The invention provides high solids epoxy-based autodeposition coating materials that have improved moisture barrier properties and/or anti-corrosive properties and a means to obtain the high solids epoxy-based autodeposition coating materials that eliminates/minimizes the need for process solvents. A hydrophobic water barrier enhancing agent, epoxy pre-polymer and ethylenically unsaturated monomer, as an alternative to organic solvent, are combined to yield an epoxy pre-polymer-monomer-hydrophobic water barrier enhancing agent blend, which may be blended with other coating components and additives. The resulting blend is then dispersed in water with surfactant and the ethylenically unsaturated monomer is polymerized (in the presence of other formulation components) to yield a dispersion. The dispersion may then be used as one component of a coating formulation. The coating formulation can then be applied to materials and cured to form a final coating.