Well I have a very sad tale to tell. I built my own custom steel tube frame around 2008. When it was all done I wiped it down with solvent and brushed it with POR15. The stuff is really tough. I then proceeded to use large ABS sheet to skin the bottom. I used the chrome-plated truss head screws from Home Depot. When the car was done it became my daily driver. I was living in NJ and they are quick to salt the roads in the winter. By 2017 one of the rear frame members actually separated in the middle, completely rusted through. I considered trying to repair it, but upon closer inspection I found that The entire lower part of the frame had badly rusted. Looks like wherever I put screws into it on the bottom just served as starting points for rust. The screws into the frame seemed to be the weak points. I sold the car for scrap this past March. One of the hardest things I ever had to do.

So now I'm planning an 818 build. My plan is to get the frame in bare steel, make all my chassis mods and weld on any new brackets. Once I have a "finished" chassis, the plan is to send it out to a local shop who will sand blast it to get a good surface finish and then powder coat it. It'll wind up costing me more than getting it coated from Factory 5, but I should not have to worry about "touching up" the powder coat wherever I wind up welding. I'm still wrestling with what to do about all the panel and body fasteners. I've been thinking about maybe using galvanized screws wherever I have to drill into the chassis. From what I understand, the zinc will prevent any rust where the screws contact bare steel. I'm also worried about the "sealed" insides of the frame tubing. Will they really stay sealed? Once I start drilling holes in them I'm thinking water will find it's way in, so I'm wondering how to prevent rust from the inside out. Any suggestions? Comments?