POR-15 or WHAT on Grousers?!?

Well, I'm getting closer on my '53 Tucker 'restoration' and the tracks are the next step. I have all new belts and looking for opinions on the grousers before I tear them down. The grousers are all in good shape, just a little rusty. I'm trying to decide if they are worth 'coating' with something like POR-15 or if I'd just be wasting my time. I don't like the rusty look of them but not sure if anything will actually hold up. Maybe anodizing, boronizing, other chemical etching, etc....?

Thoughts?

Mtn-Track said:

Well, I'm getting closer on my '53 Tucker 'restoration' and the tracks are the next step. I have all new belts and looking for opinions on the grousers before I tear them down. The grousers are all in good shape, just a little rusty. I'm trying to decide if they are worth 'coating' with something like POR-15 or if I'd just be wasting my time. I don't like the rusty look of them but not sure if anything will actually hold up. Maybe anodizing, boronizing, other chemical etching, etc....?

Thoughts?

Click to expand...

por 15 is hell for tough a rhino lining material might make a better anti stick compound kind of like the rubbercoating used on st grousers but i believe in the enviroment they live in i would just leave them alone they will get nice and shinny soon enough.

How about fluid film?

http://www.fluid-film.com/

In my opinion, I think you would definitely be glad if you did use Por-15. When I was researching a "affordable" coating for my grousers, Por-15 "I felt" was the best, considering the cost and durability that it provides. I do feel if you want the best protection it can provide, the metal "should" be media blasted first even though Por-15 says you don't have to. I put only about 100 mi on my grousers before winter was over, however, the only place the coating wore off was on the surface of the "center" of the grouser that actually comes in contact with ground. I don't think there is any coating that would last in that area. Por-15 goes a longggg way, I used only 2qt of the coating to do all my grousers which I think cost about $100, and that's not bad at all considering some of the other coatings that are out there.

My next restore is a 1973 Tucker 542 and "if" I stay with the steel tracks I will definitely use the stuff on the tracks. I now use Por-15 on anything that I want black. I also would only brush it on, not spray it (I've tried both) when it dries, it shows NO brush marks.

I looked into Fluidfilm, and it appears to be a, well, fluid. Kind of like a high-tech WD-40(?).

I like the idea of the POR 15 but being a sort of paint, I was not sure how it would hold up compared to some type of etching chemical. I got the POR idea from Weatherby's earlier posts but I also know you didn't get much chance to give it an extended test run. I may have to give it a try and see how it works out.

I didn't mention that I removed the pontoons on my '53 and have the frames and boggie set-up from a 1500-series Tucker on it. Not that it matters, but I would have considered a coating for the original steel tracks also.

I also would like to go with the rubber belted tracks on mine (if I can ever find some)

weatherby, did you paint over the por-15? I have used it before and it does not like uv.

tomelroy said:

weatherby, did you paint over the por-15? I have used it before and it does not like uv.

Click to expand...

Yes...I have painted over Por15, however I did not paint over the por15 on my grousers, so I don't have much experience with how long UV light will take to break it down, the coating on the grousers are only about a year old and the cat is always stored inside. The coating still looks good, and I did use a satin black on the grousers.

What I'm playing with....

Very nice....If you can, post more pics of your Tucker, and I would like to see some pics of the your axles.

There are two Tucker 443's involved here; a 1953 that I'm 'restoring' and a 1958 that I bought for parts but ended up saving. The 1500-series rubber tracks were a factory conversion done on the '58 that I transfered to the '53. The pontoons and steel tracks that were on the '53 went on the '58. My avitar is the '58 after the swap. I'll do a full thread on them soon as I need to take some current pic's, but here are a few 'teasers'.......

The '53 on 2/2008, and then on 6/2010:

Man...that is some very nice work on that ol' Tucker...can't wait for more pictures Keep 'em coming

I like to play with tractors instead of snow-cats (which would be fun too, but doubt the "CFO" [pronounced "wife"] approves), but the consenses is POR does well under a top coat?

I'm playing with POR-15 on an antique manure spreader right now, and hoping it lives up to it's claims.

I'm thinking along the same line as Weatherby. Even the POR site says it should be top-coated to keep it in check, but my Tucker will live inside when not in use. Again, this is for the steel grousers that are going to get hammered by ice, snow, and possibly gravel, so they may look nice once the rust wears off while running, but I don't want to look at the rust the rest of the year. I'm sure whatever I do it will wear off, eventually, just looking for the best bang for the buck.

Anyone have any experience with chemical-etching coatings on wear parts? Something like boronizing that actually becomes part of the metal?

I have a WHOLE NEW RESPECT for you guys that have re-belted your tracks!

S.O.B!!!!! 162 bolts with lock nuts done and another 486 to go, and that's just to get them apart!

I've decided to go with gray POR-15 on all the grousers and backing plates. I just couldn't put new belts on the crappy-looking grousers...