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MG MGA - Paint for front suspension

This winters project is to refurbish my front suspension which is looking very road weary after almost 9 years use.

There isnt too much wear and tear in spite if the way I drive it.
But I plan on replacing all the bushes, fitting some kingpin rubber seals (which dissolved away after a few months use) but most of all, replacing the wishbones, spring pans and repainting the springs etc which have almost no paint left on them.

I also intend to take off and repaint the front chassis extension which has lost most of its paint especially on the left side where the radiator overflow pipe has dripped antifreeze onto it and removed most of the paint.
Amazingly, there is almost no rust, just shiny bare metal.

I would like to repaint all these with something better than the thin black paint that Moss used on the new wishbones and spring pans. This all but gone and is now all just bare rust.

Has anyone any suggestions on the best way to finish these parts?

I have got some POR 15 undercoat and topcoat which may use but I understand that is not the easiest paint to use.

I have considered having everything powder-coated in black but I dont think this will be tough enough to withstand the grit blasting that these parts are subjected to.

Any suggestions would be much appreciated.

Cheers

Colyn
Colyn Firth

Hi Colyn,
I used floor paint on my suspension parts years ago and its still good, no cracking or flaking. I figured if it sticks to concrete it should stick to anything and it goes off real hard. I also painted my vice at the same time and apart from the high usage area top of the jaws its still good.
I have also used a couple of coats of masonry paint on the brake drums, nice satin black and heat does not seem to affect it, maybe because its water based. If there's a Wickes DIY store near you they make a tester pot of 250ml own make masonry paint for a couple of quid in black so you could give it a go see what you think. No need for undercoat and it dries real quick.
Works for me and its relatively cheap.

Regards
Alan

AR Terry

Colyn, I used POR 15, and am very happy with the results. Still looks good after several years, albeit the car is still undergoing restoration. It was a single coat spray application for me, has a very tough satin finish. I know of a local car that applied it over 10 years ago, has seen road use, and it still looks like new. Not sure what you mean by "undercoat and top coat".

George
George G.

Thanks Alan,
I would never ever thought of using floor paint!
I used two tins of red floor paint on my new garage floor a couple of years ago, it was from a well known maker of yacht paints ( can't think of the name)
I lived with it for a few months but it chipped so easily that I covered it with old carpet to make it look better!

Wicked paint must be much tougher.

George,
I have read that you have to paint a top coat over POR 15 as it deteriorates in UV light.
Probably will be OK hidden away beneath the car.
I'm reluctant to spray it as I hear it is very toxic, can it be brush painted?

Colyn
Colyn Firth

there are different sorts of floor paint - I use twin pack stuff. Suspension bits I have just painted with rattle can paint and all looks fine for ages afterwards.

Check the dimensions of the new spring pans very carefully before you dismantle - many of the new ones are too narrow and cannot be safely assembled

http://mgaguru.com/mgtech/faulty/ft077.htm
dominic clancy

Thanks Dominic,
I will have a good look at all the new parts before I paint them up.

If they are the wrong dimensions I will probably clean up and repaint the existing ones.

Cheers

Colyn
Colyn Firth

OK, now I understand. Yes there is a top coating to protect against UV, but I wouldn't worry about that on suspension bits. And yes, it can be brush applied with good results, flattens out well.

George
George G.

Restorations of 4 cars I have only used powder coating. Last car won a second and two firsts in the concours so it looks OK. The best part is some-one else gets to do the dirty work and it is relative cheap.

My road car (driving it for 42 years) only got rattle can cheap paint with the occasional touch-up.

Barry.
Barry Gannon

Colyn,
I used Por 15 (brush) years ago. Rock solid and ideal for the job. Far superior to any spray paint. Silver undercoat & black topcoat. It is a two part system so both u/coat & topcoat must be used together. It's the u/coat that doesn't like uv as I recall, hence the topcoat & the (chemical?) bond that really works. Solvents vaporise quite quickly from the tin. Highly recommend it. Use a few layers of cling film when putting the lid back on or you won't get the lid off the tin again!

Regards
Colin
Colin Manley

Colyn years ago I used to get a magazine from your way called Motorcycle Mechanics. There was a company over there that they did a feature on and who advertised that would zinc plate then powder coat frames. If you want I could try to find them in some old magazines. I myself used Imron on my parts but if your not equipped to spray and handle 2 part paints it would be expensive also.
gary starr

Thanks Gary
I had been put off powder coating the suspension parts as it is an area subjected to lots of stone chips etc.
I have been told that if rust develops on powder coated parts it can soon spread under the coating and cause it to peel off.

However, your zinc plating suggestion would probably solve that problem and so you have now thrown me a curve ball! :-)

I will have to look into this a little more.

Cheers
Colyn
Colyn Firth

I finally found them Colyn in an '07 issue. Here is the current web site,but no mention of zinc plating now.
http://www.ctc-powder-coating.co.uk
I have heard the same as you as to chipping and rust but I also have heard production powder coat is much like everything else,done to a price point. Supposedly aftermarket coaters do a better job of prep and care,but this is all hearsay
gary starr

This thread was discussed between 11/10/2016 and 14/10/2016

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