Posted by Peter A. Jung on December 14, 1999 at 10:33:53:
In Reply to: Frame Rust posted by Ken on December 11, 1999 at 17:03:01:
Hi.
Here's my 2 cents worth! My project was a '61 M38A1, which
I use mostly off-road. It's not a museum piece, but
I feel it's well preserved for the next 30 years!
I removed the body and all the running gear from the frame.
I then used a wire brush and a wire wheel on a drill
motor to remove the loose rust, and turned the frame
over to make sure I got all of the loose rust.
Made sure to get all the grease and oil off, too.
Lots of wipe-downs with laquer thinner, or some other solvent is good.
Next, I hand-painted the frame with POR-15. I've
also used Hirsh's Miracle Paint(sp?-look in Hemmings
Auto News) with good results. USE RUBBER GLOVES,
LIKE THE DIRECTIONS SAY!!! The stuff is a BITCH
to get off your skin. Stinks, too.
After the POR-15 is cured, I sprayed the frame with
Rustoleum oil-based primer, and followed up with a
coat of Rustoleum oil-based enamel topcoat. I used
gloss black, but semi-gloss is more authentic.
These coatings have lasted through four years of hard
use, being subjected to rock dings, scratches, sand
thrown from the tires, etc. So far, no chips or
evidence of rust-through. Easy to patch any scratches
or dings, and the POR-15 is like iron under the topcoats.
I agree that sandblasting the frame is best, but it's
not easy to do for everybody. And I also agree that
there are better coatings that can be applied, given
the expertise, opportunity, and $$. While my Jeep
wouldn't live for "10 years underwater" without rusting,
the coatings seem to work pretty good, at least on
land in SOCAL where I live. Snow country and
salted roads might be a different story,
Hope this helps.
Pete