Just ordered a Front end rebuild kit from suspension.com for my 71, I am keeping the control arms stock for the time being due to costs. I am going to sandblast them and want to know which of these would work the best. Primer is really only for metal is that correct? And Por 15 for things that are rusted? (They are not badly rusted and i wil be sandblasting them anyways), So.. would the best thing to do is Powdercoat them? I've heard its expnsive, I am not trying to be cheap but saving some money would be nice.

My whole suspension is powdercoated, front and rear arms, upper and lower, both sway bars, all bumper brackest and battery tray PLUS both inner fenderwells cost around $160! Very inexpensive, especially considering that they did the blasting. Easy to keep clean and looks good in satin black, matches the painted frame. I can't recommend it enough.

Hi,
My self I'd rank Paint, POR and Powder coat this way.


Paint, Nice finish, but the suspension is subject to harsh conditions. May not look nice for long. Rattle can is not as good as spray gun. Minimal to low surface protection and can get original finish.

POR Brushable for nice finish that lasts forever even on suspension parts, but subject to UV (not a prob. with underside of car). Pricey at $30 a quart. Excellent surface protection, but not original finish. You can do it at home.

Powder Coat (just starting to do this) Excellent finish, Excellent surface protection. Don't know how it stands up to time, but people do a lot of frames and suspension parts. Can be pricey if you don't have much to do, and you may have to wait a while. Cool factor is up there.

My vote is for powder coating. Duarable and easy to maintain finish. I had the control arms, core support, inner fenders, sway bar, tie rods, and every bracket powder coated over the Winter. Looks great. graemlins/thumbsup.gif

If you can do it, powder coat it. I stupidly, wanting to insist on doing as much of the resto work on my car that I could, hand sanded the frame and POR-15'd it. Problem #1, if I had acid dipped and had the frame powdercoated, it wouldn't be rusting from the inside.
As far as the POR-15 itself goes, *none* of it has chipped off of the frame, and I just brushed it on. The suspension parts painted in a booth with regular paint/primer are peeling and have chips on them. I think it really says alot about POR-15. I have smacked it with hammers, accidentally done all sorts of stuff that would have destroyed regular paint. No comparison.
But my powdercoated after market peices are the best. No chips, excellent finish, wipes clean with a simple cleaning solution, and stays bright. Looks 100x better than POR-15.
I think as far as durability goes, powdercoat gets a one up over POR-15. My verdict: powdercoat if you can. I've been driving my car every sunny summer day that it hasn't been broken for 6 years, and you can really tell the difference in finishes. It makes me want to yank off all the stuff I didn't powercoat and have it done.
Except I remember how much the frame off cost. To say the least, the car (matching # LS5 70 454) couldn't sell for what it cost to do the frame off resto.
Just a side note, the town I live in charges me more excise tax on my trailer than the car. Getting insurance for this thing in mass really bites.
Another side note: if you do a frame off, find the best looking car you can.. start w/ a 10k running car instead of a 500 buck underwater boat anchor.

Matt

If you want a durable finish, Por 15 is the way to go and they sell a topcoat finish called Chassis Black that is closer to the correct shade of black normally used on suspension parts.

If you want to go for a show quality finish, the kind you see at car shows where owners place mirrors all around their cars so you can get a good look at the undercarriage, then powder coating is the only way to go.