New rock rails (fabricated) coming soon...

Uttles · **Posted:** Sat Feb 14, 2009 8:45 am

A fabricator associated with the local Jeep club is making me some nice sliders.

I'll post pictures when they are done and on.

My question is:

Should I finish them with truck bed liner, or rocker panel spray?

Any other ideas? I don't want to get them powder coated cause I know I will need to touch them up constantly in the summer.

calamaridog · **Posted:** Sat Feb 14, 2009 9:39 am

Truck bed liner sucks for rock rails. Use spray paint and you can retouch anytime, as much as needed.

tommudd · **Posted:** Sat Feb 14, 2009 10:25 am

Hammertone paint works great its pretty tough but also easy to touch up later

riptricket · **Posted:** Sat Feb 14, 2009 12:49 pm

i got mine sprayed at line-x and i can go in anytime i want for them to "touch them up"

Uttles · **Posted:** Sat Feb 14, 2009 1:34 pm

Hmmm, so LineX may be a good option, can they do it while they are attached to the Jeep, or do you need to take them in before?

Calamaridog: I know you can buy truck bed iner in paint cans...why can't you touch it up too, and why does it suck? Just curious, and I'm open to suggestions.

jsc7002 · **Posted:** Sat Feb 14, 2009 2:39 pm

I would rather just spray paint them, its cheap and easy to do and you dont need to call for an apointment.

KJ 119 · **Posted:** Sat Feb 14, 2009 9:09 pm

I'd paint'em,rockrails were made to scratch up.
If you really like Line-x,might look cool to just have the top half of the rails done.

SweepnChoke · **Posted:** Sat Feb 14, 2009 9:50 pm

If they haven't been designed yet, try to include this in the design phase.

Have the rails sit out from the side of the truck enough that any idiot parking next to you swings their door open they eat your rails instead of your doors.

I had a set of mopar tubular rails that were great for this, but quality wise they sucked and rusted from the inside out.

I just installed a set of rock rails from Rocky-Road, I like them, good quality, however they only sit out from the side of the truck the same distance as the door line.

I have already gained two door dings in the last month at work. I used laugh everytime I came out from work etc and found a new ding on the sides of my rock rails from some idiot swinging their door, instead now I'm cringing everytime I find one on my door. If they only stuck out another 1".

JeepinJarhead03 · **Posted:** Sat Feb 14, 2009 9:57 pm

I hate people that do that, i caught some lady trying to force her door open against my last car, as if using her foot to push the door was going to open it farther

i handed the driver the passenger mirror

Uttles · **Posted:** Sat Feb 14, 2009 10:09 pm

Half way with line-X or equivalent wouldn't do the rails any good with all the salt etc they spread all winter. I'm worried about scrapes from wheeling (2-3 trips / year) but also from regular road conditions and environment. I keep the Jeep rust free and I want the rails to be no different.

I am still completely undecided. Jeesh. All good ideas, and advice.

ramlebliberty · **Posted:** Sat Feb 14, 2009 10:37 pm

go ahead and get the aresol truck bedline, we use it for all kinds of stuff at work, when you need to touch it up, just spray it on.

calamaridog · **Posted:** Sat Feb 14, 2009 11:59 pm

Sorry I said it sucked - bad choice of words. I'm sure for some it may be fine. If you have them "just in case" and don't actually contact them often, then it could be ok. If you use them often, I believe spray paint is best. I would never bedliner myself on sliders and my few wheeling buddies who used truck bed liner regretted doing so later.

I do think bedliner is very cool on fenders and such...

If you actually use the rails frequently, then the truck bed liner is the wrong thing, I believe. Saying "I can go in and they will touch it up" is a cop out. How is that convienant? Spray paint can be applied in minutes without leaving your driveway.

The bottom line is a spray painted rail will just slide. Bedliner is tacky. On my Tacoma, I just resprayed my rails or touched up a few times per year and they looked good all the time.

Most people I know who invested in powdercoating of rails end up doing touch up with spray paint anyways. I'm cheap, so on rails I would avoid the cost of powdercoating if I could.

Just my .02 so do whatever works best for you.

WoodysKJ · **Posted:** Sun Feb 15, 2009 1:07 pm

I did the first 2 coats of mine in POR 15. Then came back with POR 15's "HardNose" paint. Stuff is like IRON.

it is not a quick paint job but it is a tough one. paint them with that stuff in a humid enviroment and it cures ROCK hard.

03CDKJ · **Posted:** Sun Feb 15, 2009 3:13 pm

My rock rails are line-xed.... They were like that when I bought them from a old lost member...

If you use your rock rails... I do not suggest Line-x...

Once you scrape on them and the Line-X scratches off.... It is easy for water to underneath the line-x===Rust!

If you go off roading 2-3 times a year... Do you really want to take off your rails everytime and have them Re-Done.... Line-X probably wont cover it after a couple of times anyway...

I'm waiting til all of mine scratches off and then I'm just using paint... or POR 15....

Good Luck

kjmurphy · **Posted:** Mon Feb 16, 2009 2:32 pm

Why not coat it with some epoxy paint. That's what they use on concrete trucks and it stays on very well.

New rock rails (fabricated) coming soon...

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