Hi,

I am getting close to finishing up my rustoration on the passenger side of the car and I have looked over lots of other rustoration threads on the forum and have not been able to come up with a clear idea of the order I should apply my protective stuff.

Should I…

Option #1 – Apply Seam Sealer, POR-15, POR-15 Topcoat and then primer for Paint

*** -- or -- ***

Option #2 – Apply POR-15, Seam Sealer, POR-15 Topcoat and then primer for Paint

Any other opinions appreciated!

Thanks,
Larouex

If the metal is clean, prime, seamsealer and then paint. No need to POR.

So you are saying that all the other ones I have seen are doing overkill by applying the POR-15 and all that?

I sure want to have the maximum protection after all this hard work I have done <g/>

POR is a fix. If you use it to fix surface rust when you don't want do the job right or can't get to the face of the metal, like inside the longs. Primer over clean metal is the best way.

You will get a lot of different opinions regarding POR-15. Some love it, some hate it. My opinion based upon my usage is that it's good stuff if used properly. Surface prep (as with pretty much any paint) is keep. I think those who have bad experience with POR-15 are painting over dirty spots (need to clean), or super smooth surfaces (need to rough up and/or etch with something like Ospho) and this allows it to peal. Also it is my understanding that it can be affected by UV light, so it should not be the final paint on parts that will see the light of day.

I would tend to agree that if the Panel is 100% rust free, then you may not need POR-15. However I am using it in some strategic locations that currently don't have rust, but are prone to rust. Mostly this is in interior cavities that I currently have open and will not be painted once I close them up. I will also use it in a few exterior spots that I will eventually prime and paint as well.

On the assumption you are talking about areas that are rust repair and might have some rust that you can't be sure if you have removed as well as you would like, then I would try to follow the POR-15 instructions. That basically is to clean the section as best as you physically can. This includes removing any dirt, oil, grease, etc. Then I would use something like Ospho or Metal Ready which will give you a zinc phosphate layer as well as etch the surface a bit to help the POR-15 adhere. Then I would apply the POR-15. Then I would put the seam sealer on top of the POR-15.

I can't speak to the POR topcoat and primer. And if you are using an epoxy primer, it is possible that you might want to put the seam sealer on after the primer.

Like the others have said. If the metal is rust free a good epoxy primer will work good. If you use the por15 I would also use the por tie coat primer then a top coat. Use the seam sealer on top of the tie coat primer as it may not stick to the por 15. Por15 dries hard and slick and paints have a hard time adhearing to it. Thats what the tie coat primer is for. You might not like the baby blue color of the tiecoat primer though.

Por 15 is really meant to cover rust that has been cleaned and treated with metal treat (ospho). Good epoxy primers are as durable as por15 but they should be top coated. seam sealer should not be used on bare metal if you are using epoxy primer it will seal and adhear better than the sealer. Put the sealer on top of the primer.

Excellent information. I have not had the expereince with painting, primer and the like and that is my next area to get investigated. These answers help me finish up where I am at with the rustoration <g/>

To add to the comments above, the POR 15 is really thin, and does a great job of flowing into small nooks and crannies. I asked the POR folks, and they said to use the POR 15 first to take advantage of this wicking capability. I had seam sealer applied directly to areas of POR 15 that I didn't plan to paint over, and it adhered very well. Otherwise, the above comments about POR 15 being hard to paint over unless it is properly scuffed and primed are correct. It is a very hard paint, and is very hard to scuff for topcoating. It is a good treatment for areas that cannot be completely de-rusted. Epoxy is good for areas that you can get to to completely clean, and are going to paint over. JoeO