[starquest]

I am undergoing my first full restoration of a car. I am getting ready to sandblast the undercarriage of the vehicle, metal wash, and self-etch primer it. It is a uni-body construction, btw. I am starting to look into paint for the undercarraige as well as the engine compartment. I would like to paint the underbody the same color as the vehicle will be, viper GTS blue. What do you guys suggest?

This car will not be used as a daily driver. It will be taken out on nice summer days only, but it will be driven on the road. I want something that will hold up basically, but I don't think it needs the full protection of a rubberized undercoating, etc.

I have been scanning through some posts here and found that a few people recommended just an acrylic urethane paint by PPG. Some seem to have had mixed feelings though about how it will hold up. What are your thoughts?

thank you,
Kevin

[Halloweenking]

PPG acrylic urethane is a tough paint, but for the undercarriage I'd look into POR-15 then eiither prime and paint or use one of their hardnose paints as a topcoat. They have a blue that may work well. If you just wan some pain't preffereances go with a good urethane paint. PPG, HOK, DuPont or whomever your paint producer choice may be. A polyurethane will hold up best, but Acrylic urethane is a close second. Check the Knowledge Base exsterior section for a tech sheet on paint types.

HK

[starquest]

Sorry for the delay in the reply but I really appreciate the info. I haven't been able to research this much in the past few weeks but am starting to get involved again.

My only concern with the acrylic urethane is I heard they have a toxic smell. I will be painting in my garage which is in my split level home (basically the garage is right under my bedroom). I do currently have a temporary room lined with 4 mil plastic around the car because I am currently sandblasting it and it works great to contain the sand and prevent my full garage from becoming one big sandbox. I will change out the plastic with new fresh stuff for the paint but don't know if it will be enough to prevent the fumes from entering my home.

kev

[Halloweenking]

Kev, unless that room is airtight, the smell will get everywhere. Have a huge blower fan suck out the fumes and shoot them outside. you can rent them. Urethanes have a nasty smell from application date untill fully cured. The additives in the paint evaporate through the surface leaving a hard paint coat behind. (This is why you shouldn't wax or coat with anything for a month) As these additives evaporate the paint finish will smell untill the gasses all evaprate out. After curing time there won't be anymore smell.

HK

[Lee Hulick]

If you're not doing a real resoration and perfect color matching isn't an issue, you might want to consider as goofy as it sounds, farm inpliment paint.

This stuff, available at places like Quality Farm and Fleet and Tractor Supply stores is DURABLE! My brother turned me on to it. He lives three miles off a blacktop highway on gravel roads. He shot his street rod under carriage with QF&F black well over three years ago and it still shines. This sruff makes Imron look like watercolor paint. The only real down side is they only make typical farm colors, like John Deere green, International Havester Red and so on. And it's cheap too, like $30 a gallon. Look into it.

Lee

[trees]

I did some metal replacement on the track roller covers on my D 3 Cat and went to Catapillar to get their yellow paint. Gallon was minimum quantity sold and I screamed until I learned it was only $34.95 per gal. It has been on there for a year and there is not a scratch and the tracks have been half burried many times. Read the label and you don't even have to use primer!!! I was going to spray my new floorboards with it until my Bud talked me out of it (going to coat with ruberized undercoating any way).

Trees

[starquest]

Thanks again for the replies. I will look into that tractor paint. This car is under full restoration and I want it to look as good as possible but the car isn't anything really special. It is an 87 Chrysler Conquest btw. It means more to me than anyone else.

Due to the shell just sitting on jackstands only with everything else completely stripped, it makes it difficult to spray the undercarraige in an alternate location. However I think I can handle the smell if it only is around until the paint dries. I will just keep the windows open in the house, ventilate the garage as you guys mentioned, keep the plastic makeshift paint room, and basically have my wife stay out of the house until it is cured. But what it sounds like you are saying is that the paint will smell for up to 6 weeks? That is not a problem in my garage but I don't want my full house to smell for that period of time.