Looking for some painting advice / knowledge

[progmgr1]

I have some general questions about painting. I’m hoping to get some education / guidance from the more experienced builders in the crowd.

I have various suspension bits and pieces on my Hot Rod that have a mixture of unpainted and powder coated finishes. I would like to paint everything satin black, using either an airbrush or rattle cans. (The chassis will be powder coated silver gray – I’m not trying to match that.)

Which paint formula should I use for good adhesion and resistance to rust and stone chips? Epoxy, Enamel, Lacquer? Recommended brands / suppliers?

What surface preparation do the powder coated parts need? Solvent cleaning, Scotchbrite, 400 grit sandpaper, something else?

TIA, Keith HR #894

[gbranham]

I've scuffed plenty of parts with scotchbrite pads, then primed and painted with Rustoleum. Looks good, but nowhere near as durable as powdercoat. My suggestion is to take all those parts you want to paint to a powdercoater. They'll blast them bare, and give you a nice durable coating for not a lot of money.

[egchewy79]

Agree w/ the PC'ing. Much more durable in the long haul. Get all your pieces together and get them done at once.

[Jeff Kleiner]

Powder all the way. Satin black is the least expensive PC you can have done and given the cost of materials these days by the time you do the prep and application of "real" automotive paint (i.e. not rattle cans) you'll spend virtually the same.

Jeff

[progmgr1]

In my head, it just seemed easier to prep and paint everything in my garage instead of taking it all to the PC place. However, I bow to the collective wisdom of the Forum. No more satin black painted suspension - I'll get all the bits powder coated the same color as the chassis.

Thanks for your help, guys!

Keith HR #894