Sweptline.ORG

What's everyone's take on the correct black for the frame - gloss or satin? On cars, satin was always more of a GM thing but modern gloss paint seems a bit too shiny, would show all the imperfections. Here's a comparison pic from Eastwood:

Maybe semi-gloss?

Satin IS semi-gloss. It goes: gloss, satin/semi-gloss, matte/semi-flat, flat, ultra-flat.

For a frame, I'd probably go with matte.

I sprayed mine with rustoleum primer for heavy rust then their satin black. It is very durable after thoroughly drying and cheap. It is not shiny but not completely flat. You can touch up with a spray can then if ever needed.

I stripped mine and then coated it with POR 15 chassis, then used the POR 15 top coat.

I second the Rustoleum. I even repainted the green on my truck with it (and found out it only lasts about 10 years as a topcoat). The engine paint they make sucks if you don't heat cycle it exactly as the can specifies. I used brush on Rustoleum on some Pilot House frame pieces that have been baking on a tin roof in the Southern heat/humidity for about 4 years, and they look the same as the day I painted them... fugly but functional.

I used Rustoleum Rusty Metal Primer and Rustoleum Semi-Gloss Black for the
top coat [2 coats]. Its holding up just fine. I brush primed/painted my
frame.
John

Thanks everyone for your replies. Is there any consensus on which gloss is closer to the factory original finish? Mine's got 50 years of dirt, grime and undercoat covering it...too hard to tell. My '70 Challenger had high gloss on the K-member, but was sloppily applied.

I am stripping my chassis for paint now, but underneath the dirt, 80% of the frame still has the original paint on it. It's definitely not satin lol

my truck has no original paint on the frame so I'm doing a satin black paint on the truck's frame to set a base tone on the paint I'll be putting on the truck.

^^that's a good idea. It looks really nice when the frame is matching the truck