POR15 Recommendations

For any of you that have used POR15 as a chassis paint, I have a few questions:

Of all of the products shown on their website, did you use their Rust Preventative Coating, the Top Coat, the Urethane, their primer or some combination of these?

Did you spray, brush or rattle can?

Gloss, matte or semi-gloss?

Black, gray or silver?

Did you use their metal prep prior to painting?

One or two coats?

How much do you think would be needed for a Formula Ford frame, pint(s), quart?

Any other words of wisdom?

My Crossle is currently undergoing sandblasting, after which I’ll be painting. Searching threads from the past few years, the discussions seem to indicate that this is the most durable and reasonably priced stuff to use.

Thanks in advance

While I have not used on a Formula Chassis I just used the POR15 on truck bed with good results. I used the rust neutralizer first as it still had some surface rust showing and allowed a few days to ensure it was completely dry. With the POR15 I tried a foam brush first and due to the sharp surfaces they did not last long so I moved to a brush. Be sure to cover every part of your body and wear a respirator (if not full face) then wear googles, I recommend a Tyvek suit that you can pick up at Lowes to cover your body including your head. I say that because it is a very thin coating so it splashes easily and once on you it takes weeks to disappear and no solvent will take it off unless you do it immediately. Similarly put a tarp under it and do it away from anything you value or do not want any to splash on. I had rubber gloves on and apparently one finger developed a small hole so I had a black finger tip for weeks. I put the first coat on and waited until it flashed to a point that you could drag a gloved finger on it and then put my 2nd coat on it. While the 2nd coat dried I prepared the urethane top coat, I used gray gloss because black wasn't available. It recommends that you top coat the POR15 within a similar time frame unless you want to scuff the POR15. The urethane flows out very nicely and left a nice gloss on it with a brush and left no brush marks. I used a little more than half a gallon of the POR15 to do the underside of an 8 foot truck bed with 2 coats, make sure to use plastic wrap, a couple of layers, between the lid and the can or you will never get the lid off again. I used 2 quarts of the urethane to do two coats on the underside of the bed as a frame of reference. The urethane uses a catalyst that you mix into it and once it is mixed it has a limited pot life so I would only mix what you plan to use, you can always mix up more. From all reports its tough a nails but I am still finishing the final exterior paint on the bed so I can't report on the durability. If you can do outdoors that is preferred as both products require a good respirator, change your filter cartridges to make sure they are fresh. I would not do it in enclosed garage unless I had a supplied air respirator system. I have pics if you would like to see end result.

Years and years ago I did a Reynard FF with POR15. While the stuff is near indestructible, it certainly has it’s challenges during application as Joe says below. You DON’T want the stuff on you (anywhere). It hardens very quickly in the cans, and it’s damn near impossible to get the cans back open after the first time you use it. Multiple layers of plastic wrap between the can and the cover will fix that. It generally brushes on smooth, and the brush marks will mostly disappear. Multiple smaller cans are better than one large can in my opinion so you don’t have to worry about hardening or not getting the can open again.

The one negative I found was that if you were not VERY careful you ended up with little mini stalactites on frame. The drips hardened quickly into noticeable mounds. It was easy to slice the drips off, but the cut—off areas didn’t match the finish of the rest of the paint.

I use this and KBS rust stop on Corvette frames . Sandblast then clean before coating. This is a coating not paint. It dries like a coating of plastic , very tough stuff . Like has been said, DO NOT GET IT ON YOUR SKIN ! It has to wear off and the fumes are very , very bad. Do not spray it, if it gets in you lungs you are in BIG trouble. I use 1 inch disposable brushes,buy a box of em. Mix well and pour off less than what you think you need into a smaller container. A little goes a loooong way. Do not dip your brush into the can and do not pour leftovers back in the can. As has been said, seal the can with saran wrap or you will have to cut the lid off next time you use it. Been there done that. Sealed properly it does have agood shelf life. I like it and use it (like lst week) . You wont believe how well it flows and smooths out. Great stuff ! have fun and be safe. Good luck.

I used POR15 on an automobile frame (Lotus) and was pleased with the results. If you are going down to bare metal, definitely prime/etch first.

Use disposable brushes. In fact, make sure that everything in the vicinity of the paint can and brush is disposable. :) As others noted, it cannot be cleaned off anything.

Still have remnants of POR15 on the shop floor from painting a chassis 20+ years go. If you do get it on your skin, I will take 2 weeks for your skin to shed a layer to get rid of it.

You sir have been warned………