Pickup hood in epoxy only

M

Methodical

I have a pickup truck that I use for all kinds jobs. It's definitely not a show truck, but a working truck, so not concern about having a nice paint job or body work. However, the hood needs some work. It has surface rust and peeling paint that I want to sand off, so that it does not become a bigger problem. Can I remove the surface rust and spray with 2-3 coats of epoxy primer and be done with it? I don't care about putting any paint on it. How long should I let it cure before re-installing on the truck where it sits outside?

Thanks...Al 5DM31754.jpg
 
If you aren't concerned with how it looks, why not just leave it the way it is? That rust won't make it through metal anytime soon, and it'd look worse to have a black/grey/white hood only.
 
mitch_04;39202 said:
If you aren't concerned with how it looks, why not just leave it the way it is? That rust won't make it through metal anytime soon, and it'd look worse to have a black/grey/white hood only.
Click to expand...

While I really don't mind the way it looks, I am concerned about the rust. The operative phrase you used is "anytime soon" which means it probably eventually will make it through and that's what I want to attack. I don't mind a black epoxied hood; the current rust look is worse. Hell, I drove around in my Cobra with a white fiberglass hood up until I started restoring it.

Thanks for the input...Al
 
I believe the black epoxy has some UV protection but if you are going to bother even sanding the hood and breaking out painting equipment for the epoxy why not blow some color on there too while you're at it?
IMO even an iffy color match compared to the tops of the fenders and cowl would look way better than a primered hood but that's just me.

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I believe the black epoxy has some UV protection but if you are going to bother even sanding the hood and breaking out painting equipment for the epoxy why not blow some color on there too while you're at it?
IMO even an iffy color match compared to the tops of the fenders and cowl would look way better than a primered hood but that's just me.
 
I don't think it'd rust through in your lifetime!

That being said, if you want to prime it here's what I'd do. Strip the hood to bare metal on top (and underneath if you are truly ambitious) and sand with 80 grit. Prime with epoxy, let it set 3-5 days to try and become fully cured, and re-install.

If I recall correctly, epoxy in direct sunlight is good for 3-5 years. I don't know if you are planning on painting it down the road, but you'd have some time.

You could sand through the rust spots and scuff the rest of the hood with 80 then coat, but you are relying on the original paint for adhesion. It wouldn't be as solid down the road if you decide to paint.

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I don't think it'd rust through in your lifetime!

That being said, if you want to prime it here's what I'd do. Strip the hood to bare metal on top (and underneath if you are truly ambitious) and sand with 80 grit. Prime with epoxy, let it set 3-5 days to try and become fully cured, and re-install.

If I recall correctly, epoxy in direct sunlight is good for 3-5 years. I don't know if you are planning on painting it down the road, but you'd have some time.

You could sand through the rust spots and scuff the rest of the hood with 80 then coat, but you are relying on the original paint for adhesion. It wouldn't be as solid down the road if you decide to paint.
 
Ok, so it sounds like it would be best to put a top coat on the hood. I definitely don't want to do a clear if I have to top coat it. So, the epoxy won't last long.
 
I don't think there is another person on this entire website who would recommend putting POR-15 on your hood. Don't do it. If you don't consider 3-5 years a long time, then no, epoxy won't last long. I think anotheridiot needs to do a little more research, the durability of SPI's epoxy is well documented on this website as well as the problems with POR-15. Yes, putting a topcoat would be smart, though. You already have it basically there when the epoxy is down, sand it a bit and spray some single stage paint on it.

Why are you against a clear coat?

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I don't think there is another person on this entire website who would recommend putting POR-15 on your hood. Don't do it. If you don't consider 3-5 years a long time, then no, epoxy won't last long. I think anotheridiot needs to do a little more research, the durability of SPI's epoxy is well documented on this website as well as the problems with POR-15. Yes, putting a topcoat would be smart, though. You already have it basically there when the epoxy is down, sand it a bit and spray some single stage paint on it.

Why are you against a clear coat?
 
Please chime in and correct me if I am wrong, seems to me that spi epoxy has excellent uv protection and hold out and should not turn chalking looking.
 
Mike, that is what I was getting at with my last post. Perhaps anotheridiot has had bad experiences with other brands, but SPI is not supposed to break down for a long period of time. From what I've read on here, increasing induction time will also help it go longer without chalking. On components like frames and suspension items where there is no/little sunlight exposure, I believe Barry has said that it will be fine indefinitely.
 
I believe in an earlier thread the big three are doing tests for there use on new vehicles, Hummm makes you wonder why? Could it possibly be that they are looking for a more higher Quality product for use in the long run? Also I believe in topic I read that, a highly valued member has a test sample outside that has been there for few years in sun and snow and still looks like the day that it was sprayed.
 
That thread was relating to using epoxy for painting plastic trim exposed to the sunlight and it is where I had read the importance of longer induction times.
 
Just to clear things up. I do plan to strip the hood to bare metal. When I stated that I didn't want to do any bodywork, I meant fixing dents, dings etc. So, my apologies for not being clear on my intent. Again, I would strip the hood down to bare metal and apply the epoxy. I am using SPI epoxy to paint my Cobra, so I already have the product. If I can get 3-5 years without a topcoat or time to topcoat then that would definitely be ok for me.

Thanks everyone...Al
 
It seems that the longer induction time increases the longevity of UV resistance. There was a thread about using black epoxy to paint the plastic trim on a Jeep and Barry had recommended overnight induction to reduce the chance of chalking down the road, if I recall correctly.
 
Found it

Originally Posted by stangnet33
So mix epoxy and activator at 1:1 and let sit overnite before spraying ? Is this just for better adhesion ? thx

Barry
Nothing to do with adhesion but chalking down the road.
 
if you use black, mitch_04 is dead on it would probably go longer unless your in Nevada or some place wear it just gets hammered by the sun routinely. I have never heard of any one complain of Barry's epoxy chalking And for 30 bucks more you could spray two coats of the cheapest crap clear out their and by even more time. As far as the rust goes if you cant sand all the surface rust off don't worry about it. Epoxy will seal it in and slow it WAY,WAY down, that's the beauty of epoxy it seals and repels out moisture better than any other product. The only thing I m not sure on is just how much of the stuff you could lay on a panel before it would give you problems.
 
Digging through some old threads I found a post from Barry about clearing over Epoxy

"A foot not back in 99 or 2000 I did the radiator, brake booster, engine mounts and other odds and ends on my 57 T-Bird with the black epoxy and universal clear, still looks great
BUT this should be done in areas where UVs are not an issue."
 
I just epoxy primed and UV cleared a solar panel mount I welded up for our hunting camp and expect it will last for 20 years before it might need a redo. Epoxy is the way to go IMO. If there was something better I'd be using it.
 
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