tips for restoring / spraying chassis?

[proffesso]

hey guys, got my hands on a 10T, and after seeing some of the great painted chassis's on the board (there is a brilliant white one...if I can find the thread)

how does one go about doing this? my chassis has a few scratches in it, so would need to take care of those as well. should I use automotive paints/fillers?

also, just an idea for this board - stickies..there is some great info here, and general sticky threads covering topics would help a lot instead of trying to dig it out

cheers,

[bearrickster]

that chassis is powder coated not painted. paint doesnt hold up very well. and you would need to sand out the scraches.

[CamplinP]

Are you going to run it?

[proffesso]

yeah i'll run this one, the chassis isnt in the best condition...if I were to get it all powdercoated, i'll spring for a NIP/Mint one to start with and keep it for the shelf

this, im happy enough to get scratched up a bit...can probably put some film on the bottom to help out.

[CamplinP]

I would powder coat it then. Paint will not be very tough. As for a shelfer some high build primer and lots of wet sanding can get you a painted chassis that looks as good as new. As far a filling the scratches for powder coating I do not know. I know it is an electrostatic process so fillers might not work.

[fordtransman]

X3 ( Paint=Fail )

Recommend Powdercoating.

If its black or grey the local powdercoat shop may be able to "fit it in" with his big runs once or twice a week for the best deal.

[USA-1]

There are a few paints on the market that provide a fairly durable finish if done correctly, Metalcast paint (poor man anodizing) from duplicolor or engine enamel baked for an 1/2 hr at 250 and let it cool slowly in stages will provide a hard rubbery finish that resist chipping if cool too fast the paint finish will be brittle and will chip easliy.

I just finished the new twin engine USA-1 chassis and it came out awesome.
This was done earlier but was repainted with black moly resin gun finish.

[JK Racing]

I vote for powder coating, I did no sanding, just had the chassis blasted & coated:

Car was heavily run:

[littleVETTE]

i'll second the powder coating. here's a t2 chassis set that i'm still working on. i got it from treehugger. the only down side of powder coating is that it throws all the parts and drive train out of their engineered positions. you'll have a "tight" car/truck. the bulkhead, suspension mounts, tranny, motor mount, and the bottom of the chassis had to be redrilled or filed down. because of the thick juicy job that treehugger did on it i had to re-countersink the bottom of the chassis, nose plate, and motor mount so that the screws were flush again. you could imagine the amount of work i had on the tranny. but in the end it was worth it. looks like it'll last longer than a re-anno'd chassis.

[Toasted Coastie]

I third powder coating:

[RedScampi]

I posted this before somewhere but I can't remember exactly where so I'll post it again here. I have not taken advantage of this yet but this gal from Phoenix Specialty Coatings does some killer work for the automotive industry:

"I've tried JB Weld before but, in all honesty, it doesn't work worth a dang. The air bubbles that are impossible to completely remove expand when the part gets heated up to cure. Basically, it feels bumpy where the JB is, and if you look at it really closely you'll see what look like a bunch of little teeny volcanoes. It blows out right through the powder coating and looks awful.

I have had really great luck with a metal filler Permatex makes though. I can't find it locally but CaswellPlating.com has it for $12 (+ $8 for S&H). It's called "High Temp Metal Filler." Originally formulated for exhaust leaks, it's good to 2000 degrees -- perfect for powder coating -- and is very easy to work with, sandable, grindable, and gets even harder when it's baked. The only thing I don't like about it is that it comes in a little blister tube with a cutoff tab that isn't resealable, so it dries up pretty quickly.

As far as your rc parts go, what color do you want them coated in? Are they polished now? (The reason I ask is that candy translucent powders look STELLAR when they're shot on polished aluminum ... like a colored mirror.) Take a look through my website Gallery if you need some ideas on colors.

Assuming the color you want is one I have in stock (and assuming in the absence of photos there isn't a lot of unexpected prep), I can coat your rc parts for about $15 each before your 10% FABO discount is applied. You would also be responsible for the return shipping to you.

If you want to send a couple photos of the parts / repair areas for a more accurate quote, my email addresses are [email protected] or [email protected]. Billy has a cool RC truck he doesn't play with but truth be told, I don't really pay a lot of attention to it so I'm not overly familiar with its components. But I guarantee you I could coat 'em."
Leanna

[Coelacanth]

RedScampi, that sounds interesting--I don't suppose you have a link showcasing any of that person's work?

[RedScampi]

RedScampi, that sounds interesting--I don't suppose you have a link showcasing any of that person's work?

I can get that for you. In a telecon now so gotta pay attention.

[RedScampi]

Here is a link to their site. Several pictures there of what they do. Leanna is super friendly and helpful.

http://phoenixspecialtycoatings.com/

[Coelacanth]

Thanks, I bookmarked that! They do some impressive powdercoating work there. I'll have to keep them in mind for the Charger, for when money's not so tight!