Por 15

[stroprock]

I want to use Por15 (http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/380705861004? ... 1423.l2649) on my underbody suspension components i.e front wishbones, lower arms, rear axle, backing plates etc. I plan to prepare the surfaces by removing the worst of the surface rust with a die grinder and suitable attachment, then brush painting with the Por15. My question is, can I apply the Por15 and leave as is or does it need a top coat?

[les]

I've just read the link you posted and it's all there!---- says it is available in a few colours, will dry rock hard and best to apply a top coat if exposed to sunlight.

[JOWETTJAVELIN]

Yes, where the sun don't shine it can be left as finished, but a top coat is preferable to give even more protection. They do market a chassis coat to go over POR-15.

I have found that POR-15 is an excellent product if it is only applied to pitted surfaces, and the preparation and application is very important - use the zinc spray, and apply the paint thinly. If you apply POR-15 to painted or smooth surfaces, you can peel it off with your fingernails. Otherwise I can highly recommend it; there are exposed areas I've painted with this which haven't needed attention for years.

[MarkyB]

£27.75 for an American pint!
I'd go bonkers and use Hammerite.
Roy would suggest garden gate paint from the pound shop.
All would be an improvement on what was there originally and do a perfectly acceptable job.

You pays your money and takes your choice

[alexandermclaren]

£27.75 for an American pint!
I'd go bonkers and use Hammerite.
Roy would suggest garden gate paint from the pound shop.
All would be an improvement on what was there originally and do a perfectly acceptable job.

You pays your money and takes your choice

Yup hammerite is excellent my traveller was done in 1990 and in 2011 I had to burn it off ,as I was doing a full restoration okay it was pretty patchy by then but it had outlived most other under seals or coatings
it's all down mostly to the prep get it right and you should be okay to use hammerite
that's my take on this

[JOWETTJAVELIN]

Hammerite would've been very good in 1990, but things have changed for the worse now due to the banning of various chemicals in paints.

[PaulTubby]

Hammerite was finegans back then and a lot better stuff. I use chassis black from frosts...

[klm]

I used POR15 to restore the front suspension, rear springs and many other parts. It is important to follow the instructions, first clean with Marine Clean and then treat the surface with Metal Ready, wash and dry before applying POR15 rust resistant paint. The result was excellent as POR15 spreads evenly as it dries to produce a high quality finish. As POR15 is not UV resistant I decided to top coat all items with Black Coat gloss paint from the same manufacturer. Although the manufacturer states that it has the same properties as the rust preventative paint, unfortunately Black Coat doesn’t produce the same high quality finish.

I applied POR15 on some items after sand blasting and others just by thoroughly cleaning with wire brush. I also used other products such as Stirling Silver and Metal Mask to restore a range of components. Compared to the other paints available on the market POR15 is a superior product but it is essential to prepare the surface before applying the paint, otherwise it will peel off.

[IslipMinor]

I used smooth black Hammerite in 1998 for all the suspension parts during the restoration, and apart from the front of the lower front suspension arm, which gets blasted from the front and is a bit less shiny, all the rest, including the whole rear axle, are still very clean and presentable after almost 50,000 miles.

The preparation was that all the components were shot blasted before 2 coats of Hammerite. The front antiroll bar, which was zinc plated when new, has lost a good bit of the 1 coat of Hammerite on its front edge - maybe not such a good surface key?

[tysonn]

Markyb.Hammerite is £36 per litre so not a great price difference.

[MarkyB]

Where from, Harrods?

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Hammerite-Met ... 2583b88ed1

[IslipMinor]

£36/Litre? The 'normal' price is ~£20/Lt and Halfords have it on offer for £9.99/Lt.

[tysonn]

http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stor ... yId_255239

[MarkyB]

Economy of scale is working against you if you buy 250ml.

http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stor ... yId_255239

[philthehill]

There was an article on rust convertors in the March 2011 Classics Monthly where they carried out back to back testing on various rust convertors. The prices quoted are for March 2011.

POR15 ...........................was given a score of 7/10 £14.81 (946ml))
KBS Rust Blast...........................................7/10 £5.10 (8oz)
Rust Bullet...............................................7/10 £13.99 (24oz)
Granville Rust Convertor.............................. 7/10 £9.70 (250ml)
Bilt-Hamber Hydrate 80................................8/10 £12.95 (500ml)
Dinitrol Convertor RC900...............................8/10 £14.69 (no size quoted)
Fertan.....................................................9/10 £20.76 (500ml)
Hammerite Kurust.......................................9/10 (£4.99 (90ml)
Rustbuster FE-123.......................................9/10 (14.45) (no size quoted) Came up with the best all round results.

I used to use International Yacht Paints Marine 2 pack self-etch primer to kill the rust and as a base coat, it worked very well. Unfortunately no longer available due to H&S concerns.
I am now using Fertan as recommended by my local boatyard and who also say that they sell quite a bit to the local classic car fraternity. So far I have found that it does the job very well but time will tell. One of the benefits of using Fertan is that has an almost unlimited shelf life.
What ever you use I would recommend using a top coat.

[tysonn]

This is good stuff,use it all the time:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/VACTAN-RUST-C ... 1c2db00f74

Then your choice of top coat.

[les]

Thought I'd have some of that, so got myself down to Halfords for a litre @ £9.99. They had 3/4 litre for 18quid. Don't do a 1litre apparently and certainly not at 9.99 in my branch.

[tysonn]

Or mine mate.

[morrisbreton]

I've also just picked some up from Halfords. I had a voucher though so saved a little cash. It's a bit of a life saver to be honest. Great stuff. If anyone else needs to pick some up there are some discount vouchers for Halfords over here. Definitely worth the trouble when you're there every week - like me!