I got a wonderbar and a new swaybar mount kit (w/polyurethane bushings) from TDS a while ago. Everything was zinc coated. (I hate rust.) I picked up a small can of POR 15 direct from the manufacturer (it's great having them in town), and dropped it off at the local dealer body shop to have my parts painted. I always make a mess out of everything, so its easier to have someone else do it.

This was over the summer. I come back to pick up the parts, and the POR 15 is spotted. (It was applied with a brush, not spray) I can still see zinc shining through. I buy another can of paint, and send it back. I come to pick it up. Its spotted again. The guy says he'll powdercoat it for me. I come back to pick it up. It's not done. I come back again, its not done. I tell the guy I'm headed off to school, and it needs to get done, or else I wont be able to pick it up for a while. (This was at the end of August.) This past Friday, I finally went to pick it up.

I guess because they were laying around for a while, the parts took some abuse. (There is no excuse for this.) The powdercoating is great! Except, there are DEEP scratches that cut through the layers of powdercoat, the POR15, and the zinc, eliminating all rust protection whatsoever.

I'm pretty pissed, but I'm not gonna send it back again. I'm lucky this stuff is going under my car, because I honestly don't care if the paint is perfect. If this was something you could see, I'd be flipping off the deep end. (I'm very **** about the car, you have no idea.)

So, should I just touch up the scratched spots with POR-15, or should I find another body shop to take all the paint off and start from scratch? My concern is the rust proofing. I have a gut feeling doing a touch up job won't completely seal it.

Thanks!
Bill

 

did you clean the prats real good to remove any and all oil, gease, from them before you paint. and besides POR is made to Paint Over Rust, why are you using it on new parts?

 

Hey, I'm about to buy and use the POR15 ... I've seen the Spike TV weekend shows advertise it, but does it really work as well as they say?

I know it can work miracles because TV doesn't lie ... or does it?

I plan to invest some time and money into POR15 really soon. Why, I have an upstate NY car that seems to be purposely hiding rust on my undercarriage and my rear axle, etc. which makes it look like poop to admirers in my rear-view ....with all the rust.

But I would like to hear some real world testimonials on the stuff before I do invest in it. Thanks.

 

I have bought some por-15 but haven't used it yet but, the way I see it is if the part/floorboards etc is rusty you just clean it up with a wire brush and the por-15 goes over that. If the part is rust free/new etc. por 15 won't stick to it. So you need to use there hard nosed paint & primer etc. it is a very hard chip resistent paint check out the website.

 

I've been using it for a number of years; it's what it's advertised to be. Highly recommended. I've painted many suspension pieces with superlative results. In the following pic, note the backing plate. It was zinc coated, but I used POR's metal prep to remove the zinc before painting. Still looks good.

https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/atta...s-89-shims.jpg

JamesC

 

Products like POR need a rough surface to adhere to, which is why they work great on pitted, rusty surfaces. Trying to apply it to smooth surfaces, like brand new zinc plated parts, is a recipe for failure. If you insist on doing it, you are going to have to rough up the surface with something abrasive, then acid-etch it, then apply the POR.

 

If you didn't use Marine Clean and Metal ready it was a waste of time. We did an entire car with POR 15 and it turned out great, it just has to be done with the procedure of the 2 cleaners, then paint it on with a brush.

 

I walked into the POR15 shop in town (yes, the manufacturers are in my backyard) and the guy behind the desk told me all I needed was metal ready (since the parts were brand new and didn't need marine clean). When I took it to the shop, i specified that the parts needed the metal ready, and the guy said he used it.

(The POR guys also told me it would stick to zinc, as long as I used metal ready.)

Thanks,
Bill

 

The paint shop is lieing then. I have used POR-15 for my entire car. 2 coats under, 1 coat inside and 3 coats in the wheel wells. Let me make this totally clear.

IF YOU USE METAL READY, IT WILL STICK

There is no way it won't, new or old parts. Hell the damn POR-15 looks just like paint, but if you apply it to a surface that has the zinc-phosphate (sp) on it, Metal ready, it turns thicker and applies more like a syrup.

If they used it and let it dry, then applied the POR, it will stick.

I have also used it on my BRAND new Moser 12 bolt. Set me back $2200 bucks and it started getting surface rust, I quickly used metal ready and POR-15'ed it. Black as black and looks great. Def going to be using POR-15 on all my uncoated parts. GREAT PRODUCT...

 

Well I certainly hope you didn't give that body shop any money. Also, POR-15 is something that can be easily accomplished at home. Sometimes if you want it done right, you have to do it yourself.

 

They only charged me $20 for the labor to put on the POR-15. I thought it was a steal. They paid for the additional layer of paint (since they screwed up). So, I couldn't complain, even though I was dying to.

 

Here's the deal: even brand new parts have grease and oil on them and need to be cleaned (and you don't need to use Marine Clean, any good multipurpose cleaner/degreaser will work just fine). Just from people touching the parts, there will be skin oils on them. The Metal Ready is a phosphoric acid that etches the metal and that also kills rust. If applied over grease or oil, it cannot do it's job, and this same grease and oil will cause the paint to fisheye or not stick.

Also, POR 15 applied to a smooth surface might look like it is sticking, but still might not be adhered well. I have heard stories of it being pulled off in sheets from improperly prepped surfaces.

Oh, and Ospho or similar products tend to be cheaper than Metal Ready and do the same job.

 

This is true. I learned the hard way that it can be peeled off in sheets. Granted that only happened when I was hitting the area with a sledge hammer and the metal deformed a lot... But the reason was still cuz I didn't prep the metal the right way. If done correctly, it will never do that.

 

So what do I do now? It doesnt look like it's peeling off now. Do I hafta get the parts stripped, and then have another shop start over from square one?

Thanks!
Bill

 

That is all up to you. For the best results I would just get them stripped and do it yourself. Or another shop.

If you want, OK results. Leave it alone.

Its all up to you now, no one can really help you with that decition.

 

I'm just pissed that I'm going to end up paying over $100 in paint and labor for a $50 part

-sigh-

 

I painted the whole block in my car inside and out valley the webbing and the valley in the heads even the inside of the pan. i painted it two years ago just tore it apart and looks like the day i painted it.