Hi all ; I have a stamped steel battery tray that the paint is peeling off of ~ I'll bead blast it but I am thinking maybe something better than the regular Rustoleum Foo-Foo can spraypaint . Opinions and ideas please .
A good rust encapsulator like por 15 works great. It will stick to bare metal, and will prevent any future rust.
Por-15 I was thinking of maybe trying ' Line - X ' spray on pickup bed liner ? . Whaddya think ? I need this done pretty soon, no where to buy POR-15 over the counter .
I think Line-X would work well, it is supposedly impervious to chemicals (battery acid) and is tough as nails
I like the non-skid feature of line x. (Would be cool for runningboards). Can this be purchased and applied by the customer or do you have to have it applied by the dealer?
LINE - x I don't know but there's a Line - X dealer in Monrovia , Ca. near one of my favorite Pick-A-Part junkyards.....
If you have the facilities or someone nearby, powdercoating would provide a rock hard, attractive finish. Just my two cents. Josh
Powder Coating Thanx Josh ; I work in an area that's loaded with powder coating shops (lotta light manufacturing here) -but- since I don't know them well , there's a twofold problem : One is , most of them are really crappy and leave fish eyes etc. in the job . Two is : unless you have a working relationship with a shop , they'll charge you the full setup and etc. to do a basic black one piece job then they'll simply tag it and toss in with the day's lot of standard black work , that's the # one thing they do ~ gloss black . I won't stand for that . So , I was asking for other ideas as _my_ powder coater (Embee Performance Products) is far away in Sta. Ana , Ca. and I'm keen to get this done as it's my car...... I've not been able to find another unrusted battery tray either~ I thought that would be easy but it's not . Anyways , thanx for the help and keep those fresh ideas coming !
You can buy do-it-yourself bed liner kits to either spray on, or roll on. Wal-Mart here carries it, as well as Auto-Zone.
Dont bother with the bed liner I tried the bed liner route and it didn't last a year. It appears that the weight of the battery always pressing on the same place pushes the coating away. Then you get corrosion and rust forming under the coating. Just a waste of time and money. It sure seemed like a good idea at the time.
Oh Well Then , ....Back to plan # 1 ! THANX for the heads up . You don't suppose if I baked it in my oven for a while , would that make it last ?
SWMBO: Watcha cookin' in the oven there, Nate? Nate: Oh, nuttin', just a battery tray for my ol' shop truck. SWMBO: Well...why dontcha' put it on the barby with that road draft tube that is stinkin' up the neighborhood? Nate: Because you don't GRILL battery trays, you BAKE 'em!!! Only road draft tubes get GRILLED, silly girl. Oh yeah, breather caps too. Couldn't resist. Andy
Hi Nate, Check a product called Zero Rust- I used it to completely paint the frame after hearing good things about it. Just follow the instructions carefully -- don't ask how I know that is important! (I screwed up and called for help-- got immediately transferred to the owner who went WAAAAAAY out of his way to help me. Check their web site for info. Good luck,
Nate, from my experience I would probably powder coat for longevity and best look...but there is a time factor with it plus you really do need someone who you can trust. There is a big difference between shops that do automotive restoration work and those that do fence posts. NAPA sells a product off the shelf called Rust Treatment that will work well but you may not be happy with the texture, even if you paint over it when finished. Bob
THANX Bob ! I don't need it shiny , just don't want it to rust up again Andy , I don't know if I've mentioned it before but I re - finish Mercedes alloy wheels @ home in Urethane coating and I always bake each one in my oven to flash off the solvents ~ this is good practice whenever you're using paints & coatings from a Foo-Foo can , I put the item in the oven and set it for 200° F and leave it there for 20 minutes or so , then I let it cool overnight , the coating is fully cured and won't chip easily like most Foo-Foo can paints will . It also helps the paint flow out in case you didn't lay it on ' Just So ' . I actually re - paint a fair amount of things @ home using the oven for final curing .
Powder coating Nate, a good powder coating shop can make it any gloss you like. They can also put it on thin, so you don't lose any of the detail in the metal if you like. I had this done on my frame for the Olds and unless you touch it (more of a waxy feel), you can't tell it from 60% semi-gloss paint. Obvious advantages to the places you can't get to with a paint gun too. Unfortunately, you have to find someone who knows what they are doing. I have to agree that most shops will only do that yucky super-glossy stuff that looks 2 inches thick. The problem with the stuff from NAPA is it is impossible to get to lay smooth...but it will stop the rust. I sure can't see anything wrong with the EZ bake home oven treatment, although I wouldn't think it would rustproof it as well. Battery acid is pretty nasty stuff. You may have to redo it sooner is all. Just my opinion????? Bob
Opinions Are Like........... ....Elbows ~ everyone's got a couple GOTCHA !! Thought I was gonna be nasty dint ya ? . I just finished laying new urethane on a ' Bundt ' wheel , layed some clear over that and set it in my car to bake (it's 90° F outside to-day , hotter in the car) I have some Rustoleum , maybe I'll just shoot it with that . think I'll need to Epoxy prime it first ? . I usualy don't .
Hey Bob ! O.K. , 45 minutes on the 'phone with NAPA , two different countermen , NO ONE has ever heard of this stuff . Is it a spray ? paint or something ? . TIA , -Nate
