ckuske Posted January 14, 2021 Share Posted January 14, 2021 Hi All, I'm asking for opinions on this (everyone's got one!)... Here's the story: My truck has never been in snow, or salt. Southern California its whole life pretty much except for a brief stint in Nevada. No snow there where I lived either! The frame has some light surface rust, but even then its spotty at best. No body rust. My question is I was toying around with the idea of painting the accessible areas on the frame. I need to take the bed off to replace the wood and front cross member of the bed, so painting the back will be easy. Where I'm struggling to make up my mind is the front of the truck and under the cab... I don't plan to take the cab off, or pull the engine or any more of the front clip off. Should I bother painting the bottom side of the frame in these areas, even if the top of the frame (like what the cab is sitting on) isn't going to be touched? I was planning on using POR-15 in conjunction with the UV top coat as I've read about in other threads. I imagine in wont be fun... it will all be painted with a brush on my back (under cab and front clip) except for the bed area unless I get a bigger compressor (just have a pancake one right now) Just seeing what others think if it's necessary. About the only benefit I'll get for the forseeable future is a better cosmetic appearance of the undercarriage. Thanks, Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Lewis Posted January 14, 2021 Share Posted January 14, 2021 When I was painting Big Blue's cab floor with POR-15 to stop the rust I had some left over so painted part of the frame. Boy, it sure turned out nice. I really need to finish the job. But, I didn't use a top coat, just the base POR-15. If the truck were left outside for an extended period there might be enough UV reflected up there off the concrete to cause the paint to turn milky, which is what POR-15 does when exposed to UV. But I don't think it'll ever be left out that long, so I'm not worried about it. I say all of that to say if you have the time and the inclination I think you go ahead and paint the frame. And, if you are worried about the UV then I suggest that you just use a rattle can chassis black spray to coat the POR - but make sure you do that while it is still tacky. If you let it cure you'll have to scuff it to get the spray to adhere. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kramttocs Posted January 14, 2021 Share Posted January 14, 2021 When I was painting Big Blue's cab floor with POR-15 to stop the rust I had some left over so painted part of the frame. Boy, it sure turned out nice. I really need to finish the job. But, I didn't use a top coat, just the base POR-15. If the truck were left outside for an extended period there might be enough UV reflected up there off the concrete to cause the paint to turn milky, which is what POR-15 does when exposed to UV. But I don't think it'll ever be left out that long, so I'm not worried about it. I say all of that to say if you have the time and the inclination I think you go ahead and paint the frame. And, if you are worried about the UV then I suggest that you just use a rattle can chassis black spray to coat the POR - but make sure you do that while it is still tacky. If you let it cure you'll have to scuff it to get the spray to adhere. I agree on painting it. If for no other reason than whenever you are working under the truck you can look at the frame and smile I went back and forth a lot with what to use but settled on Krylon Rust Tough RTA9203. Very happy with the results. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rembrant Posted January 14, 2021 Share Posted January 14, 2021 On a rust free truck or mostly rust free, I wouldn't worry too much about the frame that you can't see under the cab. With my 1984 Flareside, I painted the frame front and back, but I never did have the cab off it. I sprayed mine with a black rust paint, and it looks pretty good. It's a Canadian marketed brand paint, but as far as I know it is just Rustoleum, or whatever the common US brand is. Brushing it all is fine, and most of it will look good that way, but if at all possible try to spray (even with a rattle can) the outsides of the frame over the rear wheels. Maybe this is just me and a very local issue, but I go out for the cruise-ins and a couple car shows, and it surprising how many people look under the rear wheel wells to look at the frame...lol. I watch them do it all the time. In any case, it's very worth doing in my opinion. It will look like a million bucks all painted up under there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ckuske Posted January 15, 2021 Author Share Posted January 15, 2021 On a rust free truck or mostly rust free, I wouldn't worry too much about the frame that you can't see under the cab. With my 1984 Flareside, I painted the frame front and back, but I never did have the cab off it. I sprayed mine with a black rust paint, and it looks pretty good. It's a Canadian marketed brand paint, but as far as I know it is just Rustoleum, or whatever the common US brand is. Brushing it all is fine, and most of it will look good that way, but if at all possible try to spray (even with a rattle can) the outsides of the frame over the rear wheels. Maybe this is just me and a very local issue, but I go out for the cruise-ins and a couple car shows, and it surprising how many people look under the rear wheel wells to look at the frame...lol. I watch them do it all the time. In any case, it's very worth doing in my opinion. It will look like a million bucks all painted up under there. Thanks guys! Any advice on a degreaser to use before paint? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Lewis Posted January 15, 2021 Share Posted January 15, 2021 Thanks guys! Any advice on a degreaser to use before paint? IIRC, POR sells something like Marine Clean to degrease with. You spray it on and then blast it off with water. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kramttocs Posted January 15, 2021 Share Posted January 15, 2021 IIRC, POR sells something like Marine Clean to degrease with. You spray it on and then blast it off with water. That marine cleaner sounds appealing. Especially in warm weather. My frame didn't have any rust but I went over it all with a wire wheel and then wiped it down with Duplicolor degreaser until the rag came back clean. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rusty_S85 Posted January 15, 2021 Share Posted January 15, 2021 On a rust free truck or mostly rust free, I wouldn't worry too much about the frame that you can't see under the cab. With my 1984 Flareside, I painted the frame front and back, but I never did have the cab off it. I sprayed mine with a black rust paint, and it looks pretty good. It's a Canadian marketed brand paint, but as far as I know it is just Rustoleum, or whatever the common US brand is. Brushing it all is fine, and most of it will look good that way, but if at all possible try to spray (even with a rattle can) the outsides of the frame over the rear wheels. Maybe this is just me and a very local issue, but I go out for the cruise-ins and a couple car shows, and it surprising how many people look under the rear wheel wells to look at the frame...lol. I watch them do it all the time. In any case, it's very worth doing in my opinion. It will look like a million bucks all painted up under there. Big reason why I dont paint my frame cause I am so picky I want to blast the whole frame and coat the whole frame. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ckuske Posted January 15, 2021 Author Share Posted January 15, 2021 That marine cleaner sounds appealing. Especially in warm weather. My frame didn't have any rust but I went over it all with a wire wheel and then wiped it down with Duplicolor degreaser until the rag came back clean. I'll look for the POR cleaner, thanks Gary (and add some elbow grease also, of course) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ckuske Posted January 15, 2021 Author Share Posted January 15, 2021 On a rust free truck or mostly rust free, I wouldn't worry too much about the frame that you can't see under the cab. With my 1984 Flareside, I painted the frame front and back, but I never did have the cab off it. I sprayed mine with a black rust paint, and it looks pretty good. It's a Canadian marketed brand paint, but as far as I know it is just Rustoleum, or whatever the common US brand is. Brushing it all is fine, and most of it will look good that way, but if at all possible try to spray (even with a rattle can) the outsides of the frame over the rear wheels. Maybe this is just me and a very local issue, but I go out for the cruise-ins and a couple car shows, and it surprising how many people look under the rear wheel wells to look at the frame...lol. I watch them do it all the time. In any case, it's very worth doing in my opinion. It will look like a million bucks all painted up under there. Big reason why I dont paint my frame cause I am so picky I want to blast the whole frame and coat the whole frame. Yes, this whole thread is to help me decide if my OCD can be overriden, and to what degree haha. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts