Should this new rad. support get epoxied?

J

Joel

Promoted Users
This new radiator support came with a black coating. Can I use this as is or does it need black epoxy for color retention or corrosion protection? I know nothing about the coating.

I’ve recoated the old inner fenders with SPI black epoxy and will leave that for the final finish.

Thank you!
Joel
 

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Definitely want to get epoxy on it. I couldn’t imagine leaving anything in ecoat.
 
Lizer said:
Definitely want to get epoxy on it. I couldn’t imagine leaving anything in ecoat.
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The factory did it all the time. Afaik, no OEM painted their radiator supports once the e-coat process was instituted. At all shops I ever worked at, new factory core supports got installed as-is, and I worked at a couple higher-end places.
 
crashtech said:
The factory did it all the time. Afaik, no OEM painted their radiator supports once the e-coat process was instituted. At all shops I ever worked at, new factory core supports got installed as-is, and I worked at a couple higher-end places.
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Would you honestly say that's best practice?
 
Crash Ford Mustang make a half ass attemp to paint their rad support. Almost like a mist coat or overspray on a few of the ones I havre repaired.
 
Most rad supports I’ve seen are painted. It’s usually just a matte finish these days. And yes some are half ass from the factory. I just match whatever the oem look is in a collision repair. Usually just activated base.
 
Oh, guys I am talking about traditional body-on-frame vehicles, not unibodies. Of course a unibody rad support will get paint on it!
 
Unibody core supports were sprayed, most frame mounted (pickup) core supports were e-coated only. Do doubt SPI epoxy would be beneficial, but I have 4 factory 1983-1998 GM trucks sitting in the yard with very little rust. Out of the sun makes a big difference. I also believe factory e-coat would be better than Chinese aftermarket e-coat parts.
 
Whitesnake said:
Most rad supports I’ve seen are painted. It’s usually just a matte finish these days. And yes some are half ass from the factory. I just match whatever the oem look is in a collision repair. Usually just activated base.
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I used to fear the black epoxy but not anymore. First coat is light and air pressure down a bit. Fan is wide- so no heavy spotting. Wait only a few mins with booth fan on then get with it using the LPH400. I’ll scotchbrite this and it will look good!

Thanks for weighing in!
 
New aftermarket parts tend to have high quality e-coat. Test it by rubbing an inconspicuous area with reducer. It should at least be very solvent resistant.
 
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