What's the best frame paint? Spray bombs don't hold up, automotive paint is EXPENSIVE (i.e. Centari, chromobase, etc.)- does "utility" enamels hold up? I'd rather powder coat it but it's cost prohibitive to me right now.
Thanks-
Greg Coats
'00 Rancher ES 2X4
'87 LT250R

 

Couple of options I would recommend. The cheapest I have ever used that worked well was farm equipment enamel paints. These can be purchased at most farm equipment dealers or places similar to TSC, Southern States, etc. The next best thing is a paint by Sherman Williams that is called DTM(direct to metal). This paint is designed for use on industrial equipment in factories and holds up really well but takes about 5 days to dry well.
I also know of a place in Kentucky that will powder coat a frame, a-arms, swingarms and steering stem for $70 if interested.

 

what about pj1 frame paint i am thinking of using this but dont know

 

The only thing that works really well is the powder coating. Almost all paints will eventually wear off. Powder coating is really tough to beat. And it costs about the same or less than automotive paint by the time you buy all the materials. And if you don't do the labor, add that to it as well. The PJ1 paint will rub off also. POWDER COAT, it's the best.

 

Veeshman, where do you get powdercoating done? Can local shops do this or is this a special procedure?

 

Powdercoating is typically done by shops that specialize in it. The frame is grounded and the powder is electrically charged. The powder sticks to the frame much like static cling. Then the part is heated in an oven and the powder melts into a hard finish.

Powdercoating is tough and pretty durable. The range of colors has gotten wider over the years.

The one draw back to powdercoating, is that if you have to have something welded(motor mount, cracks, so on) you can't touch it up like you can with automotive paint.

[red]One word of CAUTION don't use [/red][purple]Castrol SuperClean[/purple] it dulls the finish permanently.

 

Ok... a subject that I can help on......
Paint can hold up well "IF" done right..... Scratch the ideas of rattle cans. Powdercoat is best in my opinion with the point that Backcountry said.... repairs to the frame are not as easy. I have painted my share of frames including my own on several occasions. What works and what doesnt work:

1st: Dont sand the paint that is there..... REMOVE it. Sandblasting is best. I dont like the idea of acid dipping because you can never get into the frame tubes to treat it from rusting/rotting out your frame over a period of time.
2nd: If you dont know how to paint.... PAY someone that does. What it will cost you in materials that you will waste can go into other things. Materials are NOT cheap but you will get what ya pay for.
3rd: basecoat/clearcoat may be good for cars... but your quad frame isnt getting waxed every month nor is the hood of your car dragged across rocks and through mud. In other words... Dont waste your $ on BC/CC... Your NOT gaining ANYTHING! except for making your pocket much lighter

There are alot of different major automotive paint lines out there.. and most of them have a single stage urethane system. Some are more brittle than others(easier to chip) Flex agents can be added into the color for a little more chip resistance but gliding over a rock at 50mph wont make much of a diff... paint will be left at that rock. Most of the new urethanes have great chemical resistance also... I used to clean my frame all the time w/ castrol superclean and it never hurt the finish, even brake fluid wouldnt peal the paint off, but I knew how durable the paint was that I used.
I DONT recommend using castrol or brake fluid on anything but I know it wont hurt my paint.

Hope this helps

walter(automotive paint rep)
88 Banshee 370
95 Dodge Ram 4x4
99 Quadbuddy

 

I know your a paint rep and all that (and I respect that)....But after years of painting frames for all my bikes...I have found the PPG BC/CC to work the best... It is not as good as a professional powder coat job, But it holds up better than rattle cans....

It costs about $30 for enough paint to finish a banshee frame (thats assuming you already have the compressor and gun) ...I would think thats plenty affordable to protect a costly ATV investment.

I always start with a good sandblast and washdown. Then Time.....Don't rush it and let them coats dry real well. Go thin...don't let it build up and drip.

Again...I am not trying to be argumentative...I just know it works for me. I have a mint frame for a '96

Oh yeah...If you wax your car every month...your probably doing more harm than good. Unless you are removing all the wax build up every time (just another opinion)

Good luck with the painting...BTW...I really do hate painting.

 

The best paint I have found for cost effectiveness is Tractor paint. The strongest paint i have used is Arial paint, yup, you gotta figure a plane reaches high speeds and it holds up, tried it on a friends Banshee. Still holds up, not as good as my powder coat but still good. The nice thing about powder coating is the options, I have a dark blue base with light blue specs in it. Makes the old Lt look great.

 

Thanks for the replies. I agree powder coating is the most durable- as I used to have my dragster chassis powdercoated- however it's a mess when you have to weld a crack up. Since my quad is a stock-chassied '87 LT250R that gets jumped frequently I'm positive some frame welding is in my future (especially since i'm 220 lbs.)-- so that sorta rules out powder coating. Not to mention the only places around here that do it both want $175 to do the frame and a-arms.
Right now I'm looking at single-stage Centari or something similar. Also considering "utility" enamel (i.e. tractor paint). Like someone said, spray bombs are outta the question.
If I have to repaint every winter, that's fine. I always strip the quad completely down anyway to look for problems- and it would'nt be a big deal to have to respray parts or even the whole thing again..
What about primer? I still have some Variprime (i.e. etching primer) left over- more than enough to do a quad frame. Or should a use a "building" primer?
Thanks
Greg Coats
'87 LT250R
'00 Rancher ES 2X4 orange julius express