you choose to use. The most coating abuse the frame will ever see is during the installation. If you don’t drive in bad weather, it’ll look great for years to come.

Pictures. Don’t fail us.
 
GRG55 said:
If your painter is "slopping it all over the frame rails" he should turn the gun down :D. I'll stack up the finish my painter produces with POR 15 against any power coat. His work is outstanding, in part because his name is Ron and years ago we caught a tiny run on one of his jobs and the name "Run" stuck. :p
Click to expand...

I was talking about him doing the POR15 application himself without a paint gun (brushing it on). It's tough to get a finish like powdercoat with a brush.
 
skier said:
Painting metal isn't for the faint-hearted. I don't know the specifics for steel (is the factory five frame steel?). But for aluminum you're looking at acid etch, alodine (chromate surface conversion), priming, and then painting. Alodine is a chromate and as such is fairly harmful to humans, but it can be brush-applied. Both priming and painting also use chemicals that are hazardous to human health that you don't want to breathe. Most of what I've read suggest that basic face masks aren't good enough to protect you from those fumes and that you're best off using a supplied air respirator. Doing it yourself will probably be at least $1-2 thousand (including equipment and paint). Having a professional do the paint job is likely to be even more expensive.

In the end I'd probably just take the powder coat that the factory offers.
Click to expand...

Jeez...how have I survived all these years?

Set up in a well ventilated area.

Wipe down the frame with mineral spirits, followed by lacquer thinner. Brush on Rustoleum enamel, two coats. Thin it a little and brush marks will be minimal.

Total cost...less than a hundred bucks.

If you want to spray it...I'm sure you can figure it out.
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top