Powdercoating and bonding the chassis option?

[DanEC]

I was planning to order my kit w/o the powdercoating and bonding option since working on the car and assembly is part of the attraction for me. I did a frame off restoration of a 66 Corvette in my garage - complete with sandblasting in the driveway, turning the garage into a body shop and paint booth and upholstering the seats in the living room - so work doesn't scare me. Also the possibility of saving a few bucks to spend elsewhere is not unattractive.

But, in scanning over all the threads in this forum I see almost 100% recommendation to get the chassis coated and bonding done by ERA. Has anyone here actually painted their own chasis and bonded the body, and if so, was it that difficult to do? Is it a mistake to do this yourself>

Thanks

Dan

[ZOERA-SC7XX]

You can paint your own chassis, but definitely get the body bonded to the chassis. It's the best bucks you can spend on your car. These guys know what they're doing. Save your money elsewhere.

[FIA-ERA]

I would get the chassis powder coated and get it bonded too. There is a lot of down time between different parts of assembly (well for me at least). If the chassis is powder coated it's just fine just sitting there. Also with these cars as low as they are it repels rocks pretty good too. The ONLY thing that sucks is when your body shop guy paints high build primmer and paint over it! You could paint the two separate but I wouldn't recommend it! Just by a lot of masking supplies. As for the bonding, like said before they do this all the time. They have jigs made for this and besides it takes at least 4 other guy's, epoxy, fiberglass resin, and a lot of things to get just right BEFORE the epoxy takes hold! Very stressful when I did mine! AGAIN, save your money elsewhere. Matt

[Jim Holden]

To give a slightly different view; the body is "located" on the chassis with screws by ERA before you take delivery. When you get the car home, it is merely a matter of removing the screws, carefully lifting off the body as described in the manual and finishing the chassis with whatever process of your choice. Then the body is placed back on the chassis utilizing the bonding strips, caulking and rivets. I did it on my first ERA, but will admit that thereafter, I had ERA do it. It's like anything else involving these kits; time (and effort) vs. money.

Jim

[tboneheller]

I bought mine powdercoated only. After drilling all of the mounting holes, I removed the body & had it painted. No overspray on chassis. This is the way they do it at Cobra Restorers Ltd. Engine, trans, & suspension can all be worked on & installed into chassis while body is at body shop. This worked well for me & I was able to complete my car in 5 months of working only 4 nights a week after work.

[Jim Holden]

tbone:

Kennesaw (every resident must have a gun) GA Chuck at Cobra Restorers has been doing it a long time, but ERA permanently mounts the bodies before they are painted. They believe that the painter is then better able to adjust door, hood and trunk gaps and there is less likelihood of stress cracks from mounting the body. (The body has to be "stretched" slightly to go over the dash hoop). They do not install the inner aluminum panels (or drivetrain, obviously) until the cars are returned from paint. The frame rails can be masked off.

Jim

[tboneheller]

Originally Posted by Jim Holden

tbone:

Kennesaw (every resident must have a gun) GA Chuck at Cobra Restorers has been doing it a long time, but ERA permanently mounts the bodies before they are painted. They believe that the painter is then better able to adjust door, hood and trunk gaps and there is less likelihood of stress cracks from mounting the body. (The body has to be "stretched" slightly to go over the dash hoop). They do not install the inner aluminum panels (or drivetrain, obviously) until the cars are returned from paint. The frame rails can be masked off.

Jim

My car has been completed since 1997 with no issues. Body work & paint by Cobra Restorers, & assembly by me.

[DanEC]

Originally Posted by FIA-ERA

I would get the chassis powder coated and get it bonded too. There is a lot of down time between different parts of assembly (well for me at least). If the chassis is powder coated it's just fine just sitting there. Also with these cars as low as they are it repels rocks pretty good too. The ONLY thing that sucks is when your body shop guy paints high build primmer and paint over it! You could paint the two separate but I wouldn't recommend it! Just by a lot of masking supplies. As for the bonding, like said before they do this all the time. They have jigs made for this and besides it takes at least 4 other guy's, epoxy, fiberglass resin, and a lot of things to get just right BEFORE the epoxy takes hold! Very stressful when I did mine! AGAIN, save your money elsewhere. Matt

The talk of at least 4 other guys to handle the epoxy, resin, and I guess srews/rivets kind of troubles me. I could probably round up three more but none of my friends know a thing about cars or this type work. It's all a mystery to them. I've done some fiberglass work before, including removing Corvette panels and bonding on new ones - and managed it by myself. Does it really take this many folks to handle it. What kind of epoxy material do they recommend?

Thanks

Dan

[tboneheller]

It is only bonded in 2 spots. Set the pre-drilled painted body on the frame. Align the holes. Apply some 3-M body panel adhesive. Rivet it all together.
It took 4 sober people about 30 seconds to set the body on mine.
The front inner fenders had to be glassed in after the body was installed. That took an additional 15 minutes. The glass work is covered with spray-in undercoating & never seen.

[strictlypersonl]

The newer kits (post 731) are put together differently, since the old fiberglass inner panels are replaced by individual aluminum sections. No fiberglassing any more but lots more riveting. In addition, the rocker wraps around (and is bonded to) a chassis tube. Different. Easier in some ways, more difficult in others.

One thing that hasn't been mentioned is that the "bonded body" option also includes drilling, riveting and sealing all the aluminum panels. A not inconsiderable job.

[PatBuckley]

A friend did his himself with help from me and others, I had ERA do mine.

They both turned out nicely but my friend confided that if he did it again he would have had ERA do it.

[WarrenG]

Powder coating and bonding seemed to me to be one of the most cost effective options on an ERA.

[fkemmerer]

Originally Posted by DanEC

I was planning to order my kit w/o the powdercoating and bonding option since working on the car and assembly is part of the attraction for me. I did a frame off restoration of a 66 Corvette in my garage - complete with sandblasting in the driveway, turning the garage into a body shop and paint booth and upholstering the seats in the living room - so work doesn't scare me. Also the possibility of saving a few bucks to spend elsewhere is not unattractive.

But, in scanning over all the threads in this forum I see almost 100% recommendation to get the chassis coated and bonding done by ERA. Has anyone here actually painted their own chasis and bonded the body, and if so, was it that difficult to do? Is it a mistake to do this yourself>

Thanks

Dan

Dan,

Painting a chasis is fine if you don't plan to drive the car too much. These cars are low and the frame will take a fair number of stone hits over time. The advantage of powder coating is that it is much more durable than paint and will not chip nearly as easily.

- Fred