How To Choose A Chassis Paint
Chassis Paint - How to choose Guide
When choosing a Rustproofing Paint to protect or refinish your Chassis its a big decision. Chassis paint is the analogy of "i need a car". There are so many factors to consider. The very last thing you decide is "which chassis paint" to purchase. Before that you need to consider this:-
- How much will my chassis paint cost?
Yes, we tend to go for "the minimum amount i NEED to spend", but be realistic. If you want special colours, you want it to last for "as long as possible", you want a texture, you want the advice to go with that its going to cost. That's just the product cost. There is no point spending £200 on a superb undersealing protection kit like the 2K Epoxy armour Chassis Protection kit if you do not meet the requirements of the kit, such as good preparation, a solid key, nothing too smooth, and that you are able to take your time applying it. Set aside some realistic expectations, if you only have £75 to spend on the entire underbody you want to split 30% of that budget into preparation materials BEFORE paint.
- What preparation does Chassis Paint require?
If your idea of preparation is a jet wash down and spray it on, or if you know what preparation is and know that your going to get half way through your project and start cutting corners then factor that in to your purchasing decision. You need to decide if you are going to have that chassis prepared back to bare metal, keyed, rust removed, degreased, contamination removed and ready for your coating exactly how it needs it, or if you really don't have the time and facilities to do a "proper job". If you cannot realistically do the prep for a coating, then DO NOT choose it. Choose something more preparation tolerant, or get the chassis protected for you by an application centre who will do the required preparation, and give you peace of mind without lifting a finger. IF none of those are option simply choose a product that is more preparation tolerant, and more likely to give you the desired protection and results like WAR Wheel arch refinement Underbody Protection.
- How long do you want the rustproofing treatment to last?
"As long as possible" is not an answer. set a target, 1 year, 3 years, 5, 20, 30, and base your choice around how long it CAN last. then do the proper preparation, and in most cases with most products both ours and others you will achieve the longevity you require. The longer a coating can last, the better the return on your investment of time and money. If you want it to for example last 10 > 20 years then go for a full chassis paint kit. You need to read up on what the coating or protection being offered is, and what kind of preparation is required.
- What conditions is the underside of the vehicle going to be exposed to?
Longevity on any chassis paint is affected by several contributing factors. how it was applied, was it prepared properly, and in what environment(s) will it be used in. Doing no prep, applying a product too thin because you didn't purchase enough, and then using it in the sea could see a coating designed to last decades protect for less than 30 minutes. ALL COATINGS ARE A COMPROMISE, and if you are not realistic about that, no matter the marketing, then you will in most cases become dissapointed. If you are using your vehicle in or around the sea an epoxy based product is usually a safe bet, however within the "epoxy" umbrella of coatings you have massive variations from low adhesion rebranded floor paint, to paint designed not to flex, etc etc. you again need to decide on what type of epoxy coating you would like to use
- What Chassis Paint do i purchase?
Now knowing what preparation you are able to achieve, your budget, how long you want it to last, and the conditions you are planning to use it in you are now able to select the best "compromise" coating for your individual needs.
Remember. Match your budget, to your requirements, and your expectations when selecting a coating, and you won't go far wrong.
Good morning, I am from Malta and I have a Land Rover Defender 90. I have sand blasted the chassis and put some primer. Can you please advise what product I can use for chassis protection with a smooth black semi gloss top coat? Regards
Mauro Dalli
Hi, we would advise RCP Rust Control primer (www.buzzweld.co.uk/rcp) followed by Classic Gloss. around 3 liters of RCP and the same for classic gloss. Thanks
We have a customer that has asked for his chassis to be painted in your chassis paint but as we have not used any of your products before is it possible to talk to somebody about this. could you please either send us a contact number for you or contact Tony on 07968172403. thanks
Hi Tony. rather late on this, how did it go? we are only receiving notifications of the blog now sadly. Thanks
Hi just bought a 2005 sprinter lwb and i am wondering how much product i will be needing . I.E cavity wax 6 doors and chasis -rpc for inside floor - cio undeside -and war wheel arch thanks . karl
Hi Karl.
For the internal floor area i would recommend Rust Encapsulator here 5 Liters possibly a touch more https://www.buzzweld.co.uk/rust-encapsulator.html.
For the underbody i would go for another 5 liters of Rust Encapsulator, followed by 5 liters of CIO Chassis In One here www.buzzweld.co.uk/cio
Wheel arch wise you can use up any spare RE and CIO and then use war as a top coat.
If you need sound deadening don't forget to take a look in the shop here. https://www.buzzweld.co.uk/sound-thermal-control-shop.html
Hi,
I have a Land Rover Series 3 Chassis that was Galvanised in the 1990's it now has a couple of rust spots, as I am giving the Land Rover a full restoration what paint would you recommend for a long lasting, standard Land Rover look and to be OK with steam cleaning and dinitrol. Also would you recommend getting the chassis blasted before paint?
Cheers Kyle
Hi Karl. i would degrease and scotchbrite to remove any loose/ friable. then i would use two coats of rust encapsulator, topped with Chassis In One. i would not top coat it with dinitrol, as it will survive fine by itself, however i would recommend WAR if you wanted to top it up with a sacrificial wax.
RE is here
https://www.buzzweld.co.uk/rust-encapsulator.html
CIO satin black chassis paint is here
www.buzzweld.co.uk/CIO
and WAR underbody wax is here www.buzzweld.co.uk/war
Hello, I have a LR 90 stripped to rolling chassis and plan on using your products to protect the chassis as good as possible including general underbody and fuel tank. I have a compressor to use in the garage as well. Im going to fully prep everything and I want to use something to cure and convert the rust and then a nice OE black finish. What are the products/ kit to recommend for me, thanks
Hi Chris,
I would go for a schultz Applied Chassis In One kit here. it has the gun, cavity wax, prime, and everything you need.
https://www.buzzweld.co.uk/chassis-in-one-cio-schultz-chassis-paint-rustproofing-kit.html
Hi, I'm looking to protect the chassis on my defender 90. It has been wire brushed down to metal but still spots of paint in places and patches of surface rust in the hard to get to spots. What products would you recommend and quantities
Many thanks
Hi Chris. the WAR underbody chassis rustproofing kit would be my recommendation if you have access to an airline? https://www.buzzweld.co.uk/wheel-arch-refinement-war-war-6000ml-chassis-black-wax-kit.html
Hi I want to treat some rust on the chassis of my smart roadster, I have been told that it may be galvanized steel- despite the heavy rust- would that count against Rust Control Primer? (I was going to overpaint that with CIO) thanks!
Hi Tim. If it is rusty galv, then the galv will be old, weathered and thin. Rust encapsulator, RCP, topped with CIO will be perfect. descale best you can with a needle gun or similar, and decontaminate with a steamer as well.
I have a Nissan pathfinder than has been protected before with what I believe is waxoyl, I would like to wire bush the flaking old stuff, cure/ convert the rusting parts of the chassis rails and then put a new coat of protection over the top, what would recommend, also I need to spray inside the chassis rails , I have seen a dinatrol rc900 spray, but you have a similar product that would stabilise and cure the rust inside the rails, regards Richard
Hi Richard. Waxoil is a budget, wetwax type product. I assume you want to prepare affected areas rather than a full stripdown of the existing waxoil. On that basis i would stick with a budget product. that would be Blackit, or a higher end option would be WAR. both are compatible with Waxoyl type products. With the existing rust i would recommend rust-Prime. we do a full Blackit chassis undersealing / rustproofing kit for £60 which would suit a Nissan Pathfinder / Navara well. just use the product titles above in the search bar to find them on the Buzzweld website, but any issues let us know. Thanks Craig.
Hi I’ve just bought a new galvanized chassis for my discovery 2. I’d like to paint it black and hopefully further protect it from future corrosion. What would you recommend ? Is there a product that can be applied directly to the surface without the need for a primer? Thanks in advance for your advice.
Hi Tristan. We do a product called "GIO" stands for Galv In One. No need for a primer. you do need to degrease a new glav chassis prior to any kind of painting (fxdegreaser), and for GIO we would recommend a coarse scotchbrite treatment for the chassis. after that wipe down and ensure its dry prior to applying GIO direct. You can use WAR Superwax in the cavities, and then as an additional external layer of protection should you choose. Link to the Galvanised Chassis Paint Kits is here https://www.buzzweld.co.uk/galvanised-chassis-paint-kit-gio.html
Hi I have a Land Rover 90 and would like to protect the chassis, at the moment it has been pressure washed and previously wax oiled there is some surface rust.
What would you recommend thanks Tim
Hi Tim. for rustproofing your defender following a previous waxoil treatment, we would recommend our WAR underbody superwax. Its great for rustproofing, and is compatible with waxoil, but a very big upgrade to it and other wet waxes such as dinitrol. It is hydrophobic, and has a vapour phase inhibition for cavities. Its also touch dry and very resilient. theres a war kit in kits section of the website.
Hi i have a triumph tr5 and you have been recommended to me by the TR5 owners club
The under carriage and chassis were rust converted and then painted using a black high build paint a couple of years ago but has now starting to flake i was thinking of sanding down best i can then using your rust encapsulator, all in one chassis paint, and then war over the top ? have you any other suggestions,
I have a chassis with front and rear cross members needing attention, I’m going to use buzzweld rust encapsulator, the rest of the chassis is not to bad and already has a paint coat, can I put the rust encapsulator on top of this paint?
Hello, I operate a classic car restoration business in SE England. I am looking for the definitive anti corrosion chassis paint to treat my clients car chassis members with. If you have any product samples available please be so kind as to post them to me at. Many thanks in anticipation, Mr Michael Delaine
Hello, I am restoring a classic BMW car. I am looking for the definitive anti corrosion metal paint, with which to treat the chassis with. If you have any product samples available (in either dark brown or black), please be so kind as to post them to me at *********************************, together with your pricing matrix for bulk quantity purchase. Many thanks in anticipation, Mr Michael Delaine
HI Michael. We do not provide samples, but if you want to give us a call 01454537637 we can certainly help. Thanks
We suggest you to choose a chassis paint colour which makes your car look awesome. Introducing the new "Red Velvet" paint. A total stylish effect