Well it has been 12 years since my 84TA has recieved any new paint , and I figure it will probaly again next winter. This year I am doinjg the complete drive train right down to the gas tank. I have pulled the interior out of it also. I am going to use the por-15 on the underside of the car and on the inside . I am cleaning up the inside of the car and I noticed the seam sealer on there now is starting to fall off in big chunks if you touch it the wrong way When I had the interior out 12 yrs ago the guy said you are going to have to redo all your seams next time as they are drying out. I went to town and I noticed all the seam sealers the shops carry in town are like a rubber type or silicone type. So I thoiught I would try the por 15 patch. Has onyone used this before and how does it hold up. It says in the book it hardens , is that really a good thing for the seams . I am know body man and I know there are some smart fellows here. Please let me know how this productworked for you or what you think, Thanks Roger

 

i am definatley no expert either, but arent you replacing your seam sealer now because it has hardened and is chunking off? if you use that stuff it seems to me that it might crack and give you problems when the body flexes because it is hardened. just my thoughts, anyone else?

 

Yes this is what I was wandering about the hardness of the por 15 patch as a seam sealer. I definateley want something flexible. I think I wil just clean both sides of the floor pans and coat with por-15 and seal the seams again with something flexible.Is there anything out there that has the caracteristics of the original seam sealer or is it all rubberized or silicone based today? Thanks Roger

 

been looking for something myself.

 

I tried it on a 1 st gen and it split. Also keep in mind that POR is made to be put on bare "etched" metal, not on any paint at all. to put it over original primer in any area is a waste. Being in New England I too look for a permanent solution. The current seam sealers from SEM ( I think thats what I last used) are non hardening and will way out last any on car when new. I did do the area above the fuel tank and the rear bumper frame in POR . Hope this helps

 

http://solutions.3m.com/wps/portal/3...izePageHandler

3M makes some of the best products out there.

 

Well I have spent the last two weeks under the car and in the car. I am doing a complete upgrade of the drivetrain. So I said the hell with it lets strip it down to the metal , because I will not have this stuff all out at ounce ever again. I have under and inside down to the bare metal. I did the inside with a wire brush and after i had all the undercoting off I sand blasted underneath. I did the marine clean and the metal ready , now I am going to start painting within a few days with por-15. Thanks for some suggestions on the seam sealer folks. It has been a very tedious job but I will appreciate it in the long run.

 

I have heard alot of people say they wish they did not use por under there cars. Few reasons Pain in the but to do, If it dose chip it will start to rust and go under the por 15. U will not know its rusting till its a big ol hole there. I have never used por15 so i'm not sure on it. But if it was me I would use a good seam sealer(SEM) is some good stuff and goes over bare metal. Than spray some expoy primmer.Than I would use some good rubberized under coating.

 

I'm also in the process of grinding down my interior floor pan to bare metal. Tedious is an understatement!! It's torture. Especially when it's 90 degrees outside.

Anyway, I was also wondering about the seam sealer. I was under the impression that it would pointless to put new seam sealer down since the entire floor is going to be coated with Por 15 and soundproofing. If it really is necessary, do you put it down before the por15, or after? I don't see how it could bond very well on top of sealer, and I don't see how it would help any to put it on top of the por15. Someone please enlighten me.

 

Jay , alot of the problems is people do not prep the area properley, and I could see that causing the problems you are talking about. Yes it is a very time consumiong job is you do it right. I have like 2 weeks prep . I wired wheels everything to the metal first, then sandblasted underneath to make sure it was prepped good there. Alot of highly recommended resto shops recommend it .Also I am trying to get away from the undercoating look on the main flooor other then the wheel wells. They had undercaoting sprayed everywhere on my car. Also my car does not see winters. But let me tell you this they will still rust , not much but I was surprised what I found under the undercoating .

 

Faded, I have talked to people that used this product and to the por rep up here. They recommend to put your por-15 paint down first before using and othere products other then por -15. Seam sealers should go on after por-15. But por-15 Patch that they use for seam sealer can go on before or after. But it is not as flexible as the seam sealers that the folks are recommending here. I would use the other seam sealers other then por 15 unless you want to fill some pits with the por patch first .If you clean out your seams the por-15 paint will fill it in but you need to put something over these seams that is flexible. Por says their seam sealer might feel and look hard but it can actually flex. But I want something that you can push your finger into and it moves forever , if you know what I mean

 

I have brushed a floor, and sprayed a floor ( all bare) with POR15. it hasnt chipped or cracked on the first one ( a friends car), and its been 3 years. That being said, we did use seam sealer on top of it as the POR wasnt filling the seams well, and the POR patch wasnt as flexible, as stated above. The POR patch we used on the hump behind the rear seat ( above axle) to fill pin holes ( 71 mopar) , then used POR15 after and its very nice and added much strength to it. I have have used POR15 on clean bare subframes, and I intend to use it on any 3rd gen rear bumper support I get to replace, thats going to be a driver.
When surface is prep right, and etched, its really a very high quality solution.
IF you decide to spray, use VERY little POR thinner, and you MUST, and thats a MUST wear a REAL respirator. The POR particles are heavy solids, and they hit the bottom of your lung like LEAD. Since there is very little thinner, if you even smell POR15, your inhaling it, not just the 'fumes". Yes I speak from experience.
The sprayed product, when area is smooth is similar to a powdercoat look.

 

3m's Flexiclear is a very good product. I'd recommend it and use it again to seal inner and outer seams. If you use this product, just be aware that it tacks up pretty quickly then takes a couple of days to cure. It does work and is fairly expensive, about $20+ bucks a tube.

I've used a couple of POR 15 products to paint floor pans to rear ends, and the epoxy puddy to fill metal voids, make bezel repairs etc. The paint has it's place and purpose. However, I would steer clear of the epoxy puddy for use in seams or in areas prone to stress or vibration. It's brittle when it sets.

 

Oh this is such a long process...

 

Yes it is LOL, I started out this winter doing a complete drivetrain . Well when I started I took everything out then I said the hell with it I am stripping everything off of it that will unhook and strip it down and paint it because I will never do it again and it has never been done. I must say it was in alot better shape then I figured.I stated just doing the underneath. Then when I pretty near finished sanding that down I said oh well lets rip the inside out . I figured tops 1 week. I am starting into my third week and just finished putting my 2 coats of por on the underside and 2 on the inside.It turned out real nice. I needed to put a third coat on the bottom as I started to recoat to early I think was the problem and it was a dull finish in some spots. So I let it sit for about 8 hrs and it turned out even shine all over. Today I am going to go out and paint my wheel wells and under the hood black .Well at least the wheel wells, I think I might slow down and enjoy a few cool ones today as it is a long weekend up here I must say from what I see from the product you will enjoy the outcome .

 

84TransAm, did you do the interior of the firewall? I've been considering it, but I'm not sure how well that rubber padding is going to come off, ie is it going to be reusable?

 

If you are talking about the rubber padding with the insulation backing. Yes I took this off , I cut it in the center at the tranny tunnel and again above the heater core box and pulled it out. Just get a set of needle nose pliers behind the plugs on the passenger side and pull on them.Mine looks reusable. You might as well go all the way , I found the sealer at the seam on the firewall all gone hard and needed replacing.