Best Rust Killing Paint- Por-15, Miracle Paint, Zero Rust??????

[shawnmd]

I am in the process of getting my 69 painted and would like to seal the undercarriage of the car.  I am going to wire brush off the loose rust and would then like to kill it and seal it with some of that paint that kills rust and seals at the same time.  I think everyone's heard of Por-15, but i have also seen Miracle paint by Bill Hirsch and also Zero Rust.  They all seem to do the same thing, but was wondering which one is the best and easiest to use.  Anybody have any experience with these products? Is there any other products that may be better?

[700HPCharger]

I have used Por-15 and liked it. I have switched over to Eastwood's Rust encapsulator, I really have been pleased with it, it seems a little thicker going on than the Por-15.

[Telvis]

I have only used POR15. I like it but agree it's a bit thin. I have sprayed it and I have brushed it. I personally prefer to spray it. You really notice how thin it is when you use a brush. It's good stuff though.

[Troy]

I have only used POR15. I like it but agree it's a bit thin. I have sprayed it and I have brushed it. I personally prefer to spray it. You really notice how thin it is when you use a brush. It's good stuff though.

Be extremely careful spraying that stuff. It is designed to "cure" just as good - if not better - in damp environments. Think about your lungs (and eyes) and then decide if you want to inhale it or stand in a cloud of overspray. Definitely use safety equipment.

Troy

[nh_mopar_fan]

Same goes for when you are brushing it on. You do not want to cut corners with the stuff.

[mopar_madman]

I've used por 15 and zero rust, both worked well. por is a little tougher because your prep has to be done correctly or it has been known to peel off. Zero rust is easier to use can be brushed, rolled, sprayed through a gun when thinned and also comes in aerosol. I doesn't self level as well as por does and you definitly should use two coats. Zero rust also is half the price of por. Most important is to follow the directions on the can either way.

[terrible one]

I've used por 15 and zero rust, both worked well. por is a little tougher because your prep has to be done correctly or it has been known to peel off. Zero rust is easier to use can be brushed, rolled, sprayed through a gun when thinned and also comes in aerosol. I doesn't self level as well as por does and you definitly should use two coats. Zero rust also is half the price of por. Most important is to follow the directions on the can either way.

madman

Have you personally brushed on ZR? I ordered some and plan to brush it on. Do you have any suggestions on how much to thin it and what to thin it with so that it "flattens out"?

[Silver R/T]

you can put por15 then undercoat it

[Telvis]

Definitely wear a respirator if you spray POR15. I figured that was a given. I think it's pretty stupid to spray any kind of automotive coating without a respirator.

[JimShine]

My problem so far with POR 15 is that it appears to become very runny at a certain stage of the curing process. I used it all over the inside of my hood. It took the time to smooth it all out, keep it thin, it actually started getting tacky, looked great for a few hours. Next day it had runs all through it.

[bill440rt]

I had my '69 sandblasted, & coated the entire undercarriage & interior area with POR-15. This was the first time I ever used the stuff, I usually do the PPG epoxy primer route. I was very impressed with the stuff, but I don't think any paint or coating is a cure all to "stop" rust. That is why I sandblasted first.
The POR-15 factory/distribution center is only about 30 min from me, so I got to speak with a rep from there as I was buying the product. As long as it has something to "bite" into, it will stick. He said clean sandblasted metal is probably the best substrate, as it has something for the POR to bite into. On smooth metal it will peel.
I also plan on painting the undercarriage. It's not a concours resto, & I'm not planning on wetsanding an undercarriage again. It is a sucky job to say the least. So, POR-15 makes a Self-Etching primer that you can spray directly over CURED POR-15 and it WILL stick. Let that tack, and you can spray wet-on-wet with the topcoat color of your choice (in my case, PPG). A definite time saver. If it was a concours resto, I'd be wet sanding for days.

[shawnmd]

Has anybody used Rust Bullet,http://www.rustbullet.com?  The reason I am asking is because it is extremely hard to find dealers here in Canada for any of these products and I have found one for Rust Bullet.  Does anybody know of any other Canadian dealers?

[mopar_madman]

I've used por 15 and zero rust, both worked well. por is a little tougher because your prep has to be done correctly or it has been known to peel off. Zero rust is easier to use can be brushed, rolled, sprayed through a gun when thinned and also comes in aerosol. I doesn't self level as well as por does and you definitly should use two coats. Zero rust also is half the price of por. Most important is to follow the directions on the can either way.

madman

Have you personally brushed on ZR? I ordered some and plan to brush it on. Do you have any suggestions on how much to thin it and what to thin it with so that it "flattens out"?

I never thinned it out because the areas I used it were hidden. But you can brush one direction then second coat another direction for better coverage.Go to Autobodystore.com and their message board, many users there have done it and the actual owner of the company posts on there.

[OldVart]

Shawnmd, here's the Canadian infor for POR-15.    info@canada-por15.com    and toll free info number is 1-888-418-2468.
I know there's a dealer in Ontario, and at least one in Alberta, but I'm not sure about the other provinces.

[shawnmd]

Thanks Oldvart.  Just ordred it over the phone from Ontario.  The website is http://www.zerorustcanada.com/. $95 a gallon

[is_it_EVER_done?]

Though I don't live in an area where rust is really a consideration, I have used POR 15, and Zero Rust in the past, and didn't really care for either, However I really like Rust Bullet, as it can be brushed, sprayed, "dumped" on, and actually soaks into any rusty areas whereas POR 15 only "coats" the affected areas.

I like the Rust Bullet so much, that I use it all the time now, even if there is no rust present. I can't comment on any of the others, but I use Rust Bullet before undercoating, sound dampening (interior), on the roof before installing a vinyl top, and other areas that may not see any attention for many years.

Is it the best? I can't say, but it's easy to use, and certainly gives the impression that it will withstand the test of time.

[shawnmd]

I almost ordered Rust Bullet but it only came in grey.  Since I will not be overcoating it, grey would not look good on the undercarriage.

[Mike DC]

     
I'm less enthusted about POR-15 as time goes by.

It's not that it's BAD, but it has more complications than regular paints and I'm not sure it's worth it.  It doens't wanna adhere to anything smooth, there's funny application issues, it sometimes runs, you can't paint over it with most other things, it turns purple in the sunlight . . . all that's a pain in the butt, both now and later on.

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We're all so crazy about rustproofing after these cars rusted so badly, but do we really need that level of protection?  The cars didn't rust because nothing is ever enough, the cars rusted because the factory's rustproofing was a lot closer to "nothing" than "enough."  The best auto paint finishes from the 1960s probably didn't hold up as well as a $4 Rust-Oleum spray can from Home Despot nowadays.

I think it's less important to use the ultimate coating than it is to just get ALL the hard-to-reach areas coated in the first place, and then actually try to maintain it.  I'm thinking use a good epoxy primer, go over the underside again once a year for fresh damage, and give it a good sanding-down & touch-up when you find bad spots.

       

[is_it_EVER_done?]

I forgot to add this to my last post, but in my environment (desert), Rust Bullets silver color is an excellent heat barrier/reflector. Like i said, i don't know if it's the best, but it's definitely the easiest to use.

[bill440rt]

     
I think it's less important to use the ultimate coating than it is to just get ALL the hard-to-reach areas coated in the first place, and then actually try to maintain it.  I'm thinking use a good epoxy primer, go over the underside again once a year for fresh damage, and give it a good sanding-down & touch-up when you find bad spots.

       

Mike DC,
PPG's line of epoxy primers are the best, IMHO. However, you cannot use them over rust. Your metal must be clean & rust-free. It won't stop rust, but it will prevent it. It's non-porous, whereas other primers are porous & allow moisture to come through.

The metal must be either rusty or "etched" for POR-15 to stick. Etching could mean sand blasting, sanding, scuffing it with a Sctoch-Brite pad, etc. I sprayed my new trunk floors for my '69 with PPG's epoxy primer, and even on those I DA'd them with 180 and then Scotch-Brite'd the little grooves where I couldn't sand.

I didn't use one ounce of POR-15 on my '70 Charger. The underside was sand blasted, then sprayed with Du-Pont's Vari-prime (another good etching primer, NO fill qualities though). This was then sanded where a filler primer was applied. That was sanded and then PPG's epoxy primer was applied as a sealer prior to painting. There isn't one stone chip to this day, even in the wheelwells.

[terrible one]

No one that I have personally talked to (friends) was very happy with POR15. As said before, it's a lot more complicated than other paints, which leads to a high failure rate. It's also really expensive compared to others.