Alternative to powder coating rock sliders?

13565 Views 29 Replies 18 Participants Last post by norm356, Jul 31, 2016

doctorworm

Discussion Starter · Apr 17, 2015

I just got a set of all pro's standard duty sliders, they sat out on my back porch, covered, overnight and they are already showing rust. I brought them in until I can get them powder coated, but how durable is it?

Has anyone done anything other than powder coating?

1 - 20 of 30 Posts

Trailworx FJ

· #2 · Apr 17, 2015

I say this all the time.. powder coat them and routinely touch up with paint. Powder coat ensures a solid coat of paint.

Reactions: 1

Too Many Toys

· #3 · Apr 17, 2015

I'm thinking of getting a set of Pure sliders and waiting for them to patina, then rattle can clear them. Rat Rod style.

Cholerabob

· #4 · Apr 17, 2015

Powder coated mine 6 years ago, and like Trailworx said, i rattle can the under part after each trail i do. Top is like new, under is scuffed but no rust. The secret is a good primer coat, make sure they do it right.

WASP

· #5 · Apr 17, 2015

Flat black rust oleum is my paint of choice. When I return from a trip, wash, dry, spray the scratches and I'm good to go.

Reactions: 2

adam12_4

· #6 · Apr 17, 2015

I touch mine up with Spray on bed liner.

MattM

· #7 · Apr 17, 2015

After having to do very extensive touch-ups every spring, I'm ready to try something new...

The problem is all the sand & salt that gets put on the roads during the looong New England winter. It basically sandblasts the cross bars on the underside, then adds salt for extra-quick rusting.

This year I am getting them professionally sandblasted, then painted with a thick coat of POR-15, then top-coated with Rustoleum textured black (the POR-15 is not UV stable, so it's fine all by itself for undercarriage parts where the sun never shines, not so much for the tops of the sliders). Finally, I am adding small ABS plastic guards to the cross members on the underside - where they take the most hits from sand and gravel.

We'll see how they doing come next spring.

tsy87

· #8 · Apr 17, 2015

MattM said:
After having to do very extensive touch-ups every spring, I'm ready to try something new...

The problem is all the sand & salt that gets put on the roads during the looong New England winter. It basically sandblasts the cross bars on the underside, then adds salt for extra-quick rusting.

This year I am getting them professionally sandblasted, then painted with a thick coat of POR-15, then top-coated with Rustoleum textured black (the POR-15 is not UV stable, so it's fine all by itself for undercarriage parts where the sun never shines, not so much for the tops of the sliders). Finally, I am adding small ABS plastic guards to the cross members on the underside - where they take the most hits from sand and gravel.

We'll see how they doing come next spring.

I've thought about some sort of plastic gaurd to the high wear areas that tend to get sand blasted off. Post pix when you get yours done!

MattM

· #9 · Apr 17, 2015

tsy87 said:
I've thought about some sort of plastic gaurd to the high wear areas that tend to get sand blasted off. Post pix when you get yours done!

I will do that.

Right now, I am thinking about heat-bending 1/8" ABS so that they just clip-on to the cross members. We'll see if that will actually work once I try it. Would be good to have an attachment method that does not involve drilling any holes - the rust does not need an extra invitation.

tsy87

· #10 · Apr 17, 2015

MattM said:
I will do that.

Right now, I am thinking about heat-bending 1/8" ABS so that they just clip-on to the cross members. We'll see if that will actually work once I try it. Would be good to have an attachment method that does not involve drilling any holes - the rust does not need an extra invitation.

I was just going to use zip ties or VHB double sided tape lol. I'm sure you will come up with something much more elegant!

FJ Cruiser Matt

· #11 · Apr 17, 2015

I am going to re bedline mine. The gravel from winter has just been killing them.

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Woodsman

· #12 · Apr 17, 2015

I hear everyone talk about powdercoat as a generic term meaning that all powdercoats are the same.

Negative.

Most small batch or custom powder coaters do a crap job. They wipe down the parts with a rag soaked in solvent, call it clean and spray it with the color of your choice. That's probably ok for interior use parts or new clean material but we need the best.

The best powder coat jobs will involve a multi stage cleaning or dipping AND a primer coat. For best adhesion and longevity of the coating you must remove contaminants that prevent adhesion and add a primer coat to prevent rust and promote adhesion.

I've had some bad experiences with small batch processors when doing architectural parts for libraries but I was lucky enough to get my Bud Built skids ran down the powder coat line of the local hospital bed manufacturer (a favor from a neighbor who worked in the prototype shop there).

Even jagged rocks have a tough time scratching through the coating. After seven years, of course, there are streaks of rust from the worse scratches but the coating overall is tight.

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Reactions: 1

XT FJ

· #13 · Apr 17, 2015

As Woodsman says, it depends on how and who does the powdercoating.

Where I live it is the road salt throughout most fall, winter and spring months which kills finishes fast. I have not powdercoated any FJ parts yet but when I do I will make certain to get the zinc primer, color of choice and finished off with clear. Powdercoat clear is not as easy to tidy up as automotive clear so may go automotive clear if the paint booth is up and running by June.

Christopher A.

tcody

· #14 · Apr 17, 2015 (Edited)

Buy a sheet of 12x48" (.5 to 1") nylon and cut it into strips 2" wide on the bandsaw. Router the contour of the tubing into the strips and transition each end. Countersink a hole every 6" in the nylon strips. Drill holes on both rails on each side to match the holes on the strips and fit to the rails with stainless hardware to the sliders. I am not sure what the wall thickness of the tubing is, but you may need to weld in some pipe to keep the bolts from compressing the tubing. Powder coat sliders and just replace the rub strips you just made as needed. Won't stop all trauma, but will help.

MattM

· #15 · Jun 7, 2015

3

MattM said:
After having to do very extensive touch-ups every spring, I'm ready to try something new...

The problem is all the sand & salt that gets put on the roads during the looong New England winter. It basically sandblasts the cross bars on the underside, then adds salt for extra-quick rusting.

This year I am getting them professionally sandblasted, then painted with a thick coat of POR-15, then top-coated with Rustoleum textured black (the POR-15 is not UV stable, so it's fine all by itself for undercarriage parts where the sun never shines, not so much for the tops of the sliders). Finally, I am adding small ABS plastic guards to the cross members on the underside - where they take the most hits from sand and gravel.

We'll see how they doing come next spring.

This project is finally underway.

Here are some "before" shots. As you can see, the crossbars take the worst abuse. The front tires kick up all the salt and gravel in the winter and are quite effective as sandblasters.

Here they are getting sandblasted.

more to come...

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MattM

· #16 · Jun 7, 2015 (Edited)

5

All pretty now.

The missing plate takes a bit of explaining...

Back when I got them, there was a big All-Pro logo water-jetted into the slider's top plate. I resolved to remove the logo, all of which was beat to death in this thread: http://www.fjcruiserforums.com/forums/4x4-off-road-tech/155422-my-truck-not-your-billboard.html

Despite what the naysayers in that thread said, the body filler solution worked just fine for over two years. However, when I removed them for this servicing I could just start to make out the outline of the logo in the top plate. Turns out the body filler was fine, but the edges of the logo cutout had started to rust. So, for this project, I decided to cut out that section of the top plate and replace it.

Here, the replacement plate is in place:

All ground down and ready for paint:

Before the POR-15 paint, I used POR-15 Metal Prep. This is a cleaner / rust remover, and leaves behind a thin zinc phosphate coating. That's what is causing the yellow apprearance in this pic:

After the first coat of POR-15:

Should have more tomorrow. Stay tuned...

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Reactions: 3

brobert225

· #17 · Jun 7, 2015

Having done a lot of body work and painting, I would consider nothing less than a single stage top name urethane over a primer. This will give a very hard coating that will not let go and is easy to retouch as needed after severe damage.

Ragnar Danneskjöld

· #18 · Jun 7, 2015

I repaint mine every year - sanding off any rust spots. But honestly, my method has worked really well and I don't get a lot of damage over the year.

Sand the sliders - clean the sliders really well w/ dish soap (scrub like crazy) - dry immediately - paint 3 coats w/ Rustoleum Pro self-etching primer - paint 3 coats Rustoleum Pro flat black.

It takes 1/2 a day. I don't do touch-ups, just re-paint once a year. I probably have a dozen coats on some sections by now.

MattM

· #19 · Jun 7, 2015

Ragnar Danneskjöld said:
I repaint mine every year - sanding off any rust spots. But honestly, my method has worked really well and I don't get a lot of damage over the year.

You don't live in New England where they put roughy 45,000 metric tons of salt on the road every year.

I did the yearly maintenance approach for two years, gonna try a permanent solution now.

Currently putting POR-15 Top Coat on them. More pics later today.

elDiablo

· #20 · Jun 7, 2015

no salt on the roads here in Texas, I've got spray bedliner on everything, sliders, skids, etc. touch ups are a breeze.

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