KBS Coatings57001 Gloss Black Frame Coater Kit, Prep and Coats an Entire Car or Truck Frame

I was a huge skeptic on this KBS frame coating before buying and use. I did careful exhaustive research reading and watching every review I could find and compared compounds in several heavy duty paint types - Eastwood, Rustoleum, 3M, and more. The last thing I wanted was to be forced to strip the frame areas back down after taking it all the way down to bare clean metal in every nook cranny passage and bend, going so far as using a dremel tiny grinder post to remove every millimeter of rust from the smallest hard to reach areas. As a result I mechanically etched every bit of metal on my 2007 GMC Sierra Denali frame from the firewall forward, entire front clip pulled for access - then wiped first with laquer thinner THEN wiped down with acetone to remove any trace of residue over that same area - it was a LONG comprehensive project but done right. As a result, I did not used the wash or blast and will keep those for a rusty project. (I did call KBS and confirm this was ok for a solid hold). I'm doing the rehab and rust removal on this truck in sections and lifted the body off the frame and getting it all.Used the KBS "satin" black rust seal but obviously did not cover any rust except for the most impossible areas such as where welded steel overlapped and unreachable including inside the enclosed frame as I plan to later used the 3' wand to seal inside. So my main goal was to get a coating that will grab and hold clean steel.First, the coating is thin enough to paint with a brush easily but holds well and only drips where you over-apply. Go ahead and brush and quickly move on, brush marks flow right out as it flattens otherwise you overwork it and set the brush marks permanent. One disagreement I have with the directions is the recommendation to use inexpensive cheap brushes - dont. Unless you want to constantly try pulling out bristles every few minutes as the brush drag starts yanking right away. Find a decent quality brush and just dunk and leave in lacquer thinner as soon as you stop, I did and while the bristles stained black, it remained useable for several days of work.My only problem/complaint with the product was the can. The inner lip on the lid was apparently crimped at the factory so tight that when prying it open, it actually deformed both the lid and can so bad it destroyed both! KBS claims this happens due to the paint splashing up into the lid edges in manufacture but that was not the case here - the folds and valleys in the can-lid union areas were spotless, no paint, it was just such a crazy tight fit that it would not open without absolutely destroying all the metal, causing some serious frustration and annoyance. It was as if the can and lid were one. I get it - they want no air to ruin the coating but holy cow that was insane and way overboard.I did not have mason jars sitting around so I was forced to immediately rush around late at night trying to put together something to save my coating. I had not planned to start painting at that moment instead was just checking consistency for painting the next day and get a sense of the product so it was a bit of a panic.After bugging friends nearby I located a clean can and used heavy plastic film on top with heavy rubber band. That part was quite a hassle and thought KBS would offer something after reporting it - nope - just essentially said that's the way it goes.But back to painting, it took three days total and they stress high humidity helps cure and since I'm in Arizona's negative humidity, I put an old vicks humidifier and wet towels on the floor underneath the frame and it worked like a charm. I was able to get two thin coats and I'm here to tell you this coating is incredibly HARD - like it adhered to the metal as if welded. Incredible. I used the butt end of a heavy tool to smack test an area on the frame underneath after about a week of curing and several hits with the breaker bar edge hardly left a dent let alone not chipping. Fantastic. One thing to report - this is in no way "satin" it is a gloss/semi-gloss at best. But anyone who knows coatings, it takes a gloss product to truly be durable. So unless you want shiny, which I did not, as a top coat, I lightly scuffed the KBS coat and sprayed several coats of Rustoleum pickup bed non-skid coating which is a true flat paint that adds even more durability and the textured spray finish helps hide the warts and imperfections of brush coating beautifully.Very very happy with the results and will finish the entire frame the same way. See my photos for the progression of work and final finish. Definitely appears to be that this coating is all KBS advertises and HIGHLY HIGHLY recommend to other auto frame finishers out there. Two fat thumbs up! (Now if KBS would just solve that dumb can drama and not put us thru that, perhaps look at better sealing, pouring, reuse technology at dealing with this issue rather than the cheap old fashion paint cans and leave us struggling. I still give 5-stars tho - the finish is what matters. 👍👍UPDATE JUNE 2021.... as if my glowing previous review needed more ......So after cleaning the frame and coating as explained above, I turned to cleaning out the engine on the frame since I don't yet have an engine stand. The cleaning process involved VERY caustic chemicals to strip the cylinder head combustion chamber insides as well as the crank area underneath. These are some of the strongest most potent chemicals used to dissolved carbon buildup. I tried covering my freshly coated frame (I know, smooth move ex lax next time clean the engine first) and on several occasions the frame protectors slipped and chemicals splashed on the KBS-coated frame. Guess what? Nothing, absolutely nothing. Sure, the rustoleum bed paint wiped off in those areas but the KBS - solid as a rock, the chemicals did not penetrate the coating. I simply wiped with thinner dried the areas and re-sprayed them with the bed paint - like brand spankin' new. This KBS frame coat is fantastic. You won't be disappointed. Sure wish KBS paid us for these great reviews but you know what? I don't care - it's just great to finally get a product that works after the huge investment in time I put into it. Ok, well maybe just a THANK YOU for such honest reviews? We'll see. Also, watch the KBS product videos on YouTube - the ones with the guy slamming two coated pipes together. Excellent.

Here are some tips before I get into the review. First, surface prep is the key, plan to spend some time scraping, sanding, wire brushing and scrubbing, make sure you rinse it good after you apply the chemicals that come in this kit. Second, throw the brushes that come in this kit immediately in the trash and do not use them. I started to use them and the brush hairs come off into your finish. You can get some cheap brushes that won’t come apart like these do. Third, I brushed in a criss cross pattern to reduce the visible stroke lines. Make sure you wear OLD CLOTHES and wear gloves, and I also recommend a face shield and something over your hair like an old hat (learned the hard way). Lay plastic down to protect your concrete.I can’t speak to the longevity of this product as I just finished the project. I will say that it took me a several full days to get the finish I wanted. Two days of prep and one whole day of painting. Mine is a 30 year old truck so removing a lot of old old dirt and oil. There was just enough for two coats on a short bed pick up. If this was an extended cab there wouldn’t have been enough.I am overall happy with the finish, I’m building a pro touring truck so I needed a better than spray can finish but not as good as a powder coat or base/clear coat on the frame as I will drive this vehicle.I gave it 4 stars only because I had to stop 30 seconds after starting to paint and run to store to get better paint brush. I will order another kit for my Jeep though, overall I’m happy.

I applied as per very specific instructions and results looked good except I ordered Satin said satin on the can but finished off Gloss. Normally not a big deal but I am restoring a 57 t-Bird with over 100K invested. Frame and all suspension are powered coated Satin black ...lots of $$$$. Spoke with John at KBS who was very nice and I explained the situation. John said he was sorry and had a product that I could use to get the Satin finish I wanted, but he would have to charge me for it after speaking to his Manager who said there was nothing wrong with the product only the finish...WOW what a great Customer service experience . I was willing to eat all the labor just wanted a product with the finish I ordered and was stated on the can.So long story short no very happy with KBS and they lost a customer for what would have cost them about $20 to solve the problem, so beware KBS is not interested in you project or issues with there product just making money... ....Thanks Gary

When it comes to cart products I’m very critical on what I buy and use. Well for this one I did lots of research and I settle on this one. I decided to paint the frame of my truck and there were lots of product that came out but I settle on this one. Just because it was so easy to use and it produce high quality product. But at the same time this is used by professional people for their trucks. But if your like me that is more home diy project for cheaper way. I highly recommend this product. Well worth the money I spend and the result are amazing. I mean with paint brush to use to paint the result looks like it came out from professional shop. It look like I used spray gun to paint the frame of my truck. Happy and I will say buy it if your looking to paint the frame of you truck.

Great products, go on easy. This green originally appears *slightly* milky when curing. This from a career painter; I'm not sure any "normal" person would notice. Once cured it's very, very close to Rustoleum John Deere Green enamel, but only very close to John Deere Green enamel. Again; even with panels next to each other I'm not sure a "normal" person would be able to tell the difference.A side note: This is more viscous than a chassis black KBS can I received. I'm not sure if it's a difference in batches or color vs. black coatings.