[nu2-72]

My opinion here so take it as such.
I have had many items powder coated. What I see is this. If the item is 100%, 360 degree accessible, powder coating is great. Bunpers, brackets, any single wall item or single piece of an assembly works well.
The frame is made up of core support brackets, cab mount brackets, bed mounting and brake brackets and crossmembers. Many of these items are factory rivited and 30+ years old now. Corrosion has had time to penetrate between these layers and no amount of sandblasting will reach those areas. They also are part of a very strong but flexing assemble. Powder coat is a surface cover only. And any flex will crack powder coat even at the smallest level. I have had rust appear after time on powder coated items. True,a good coater can delay that for awhile but it still happens. A show vehicle may never do it but a trail rig that is put to extreme angles will do so sooner.
Galvanizing is a multiple process. The parts were sandblasted to get the cleanest surface to start with. The galvanizer will then dip the entire assembly or part into an acid bath. This fluid will penetrate between even the smallest gap. The parts are then rinsed in a neutralizer and head to galvanizing. The galvanizing process is not a coating. The metal is taken to a high temperature and when the steel part is introduced to the liquid, a metallurgical reaction takes place. First you are dealing with a liquid so it will penetrate the space between the rivited brackets (where powder coat only bridges over) and it also binds with the steel. The pores of the steel open up and the zinc penetrates into the sublayers of the metal. When the metal cools the zinc is now part of the frame, not a coating on top of it.
The galvanizer tells me that his coating will last 7500 years. Perhaps an exageration, maybe not. Will powder coat hold up that long? No, and I know you are thinking that we won't be here that long either. But I plan to be here 15 years from now. And this frame should look exactly like next Monday.
And cost is a factor as well. The galvanizer and I talked about this before I went to him and he was very interested in the project. Total cost for all the parts will be $100.00. We even discussed the best angles for dipping in order to provide the best appearance. This is a molten metal and will run and drip until cool. Ryan said he would do this one himself.
I am stoked.
Plus, I have a buddy that rebuilt a Jeep and he purchased a new, galvanized frame from 4WheelHardware and it is awesome. I have seen painted truck frames on this board, powder coated, POR 15'd and others. Not a galvanized yet. So, here goes.
Does any of this make sense or am I a madman?