Just removed rusty old battery tray. Made changing the spark plugs seem simple. Now to find a supplier
Coat the new one with POR-15 before installing.
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I have a few. contact me off list if interested. All in nice shape.]
Stephen
Is there some connection between the battery tray and the plugs?
There is a NOS facelift battery tray looking for a car, if needed.
Ha. no. I had done the spark plugs for my first time the day before tackling the battery tray.
Why not fabricate one out of stainless steel…a good plumbing shop could do it.
I’m not sure how stainless steel responds to battery acid. Even if made of stainless, I’d probably still want it coated with POR-15.
It depends on the grade. Welds will corrode. Battery acid is 15-35%. Here is a table with corrosion info for immersion: https://www.bssa.org.uk/topics.php?article=33
If you’re going to paint it, then it’s better to sandblast it to give the paint a key to stick to.
Used to be able to buy a paint that was like rubber…maybe that would work also.
I don’t remember how it wound up in my shop but I had some of it.
Now it’s certainly possible that it was too old, but it made a mess.
The result was a black, gooey, slimy surface not fit for anything.
If you have someone local who does powder coating, ask them.
They had so many different colors and textures (even chrome!!)it boggled my noggin.
Most of the time they want a $300 minimum but you could ask if they can piggy-back.
I had a bunch of instruments I saved up for a few months.
Some day if no one buys it I might powder coat my Go-Kart Vintage Racer.
When I dropped the load off they said I could have doubled the load for the min.
I remember some stuff that you were supposed to use to dip the handles of pliers and the like. IIRC, I wasn’t very happy with the product.
Can anyone provide a knowledgeable comparison between powder coating and POR-15? I understand they’re both pretty tough, but which one is tougher?
There’s a huge range of powder coat finishes, some tougher than others.
The main thing to remember is that you can’t touch up a scratch in powder coat with exactly the same material.
Bedliner is good for stuff like a battery tray.
Got some of that in the factory for dipping very small transformers we make.
Works well for that. I suspect not a hard or durable enough rubber coating for pliers and the like.
The brand we use is Plastidip from U.S.A.
On their website they make a big deal of using spraycans of fluorescent Plastidip to put a coat over your car ! The big idea is you can peel it off and have another colour any time you like. Lots of Youtube videos if you are so inclined, although never bothered to watch any.
I have never seen a car with this treatment, maybe I just led a sheltered life or maybe not caught on around here. Most things from U.S.A. usually get adopted, good or bad.
Many years ago the company where I worked bought a Ford van, brand new. The engine’s oil pan was powdercoated. I crawled underneath it to do an oil and filter change a couple of years later, and was amazed to see the powdercoating flaking off the pan in sheets. The oil pan had developed pin hole leaks from rust. Not impressed!
My Jeeps also have powdercoated sets of winter wheels. After a couple of Pa. winters they look much worse than their older painted cousins. I’d go with POR 15 any day.
Exact same problem happened with XJ40 front subframes. Nice tough material, but adhesion on bare steel is no match for cspillary action once you get a nick in the coating. Many an owner, thinking their car was clean underneath, got a nasty shock at inspection time whrn shown widespread rot behind the plastic. I think the powder coat salesman went to work for Wells Fargo.
New car parts, like that oil pan, were not powder coated to create a durable surface. They’re powder coated cheaply to prevent surface rust, just like the quick spray of paint in the old days. Powder coat is cheaper than traditional paint in a factory setting because of EPA and similar Volatile Organic Compound regulations… and because it’s dry much faster.
Aftermarket powder coat can be amazing. I have some wrought iron patio furniture that’s 70 years old and remember as a kid touching up the paint every few years until maybe 15-20 years ago when my parents had it sandblasted and powdercoated. The powdercoat guy suggested a zinc powder primer to prevent rust. This stuff looks brand new today.
Totally agree, John. I wish that aftermarket wheel manufacturers could understand that if their nice new wheels look like garbage after two winters, I’m not likely to buy their product again.Happy to pay a little more for a more durable coating, though!
Had my cam cover powder coated…inside and out! I’ll post back if I have any issues over the years. I’m hoping for a permanent solution to the magnesium camcover issue. The guy that did it specializes in dealing with magnesium, so if it’s ever gonna work…
Had 92 Ford flareside with inline 6…had to have new oil pan…same story…rust expands coating and leaks develop…chrome plating would have been better