POR 15 replacement

[Jim Comet]

I have used POR 15 on a number of projects with good results, but it is not UV resistant and needs a topcoat for longevity. NAPA now has a comparable product made by Martin Senour that works exactly the same but is UV resistant and does NOT require a top coat. I am not a NAPA employee but thought it may be a useful product for us DIY types. I am going to try it on my car trailer this spring. Jim

[mike7570]

I have a POR15 story -
A friend of mine had some left over POR15 he said I could have. When I got around to using it I saw he had lost the lid to a gallon size can and had duct taped some plastic over the top.
I picked up the can and could hear the POR15 slosh around inside so I took the plastic off and found I could not use it. It had skinned over solid but I could still hear the sloshing. I figured I would just poke a hole through it and pour out what I needed. I tried a screw driver, no luck. I tried a pick, no luck. I tried hammering the screw driver through, no luck (that stuff is tough!)
After pounding on it to no avail I was about to give up when I had an idea, I have poked holes through metal can easily and the POR15 was in the bottom. I just flipped the can over and took the screw driver and hammer and easily punched a hole through the can. I had not realized that by pounding on the skinned over plug I had forced it into the can pressurizing the POR15 that was still in there. You can guess what happened when I punched the screw driver through the bottom of the can! Believe the warnings, do not get that stuff on your hands, or arms, your face or in your hair.
I can vouch from first hand experience that it is awful to remove!

[jayb]

LOL!  Great story, Mike.  Reminds me of a few similar incidents of my own...

[cjshaker]

Yikes! I'll file that one in my "Never Forget" folder

I used Por-15 when I did my Mach 1. I had a quart can sitting in the trunk, doing all the seams on the car, when it was on the rotisserie. Yeah, easy to guess what happened....forgetting about it, I turned the car and lost $40 worth on the floor. What got on my jeans, never came off. Good stuff indeed!

I regularly use Napa products at work. I'll have to check out that new stuff for trailers and other things we have.

[427Fastback]

I used it on the rear panel of the diamond t 20 years ago and then found out it wasn't UV friendly.I had to sandblast it all off...
I have never used it on my Mustangs but my 73 F-250 got some and I purchased some for the Grizzly...I just only paint parts that are not in the sun..Its good stuff
I will look into the new stuff..

[GJCAT427]

I just did a resto on a fire tanker frame and tank shield bottom and used the NAPa stuff. Be very carefull with it if you spray it. You have to thin it as the can says but ware a respirator and a face schield or air helment . My hired man did the spraying and that night his face started burning. Looks like a chemical burn from the solvent. He did have the air mask on which I insisted on, but no face protection. I think he waited too long to was his face when he got done. I usally wash at work after painting as I can`t stand to be sticky from the overspray.

[Jim Comet]

Just wanted to do a follow up. I scraped, sanded and degreased my engine compartment. I purchased their Martin Senour degreaser that they have specifically for use with this paint. I followed the directions to the best of my abilities. It went on just like the POR 15 but when it dried it bubbled up. Many places were a quarter inch thick bubbles. Needless to say it looked horrible. One thing is for sure it is very durable as I spent many hours grinding it off. Martin Senour paint rep did not return multiple calls and the corporate guys just referred me back to the local rep. After grinding, sanding and chiseling it off, I cleaned the area with wax and grease remover and painted it with POR 15. No bubbling and looks good.

[427HISS]

A neighbor had his truck painted and new oak boards with stainless strips in the bed, looked beautiful !

He had a gallon of POR-15 in the bed, in a box, and opened it to see how it looked. On the highway he had to stop fast, which sent the paint hitting the front of the bed. He faild to hammer the lid back on so now, you can guess what happened,.....he cryed !   

He had to remove the whole the entire bed, strip it and start over. The POR-15 even got on some of the new paint on the sides of the box, so he had to  sand blasting it all.

[FirstEliminator]

    Back in 2003 I was learning to do body work on my wife's 78 Bronco. Thinking I'd make it last forever, I used POR15 on a lot of it inside an out. The Bronco has not fared very well. I'm not sure if I'll ever use POR15 again. It would lift off and rust would form underneath. It's not impervious to brake fluid. Didn't sand that hard either. I'm just not crazy about any 1k product. Now, my preference is to sandblast and use a 2 k self-etch and then epoxy primer, then a 2k high build primer on top for easy sanding.  Each layer is applied within the window before scuffing is required. I've mostly used Nason products and it has worked well so far.
    I am very happy with the POR15 fuel tank restore kit. Used that on my 58 Mercury Monterey which had a lot of pin holes and rust. It's been 11 years an held up very well.

[CDXXVII]

Probably fine for a Sunday car but I have also had problems with POR lifting from the surface on a daily driver vehicle. I don't think it's as good as the claims. I've tried a product called Zerorust which uses different chemistry. Seems okay.