Finishes on Bumpers

[Mporter]

So with all my dealings with bumpers lately (building my own for the rear, and about to pull the trigger on Pete/Sean building the front) I have been thinking about what to coat them with once it's all said and done.

A few options I have considered (feel free to chime in on your ideas/options):
Primer and Paint
Truck bed liner
Powdercoat.

The main purpose of this thread, as i previously said, was to get ideas for these bumpers I should (shortly) have on my rig.

Thanks

[Chris]

Primer and Paint

Easy, inexpensive, easy to touch-up.

[Mporter]

Easy, inexpensive, easy to touch-up.

That's exactly why I'm probably not going with powdercoat.

[foxtrot]

if you do a bedliner product, make sure you do it right. My friend did his bed in his truck about 3 months ago (roll on from checkers) and if you drag anything across it, it peels up.

[JeffX]

I like to get h-a-m-m-e-r-e-d-!

http://www.whitescarver.com/jeffscarver/Xterra/Bumper/164_6405.JPG (http://www.rustoleum.com/product.asp?frm_product_id=21&SBL=1)

[Pathrat]

I sprayed rubberized undercoating on mine. Gives it a bit of substance so every little scratch doesn't show and I can spot touch up when needed.

[Brody]

A few options I have considered (feel free to chime in on your ideas/options):

Primer and Paint:

You aren't going to go wrong with this. Easy and cheap to paint. Easy and cheap to touch up. The Hammered finish that Jeff suggested is a pretty damn hard coated finish. So is the Dupli Color Wheel paint. So is the High Heat engine enamel.

Truck bed liner: What I have on my junk and have used on a lot of bumpers and sliders. Easy to use, easy to touch up, especially the spray on.The roll on is mainly for the truck beds and floorboards.

Powdercoat:

You don't get quite what you pay the money for in my opinion. There is a reason that people say not to but the powered coated Hi Lifts. Look at Sean's and you can see why. Really good for some stuff and, to me, not worth the extra money for others.

As with any paint, the prep is going to determine the final finish and how long it lasts. Use some sort of zinc or self etching primer on the steel before the final coat. Also clean the steel off with soap and water or a solvent like lacquer thinner before hitting it with the primer.

[JeffX]

I painted 1freaky1's diff cover with Hammered, too. You should take a look if you know him.

Proper prep is essential. Use sandpaper and then clean with denatured alcohol (my favorite) or lacquer thinner*- - then prime. I recommend priming, even with primer-less paint. You will notice some good and bad stuff on my truck. I can point out what technique was used where.

Paint as warm as possible (up to ~80). Paint doesn't seem to adhere well to cold metal. If you must paint over powdercoat, sand the sh1t out of it, then clean. My wagon wheels haven't really held their paint well. I admit I did a half-a$$ job of sanding.

Good luck.


* Do not sniff it too much or you'll end up like Brody! :P

[Brody]

* Do not sniff it too much or you'll end up like Brody! :P

Oh...that is just too harsh....

The hammered paint on the diff cover was a sweet finish. I had it at my house until Sean picked it up.

Thanks for the reminder on the denatured alcohol...That is probably the best stuff to use for pre paint prep as it doesn't leave any residue, dries super fast and is nowhere near as toxic as other solvents.

As an aside, it is also about the only known substance that removes all of the mystery grime from computer surfaces, such as keyboards...Cleans tool handles well, too, as well as prepping vinyl for painting. I have used it when I have painted cars, trucks or boats as a final wipe down before painting.

[JeffX]

Oh...that is just too harsh.........

I hope you know you've earned yourself plenty of comments like that. I can't stop giving you a hard time ever since you said this:


......I haven't played with a full deck for years....or at least realize........

I've been trying to give you ample opportunity to get me back....




I like to get h-a-m-m-e-r-e-d-! ..

See you on the trails..... :)

[Andrew]

For primer, I recommend this stuff on bare metal:

http://www.drillspot.com/pimages/2120/212032_300.jpg

[1freaky1]

Matt as for the powder coatings leave them for the stuff that is for showing off like anything on the inside where it won't get damaged or the engine compartment, it is a durable surface coating but does not stand up well to dings and bashes that we get when wheeling. Definitely use some of the above mentioned prepping for doing the paint. Also remember this one, If the surface is smooth it needs to be roughed up for adhesion of the primer and then the primer needs a light sanding and cleaning before painting it.

[Andrew]

I'd like some warmer weather. I have some painting I want to do. I'm going to be putting a coat of semi-gloss black on the frame rails and such underneath, just to give stuff a bit of protection and make mud come off easier.

[1freaky1]

just to give stuff a bit of protection and make mud come off easier.

Best thing to make mud and salt (like from the slat lakes) come off easier is to coat everything good with WD-40 (after it has been painted) a day before you go out and play. This does not give the mud or salt a chance to adhere to the paints, little imperfections on the surface as the mud or salt dries.

[Brody]

PAM no stick cooking spray also works very well for this as it does for ski and snowboard bindings and crampons for ice climbing. Snow doesn't like it either...

[Hypoid]

I've been happy with wheel paint on my tank skid. Sure the big rocks will scrape the paint, but daily driving it for three years with no touch-up is nice.

[Brody]

For primer, I recommend this stuff on bare metal:

http://www.drillspot.com/pimages/2120/212032_300.jpg

That is good stuff. The commercial version of this (like what they use on industrial machinery-CATS, tractors, loaders, steel I beams, etc,) is even better, but costs a chunk of dough. The self etching stuff is great for bare metal. You can find this at a lot of auto parts places, but a lot of them do not carry this.