75 frame restoration

[Ross F.]

Ok,
Seems I can't do anything right. I took my frame to Paragon for them to strip and refinish. I picked it up last week and in am really not happy with the result. They acid dipped the frame and painted it. The frame had surface rust. No holes . The frame surface now looks like sandpaper painted black.
Should I have had it media blasted and power coated to smooth the surface? Or should I go over the whole thing with a sander? Or is this the best result I can expect?

[Edward J.]

Re: 75 frame restoration

Ross, they likely sanded the frame after the dipping so the paint would stick, The best thing to do have someone or yourself use some PPG dp90 primer sealer on it then repaint semi gloss black. Of coarse this requires a small compressor and a paint gun. both can be brought at places like harbor freight, generally there cheap enough. as it may cost more to have a body shop repaint.

[Terry M.]

Re: 75 frame restoration

Ok,
Seems I can't do anything right. I took my frame to Paragon for them to strip and refinish. I picked it up last week and in am really not happy with the result. They acid dipped the frame and painted it. The frame had surface rust. No holes . The frame surface now looks like sandpaper painted black.
Should I have had it media blasted and power coated to smooth the surface? Or should I go over the whole thing with a sander? Or is this the best result I can expect?

Ross,
When you brought your frame to them, or before, did you have any conversation(s) with them about your expectations regarding their process; or did they offer any description of the results you could expect? When soliciting restoration services it is a decided advantage to have a face-to-face conversation with those doing the work so that the provider and owner can come to an understanding of the expected results. This is best done with the object to be restored at hand so that the provider can offer their opinion of what the results will be. Did anything like that go on?

[Ross F.]

Re: 75 frame restoration

No sanding. Just dip and paint. Sanding would have smoothed the finish. See pic.

[Ross F.]

Re: 75 frame restoration

Of course not Terry! Don't misunderstand, I am totally at fault. I made an assumption, given that this company does total restorations, that I would get back what my brain imagined. I am now trying to see what can be done to get what I want, short of buying a resto frame.

[Paul S.]

Re: 75 frame restoration

When you say " it looks like sandpaper painted black " do you mean it is all pitted , painted over ? If the frame had rust on it then after it was stripped it may have a bunch of pits in the metal. The only way to get rid ofthe pits is to use high build primer or putty it , then sand it down . If it is pitting it is labor intense.

[Ross F.]

Re: 75 frame restoration

Think I should hit it with a sander and have it powder coated?

[Patrick H.]

Re: 75 frame restoration

When you say " it looks like sandpaper painted black " do you mean it is all pitted , painted over ? If the frame had rust on it then after it was stripped it may have a bunch of pits in the metal. The only way to get rid ofthe pits is to use high build primer or putty it , then sand it down . If it is pitting it is labor intense.

As expected, PAul is right on with this one. From the photos it looks like pitting, and if so you'll have to fill them in and then repaint. Poweder coating would only give you smaller dimples and a surface that is harder to sand.

[Paul J.]

Re: 75 frame restoration

Ross, the first thing I would do is talk to them and see what they say. I'd bet that they are aware of how the frame turned out and might be open to doing something, but don't go in with any expectations. Even though this is a hassle, you might be surprised (or you might not).

I can't tell from your picture if that is pitting or a poor spray job. Any pitting must be filled as mentioned above. I would NOT powder coat the frame. It will chip in the future and you'll end up painting it anyway (or parts of it). In addition, believe that you need to strip the frame to bare metal to powder coat it, so if you choose to powder coat it you've wasted the money for stripping. As it is, you can rough the surface up and spray it yourself or have someone do it.

Paul

[Paul D.]

Re: 75 frame restoration

I would call up the shop that did the work and get a clearer understanding of what was done. It appears that they were "acid dipping" a frame and sealed it with something to prevent flash rusting. From what you say, it sounds as if you were expecting a "restored" frame prepped and painted ready for reassembly. Without knowing the circumstances and cost involved, It's hard to say if the communication was bad or they just didn't finish the job. That may be a quality epoxy sealer they put on it assuming you would start priming and smoothing it before final paint. I can't imagine they would consider that a proper final finish. Chip.

[Jim R.]

Re: 75 frame restoration

Maybe some sanding/filling and a few more thick coats of paint will make it look nice, but your right the frame/paint looks bad.

[Ross F.]

Re: 75 frame restoration

Ok, I've been sanding all afternoon. Pits are small and sanding out for the most part. I am finding rust under the paint that I didn't expect. Also rust from the seams. I guess I don't know what a frame strip and paint is suppose to cost, but I paid $2300.00 for what I got. I guess I'm going to get is media blasted and see what the metal looks like.

[Stephen L.]

Re: 75 frame restoration

Ross, I had my 67 frame chemically stripped (tank dipped) a few years ago. It came back with NO rust!! The frame was in good shape to begin with. Upon return, I painted it black with rattle cans. Have had no problems since (7 yrs) If there is rust under the paint, then someone messed up. Chemical stripping removes rust!!!! If the metal is severely rusted you will see severe "pocking" but clean metal. Photos are before and after... $2300 is way out of line IMHO. I paid about $500 for frame, "A" arms, and wheels...

[Paul D.]

Re: 75 frame restoration

I'm sure others will have better input than I since I've never had this work done by a pro, but I would have been disappointed with the job you got for $2300.00. I'm not saying you could have gotten that frame correctly refinished for that money because, as you will soon find out, it is a labor intensive process. I'm just surprised that a "acid dip" and light coat of paint should cost $2300.00. Chip.

[Bill W.]

Re: 75 frame restoration

Looks like they just removed the old paint & tar . If acid was used there would not be any rust . Most dip companies use two tanks one to remove the old paint ,grease & tar and a second tank that uses a charge like a reverse chrome process to remove the rust .With all the pits I think it needs to be sand blasted Then fill the pits with filler , prime & paint ,media will not remove rust . I would also ask for my money back from Paragon . I dont like powder coat , use paint .