Best practices for painting rocksliders, skid plates, bumper

dieselenthusiast · **Posted:** Fri Mar 01, 2013 11:28 am

Yeah, I hate rust. I'm planning to remove my rear hitch, have it sand blasted, then paint it. If I have to, I'll repeat the process every 5 years or as needed. I'm going to have the rock rails sand blasted and bed lined sometime this summer or in the Fall. I've got too many projects going on and not enough time.

kirksjeep · **Joined:** Tue Dec 11, 2012 9:55 pm **Posts:** 12

dieselenthusiast wrote:

tommudd wrote:

I've never seen bedliner hold up on rocks either, plus harder to touch up over paint
But only seen LineX etc

The reality is that nothing is going to hold up to rocks. LineX is a good choice for those who aren't going to be sliding their rails against rocks. If rocks are involved, then paint is the way to go. Paint is cheap, easy to reapply and easy to touchup. I love Powder coat, but it's hard to find someone who can do it right, and powder coat is for those who don't touch rocks.

The Rustoleum bed liner in a spray can works well. It it about $7 a can at Lowes, slides over softer stuff like trees and fills the lighter scratches left by rocks. I redo my bumpers, sliders and belly skid on my YJ once a year.

Jeepin'WNC · **Joined:** Mon Nov 15, 2010 1:48 am **Posts:** 191

Quote:

Corners and weld joints tend to be the hardest to get good coverage, and generally require more frequent
touch up in my experience.

I couldn't agree more there; after building a solar panel rack rack for my boondocking camper/ motorcycle hauler trailer project I thought I had a nice thick coat of paint on it...The weld joints rusted quickly... I have a flux core / MIG welder, and I have yet to buy a gas bottle for MIG..I'm wondering if my weld joints still have slag/flux residue that I'm not getting completely off before paint. Anyone care to share any tips on that?

dieselenthusiast · **Posted:** Wed Mar 13, 2013 9:28 am

Lasting paint is usually due to good quality paint that was baked at a high temp for a long period of time. That's why I take my stuff to a reputable paint and body shop who uses high quality paint and best practices for prep, paint, clear coat and appropriate curing methods. I have found that doing things right the first time is cost effective in the long run.

I've seen powder coat hold up extremely well, but finding someone who is good with prepping can be extremely hard. With powder coat, the metal has to be heated, and often times the person doing the job doesn't apply enough heat to the seems, welds, etc., hence why powder coat often times will chip and rust from the underside. Like with any paint, powder coat or bed lining product, preparation and curing is the key.

Best practices for painting rocksliders, skid plates, bumper

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