Sprint front subframe - what kind of black?

[simonhorton]

Hi,<br>
What type of black were the front subframe painted?<br>
- Gloss, satin, or matt?<br>
Rgds Simon

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[Jon Tilson]

one Ive seen has been covered in oil and crud. WHen you scrape it off it seems like the same gloss-ish high temp stuff the engine sump was painted in...<br>
I reckon if yuou have it black gloss powder coated it will look fine...and last well.<br>
Jonners

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[dollyboy]

I have a weird kind of deja vu with this.<br>
<br>
I think we went down the route of:<br>
<br>
"dark black"<br>
hammerite<br>
cilla black<br>
powder coating<br>
<br>
...as the four favorites, three being comedy genius and one being the right way to go.<br>
<br>
me being serious for a change: you'll always get a few jokers on here with lots of funny responses, usually me, and if you dont know how to do something or whats best then sometimes its hard to tell whats intended seriously or not. <br>
<br>
With fixes to problems, what works for some people doesnt work for others, so take them as 'qualified' suggestions, or treat them with the contempt they deserve, i.e. ignore them.<br>
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Powder coating is truly, honestly, deeply, technically the right thing to do with a subframe, and the other suspension bits including arms, rods, anti roll bar etc etc. the finish can vary slightly depending on who does it, but a satin type finish is what to expect. its the most durable, hard wearing, most practical, long lasting solution, and anybody that tells you differently is a spoon of the highest order.<br>
<br>
with stuff like that does it really matter how glossy the finish is? its under the car and no-one is going to see it unless unless its on a ramp or you've run them over. if its the former, is the reason why its up there because somethings not been done properly in the first place? If its the latter, do they really care? <br>
<br>
Surely, unless your mission is to have the thing in bits every few years, the big issue is what coating will protect the metal the best and last the longest? If you want the shiniest most spangly looking, corrosion resistant underneath on your car in the world ever, and have a budget on a Bill Gates scale, you could get it all gold plated? now that would look nice... <!--EZCODE EMOTICON START ;) --><img src=http://www.ezboard.com/intl/aenglish/im ... s/wink.gif ALT=";)"><!--EZCODE EMOTICON END--> <br>
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Hammerite is the quick cheap fix, you can do it yourself quickly and easily in the comfort of your own garage, but in a few years it will be quite brittle and chip off easily, rust sets in, blah blah, so obviously not good as a long term answer, generally a crap idea and you just simply shouldnt entertain it.<br>
<br>
like any aspect of restoring a car, or anything for that matter, its simply a matter of how far you want to go, and what budget you have to throw at it.<br>
<br>
My personal angle on every possible aspect of making a decent looking, reliable car - do it once, do it methodically, carefully, properly, worth spending the extra ££, and you'll get more enjoyment and satisfaction out of the end result.<br>
<br>
Other people may have a different idea, im certainly not saying mines the best, and I could be talking out of my @rse because I like the sound of my own voice...<br>
<br>
Its taken me about about 18 months of planning, saving up money, gathering bits, gathering info, finding what I think are the right answers to what I think are the right questions to what I want from my car, Im sure I'll still have more questions as I go, but im trying to prepare for everything im going to encounter in advance. Even after that time, the car is currently still a stripped shell sat in a bodyshop waiting to be painted, for a few reasons im not going into. Im pretty sure by easter-ish it'll be on the road, looking as good as any chopped about rebuilt car possibly could, given the effort and money thats gone into it.<br>
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Im also fully mindful of the fact there will be plenty of cars out there that look 'better' than mine, but c'est la vie, I dont care that much, my car is my own, ive done it, how I want it, and if something 'isnt original', so what? I'd bet big piles of money that mine will go better, last longer and be more reliable than what rolled out of canley, and thats all im really bothered about.<br>
<br>
phew. sorry. im not a big harsh meanie that eats small children and little furry animals, im really quite shy and generally lovely and cuddly, but maybe it was just a bit daft to ask the question again?!<br>
<br>
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[alun n]

If you want longevity then galvanise it.<br>
<br>
The only place I've ever seen a subby rust incidentally is at the mount points. Are we going too far perhaps...?

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