Topic: Control arm dipping

[CharlesTurner]

Did a little experimenting dipping control arms using the floating paint on water method.  I believe I didn't have enough paint on the surface as I got mixed results (test pieces.)  I'm using a 5 gallon bucket, filled up with water, then used a quart of black on the top.  Anyone with experience doing this?

[rockhouse66]

Charles - I have done this several times now.  I use good old Rustoleum enamel and mix gloss and flat to get the sheen I want.  They always seem to come out a little glossier when dipped.  I agree that with the large surface area of a 5 gallon bucket you probably did not have enough paint depth using only a quart.  Remember you will loose paint as your part goes through and it adheres to the part, and a control arm takes quite a bit of paint.  You have to think about what you are doing and move the part a little sometimes to avoid an air pocket that would leave part of it unpainted.  I also have to thin the paint (with quality automotive thinner) to get it to drip off.

On some parts with complicated shape, I have sprayed a coat of paint on first, then dipped, just to be sure that some little bubble doesn't leave an unpainted "spot" that would require me to start over.

[CharlesTurner]

I used Rustoleum oil-based enamel for my test.  Figured at 10 bucks a quart, no big loss.  I did not thin it out, the can says to use acetone for reducing.  I bought the semi-gloss in a quart, the final sheen actually looked pretty decent.  Didn't care for how it smelled though and it takes forever to dry.  I was thinking of buying a couple quarts of regular acrylic enamel and flatten/reduce it.

[bryancobb]

Charles, I don't think the Acrylic Enamel would float?

If anyone knows, why was the paint floated anyway?  Couldn't they just have dipped it in a trough FULL of paint?

[CharlesTurner]

Charles, I don't think the Acrylic Enamel would float?

If anyone knows, why was the paint floated anyway?  Couldn't they just have dipped it in a trough FULL of paint?

You're talking about 4+ gallons needed.  Even the cheapest acrylic enamel would be ~$100 per gallon.  If I was doing this on a more consistent basis, would make sense to just buy straight paint.

I'm guessing acrylic would float also, but haven't tried it.

[Skyway65]

I started mine with the water trick.  Made a total mess of everything.  I finally ended up with 5 quarts of Rust Oleum semi gloss.  In order to minimize the amount of paint I needed I bought a plastic portable file case from Staples and built a small bulkhead in it where the control arm would fit with minimal clearance all around.  I used very little paint and the mess was not too bad.  I let them hang for a week to dry; that Rust Oleum does take forever.  The finish is great and I used  the same method for the brake backing plates and some other parts too.

[CharlesTurner]

With the 5 quarts, did you reduce the paint at all?  I thought that it was too thick right out of the can.

[Skyway65]

I used it right out of the can.  However, I set the 5 cans in a huge pot of boiling water to get them warmed up.  The warm paint flows great.   

[rockhouse66]

I thin the Rustoleum at least 1 oz. of reducer to every 4 oz. of paint.  I haven't tried acetone, but ordinary lacquer thinner didn't work as it did not seem to produce a homogenous mix.  I have been using "real" thinner; specifically Dupont 8022-S Mid-Temp Reducer, but I think any mid-temp reducer would be fine.  Just use a quality product and not a hardware store item.

Some shapes drip off well and some don't.  I have tried more than the 1/4 reducer mix to get a thinner result and it also worked, but I don't know if there is a point at which the paint is so thin that it will not produce a coating on the dipped part that will resist the water.

BTW, my drying time is usually about 2-3 days; not sure why you are needing more?

[Skyway65]

Here is the custom Staples dipping cabinet and the one week drying process.  I even added a few old bricks in the bottom of the tank to take up some room and save more paint.

[Sunlitgold68]

Was the control arm shaft already installed when dipped in black? You did a good job either way, just wondering what is factory correct.

[Skyway65]

My originals were black.

[CharlesTurner]

Gary is right.  The control arms that were dipped had the end shafts on.  Have seen late '66 and then 67-up have mostly all natural uppers.

[CharlesTurner]

Well, I ended up buying some satin acrylic enamel, 3 gallons and 1 gallon of reducer.  Cost was about $65/gallon with shipping, not too bad.  I poured the 3 gallons in my 5 gallon bucket and then about half the gallon of reducer.  I had to tip the bucket to the side to get the coverage on the lower control arms how I wanted, but thought they came out great.  They were completely dry in less than 24 hours.  Couple pics here:

http://www.early-mustang.com/charles/K_vert/6_19_10/

Will take more pics later.  I couldn't resist bolting them to the car.  I needed to see some progress!

[Skyway65]

Looks great Charles.  Couldn't quite bring yourself to go for the low budget dipping cabinet from Staples; good for you.