93Xtra-Cab

My dad has been working on a 2000 Blazer Zr2 for a while now. Yes, I know. It's not a Toyota, but bear with me. About a month ago, he bought an asphalt fence paint from Tractor Supply Co. called Fence Post Black Beauty to coat the frame and the underside of the floor pans.

Photo-0011.jpg?t=1378935514

This stuff was only $15 for a gallon! On the back of the can, it said it's waterbased, which was a bit concerning to me. It actually sprayed nice and even, which was surprising. I have no idea what kind of sprayer he used. The truck is still on jackstands in the driveway and hasn't been driven since it was applied so I don't know about its durability just yet. If I can remember to, I can get some pics of the blazer with this stuff on it.

I've google searched it and it seems a few have tried it

http://tnttt.com/viewtopic.php?f=21&t=49290&start=15
http://tnttt.com/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=26882

I'm at the point now where I want to clean up and protect my frame of my truck (See? This is Toyota related after all ). I'm trying to weigh the benefits of using this stuff, which is dirt cheap, vs. a name brand asphalt based undercoating (College kid budget *sigh*). Would I clean/wirewheel/degrease the frame, then use POR-15, and then put this on top of it. Would I even need POR-15?

I'm curious to hear your opinions on this stuff, if any. Good or bad...all is appreciated

snobdds

Good epoxy primers (2 part kind, not the spray can type) are the way to go these days. Then use an industrial coating like John Deere Black and the metal will out last you. It dries so hard that it last forever.

PPG makes the best 2 part epoxy on the market, it's not cheap...but you would only need a quart of it to paint the entire frame.

Nervo19

Interesting...I googled it expecting some feedback on other car forums but there aren't any. It looks like the folks on the trailer forums are using it instead of roofing tar on the underside. It had rust proofing in it. One guy said it takes A FEW DAYS to dry and after that the stink goes away and it is messy (runny?). As a poor college student I can understand using it to try and save some money. Especially if you use your dads' free leftovers. Let us know how it works out.

93Xtra-Cab

Thanks! I have no knowledge about epoxy primers. I do know that usually the stuff in aerosol cans is lower quality than stuff you get in a quart or gallon and thin and spray yourself. I'll have to do some research on that.

Would there be any benefit to painting the entire undercarriage, frame and floorboards? The roads in Maryland are bascially paved with salt during the winter

It did take a day or so to dry. I don't remember any smell, though. Even if there was a smell, it's a non-issue in my opinion. I'll have to ask my dad about it being runny. Again, I wasn't there when he sprayed it. He did get a bit of overspray on his Dodge Stratus, which he didn't care about since it's on its last leg. The Blazer is his replacement vehicle He won't have any leftover, though. He's planning on coating his '68 K10 with it.

thebeeler

As someone who is actually in the automotive repair business, I would not recommend using that anywhere on a vehicle that you care about. POR15, Chassis saver by Magnet Paints, SEM Rust Sheild, and Zero-Rust are by far the best methods of frame and under body coating. There are others, but those are the most commonly stocked by your local Jobber. If you want some sort of rubberized protection I would recommend a 2 part bed-liner, such as US Chemicals Defender bed-liner with epoxy technology or UPOL Raptor.


Epoxy primers are good, but they are no longer the best or greatest solution. PPG is no where near the best, sorry. You can have just as much durability with 1 of the products I mentioned above and it will be a simple 1 step process, not priming them re-coating with a top coat. Also just because it's says John Deere doesn't mean it's "industrial" generally the paint sold at Tractor store's is total Crap.

93Xtra-Cab

I have heard of POR-15 and Chassis Saver. I haven't heard of the SEM Rust Shield, but after a quick Google Search, it seems to get good reviews. Plus it seems more in my price range. $150+ for POR-15 is kinda expensive for me, plus the cost for prepping materials.

CJM

That stuff looks like it would dry rough and collect dirt overtime.

I have had good success spraying everything over with rustoleum rust converting spraypaint then topcoating with rustoleum black. Heck I sprayed my frame dirty and it worked, only sprayed it again a few years later. BUT I only had surface rust.

The only surefire way to stop rust is to clean it off and coat with, then use fluid film as an undercoating. Its aheavy oil that does not come off easily. We used it for years on plow trucks.

93Xtra-Cab

I've used rust reformer and a rustoleum topcoat with little success. It was an aerosol topcoat, which is probably why. It seemed like after a couple months, the paint rubbed off and the surface rust re-appeared.

CJM

How clean was it before you started? I powerwashed my frame then waited for it to dry for several hours the 2nd time I did it.

93Xtra-Cab

All I did was knock any big chunks off and then wire brushed the surface rust.

snobdds

You have no idea what John Deer Black industrial coating is and your going to try and lecture me about haw "crap" it is. Then you discredit Epoxy primers for things like Por-15? Por-15 has to be the most overrated product on the market. If you don't use all "Por-15" prep products, it won't work. Then if you don't use their top cot...it doesn't work. Never again will I use Por-15, it looks good for a few years, but it quickly looses it's luster.

Then you discredit PPG like it's some third world product. However I get the subtle feeling you've never actually used any of these products. But you feel like your an expert because you work in a body shop, probably as the sanding boy.

speedypedro

Hello 93Xtra-Cab. I can't necessarily comment on what is the best solution - I guess that depends on how long you are going to keep your Yota...

What I can tell you though is my experience with my 87 pickup I bought from a close friend. My buddy bought this pickup 15 years ago and had to replace the bed. Once installed, him and his father lathered up the frame and bottom of the bed with roofing tar. 14 years later I bought the truck and the front of the frame was beautiful, the rear of the frame has the typical rust on the shackle next to the gas tank and the round spare tire cross member rusted all the way through on the top side. The bottom of the bed has a few spots that rust was showing through (the tar wore / washed off). Overall not really bad for 15 or so years and moderate off road abuse.

I pulled the bed and figured I would POR15 the rear of the frame and under the bed so it would last another 15 years. Well... ultimately my whole POR15 budget went to solvents, scrapers, wire brushes / wheels, multiple propane torch bottles, beer, and bribery for my daughter to help. I bet I spent 60 hours, and $300, trying to remove the tar. I ruined a nice Ryobi oscillating tool, a huge patch of grass died, stained my concrete driveway, ruined a couple of shirts, and a pair of shoes. (no offence to my friend - I got a great deal and would go through this again without question)

So... to say the least it was ugly and ultimately a spray bottle of gasoline was the best and most dangerous way to get this stuff off. If you are going to keep the Yota for a while take it from me use a product like POR15. I don't believe it is the perfect scenario but if you have to revisit the frame and bed in a few years you will not destroy your home and marriage or piss off your neighbors because your side yard smells like an oil refractory.

Food for thought...

thebeeler

Yes I will agree with you that POR-15 is a very over rated product, you obviously do not understand that it is a frame coating thus it has no UV protection, says that right on the can. I personally prefer SEM Rust-sheild over all of them because it actually uses a hardner. They have a new Low VOC product coming out that I got some samples of about a year ago when it was still in the testing stages, I used it on a couple tri-5 Chevy's I restored and the stuff is awesome.

John Deere coatings are at the bottom of the chart with companies such as Valspar.. If I want cheap DTM paint, as in $35 for white and $30 for black, Sunburst Coatings by BERTS PAINT is the way go, nothing even comes close to it in quality and in price. Blows anything Sherwin Williams makes out of the water also.

PPG is not a 3rd world product, but their customer support, salesteam/reps, and the way they run the company is. You can use their competitor Matrix System, I have 3 bodies shop that spray all their products, and get a product that is just as good if not better and for a lesser price. The same goes for Axalta the company formerly known as DuPont. But hey if you like products that stay gummy and are a bitch to sand and don't seal on a chemical level, sounds like epoxy's are the products for you. If that doesn't sound like fun there are plenty of other DTM 2k primers out their for ya, want some sticker shock, check out Diamont DP20, I have 2 shops that spray nothing but Diamont products also. But hey don't take my word for it, I haven't managed a Body Shop or a body shop supply company before. Feel free to PM me if you have any real paint questions or need tech help with a paint related product.

Nervo19

My initial reaction was "go for it" in the spirit of experimentation. Thebeller makes a lot of sense! I've never had to remove a tar like substance from a vehicle. If you are going to go to all the trouble you may as well use something you won't have to deal with again. Epoxy primers are really supposed to be the best. On other car forums a lot of people use Southern Poly products. They make a black two part epoxy primer that is $66 a quart for each part and made in GA:


http://www.southernpolyurethanes.com

The rustoleum failed on you, IMO, because you did not do a proper prep job. I used it about three years ago on a 30 year old boat trailer and it still looks great. I wire brushed, sanded rough parts, and degreased with Simple Green. I used rusty metal primer from a spray can and hammer finish paint in silver. It's holding up up just fine and it was cheap to do.

93Xtra-Cab

I'm gonna go ahead and put on my flame suit right now...


...I ended up using the fence paint to coat my frame and the underside of the cab and bed. I wire wheeled the bejeesus out of the frame and sprayed some rust treatment over everything and then my dad sprayed the paint yesterday. I'm pretty confident it will hold up. Think of this as a experiment. You never know until you try. If this fails, I'll clean it off and use something else and everyone who reads this will know not to do it this way.

I'll post some pics later if I remember to do so.

EDIT: In case anyone is wondering, this is the rust treatment I used beforehand: http://www.westmarine.com/webapp/wcs...1#.UoE10XB4wk4

93Xtra-Cab

Ok, some pics:









Ignore my busted CV boot. I have one on order.

Teuf

Looks good to me. Anyway the frames rust from the inside out too. Dang.