Rock sliders - paint, powdercoat or linex???

[Mike W]

linex would be repairable whereas powder coat is durable but basically has to be fixed professionally

You can rattle can over powder coat just fine. The powder coat shop even gave me a can of matched spray paint for the textured black.

Im not sure bed liner really helps that much more than powder coat or paint. Rust will still happen and liner is harder to strip off and touch up. If rust isn't a concern because you just plan on re-coating every few years or you live in some sort of rust free utopia, then my points don't matter. :D

 

[northernXoverland]

You can rattle can over powder coat just fine. The powder coat shop even gave me a can of matched spray paint for the textured black.

Im not sure bed liner really helps that much more than powder coat or paint. Rust will still happen and liner is harder to strip off and touch up. If rust isn't a concern because you just plan on re-coating every few years or you live in some sort of rust free utopia, then my points don't matter. :D

If you spray paint over the scratches why not just spray paint it in the first place. Also spray paint isn't as durable as powder coat so your just creating a weak link in your chain. If you fix your powder coating with powder coat you'd need a dedicated oven large enough to fit the part. Bedliner is plenty durable in my experience, is easy to blend when scratched, is cheaper, and comes off nicely with aircraft stripper or sandblaster.

Sent from my XT1635-02 using OB Talk mobile app

 

[Mike W]

If you spray paint over the scratches why not just spray paint it in the first place. Also spray paint isn't as durable as powder coat so your just creating a weak link in your chain. If you fix your powder coating with powder coat you'd need a dedicated oven large enough to fit the part. Bedliner is plenty durable in my experience, is easy to blend when scratched, is cheaper, and comes off nicely with aircraft stripper or sandblaster.

Sent from my XT1635-02 using OB Talk mobile app

I get it powder coated in the first place because it takes no time, and is cheap and looks better. (as compared to spraying it myself.. and I even have an HVLP paint gun and the tools to spray things). I have a local place near me who powder coats for crazy low prices. They mostly handle industrial jobs but the guy will do little jobs for cash. They can handle full sized fire truck frames and such.

In my case the paint/powder/etc is NOT the coating that protects from rust at all, its the galvanizing aluminum layer from zincnation. It provides all the rust protection, and even when scratched through, still protects because all the aluminum around it still has to be used in the corrosion process before the steel starts to rot. The owner of Tactical Rovers who built all my skids/sliders/rear bumper has his sliders metalized and naked, no paint or anything, just to show that they wont rust.

I don't have experience with bed liner, but I can't imagine its any better or worse than paint or powder coat... my point regarding rust is just that all of them don't participate in the Galvanic protection of steel. They are just a barrier.

 

[Vincent Keith]

My rock hard sliders have no powder coating left on the bottom - it's all been sandblasted off. Based on my personal experiences with powder coating it doesn't hold up. I'll skip it next time. I want something I can easily repair/touchup so I'll be looking at various user applied things

 

[Overland California]

2 coats of Rustoleum primer and 2 coats of Rustoleum paint. If you really want to be fancy you can clear coat over that but it's going to get scratched off when you hit the trails. 4 coats may be a bit overkill but it keep the rest of the sliders/bumpers looking great for years (I'm still running my first run of paint over 8 years with this technique). If you get some gnarly scratches in the paint, you can just spray some more on there when you get home.

 

[Utilityman]

I went with podercoat. The process and finished product was outstanding. I really liked the texture (gives the kiddos some extra grip)and they blend in well with the rocker trim on the 4Runner. For me the finish had to be as functional as the sliders themselves or my wife won’t have it. Lol she’s really a nice gal.

 

[Mike W]

I took a picture today when changing my wheels from winters to all terrain. They have some salt but held up ok so far. I need some battle scars on these things, they are all still too new.

 

[SpikeMD]

Don't waste your money on powdercoat for sliders unless you are a mall crawler. The first time you use your sliders, you will scrape all that beautiful powdercoat to the metal. They are sliders....meant to be hold the weight of your vehicle while sliding across rocks...what do you think is going to happen? Primer and rattlecan/paint is the way to go. I bought a quart of hammerfinish and found brushing it on covers better and is cheaper. Super easy to touch up and if you live in the rust belt, should be almost every run to avoid serious rust issues. My sliders are beat, bent and scraped and I throw on some paint once a year.

I tried painting over powdercoat on my swingout bumper...didn't last more than a year. It doesn't adhere well.

Clearcoating sliders....that gave me a chuckle...

 

[FX4Bob]

I've been very impressed with Herculiner. The roll-on, not the spray (haven't tried the spray yet). It goes on thick, it's tough, and looks good. Of course, not many finishes will hold up to a few thousand pounds of truck landing on a rock, but touch up is super easy- just grab a paint brush. I've put the stuff on my front and rear bumpers. I currently have the Duplicolor spray-on bedliner on my rock sliders, and it's alright, but I plan to put Herculiner on those as well next time I need to touch them up. Also, the gallon can goes a LONG way. My front and rear bumpers took less than a 1/2 can.

 

[Bill Guerre]

You could check out POR15 top coat. stuff is rock solid and will last a long time. can get a roll on or spray can, oh and its UV protected. POR15 stuff last forever.

 

[Lindenwood]

POR15 is indeed impressive. I once tested it by running a single-coated piece of oiping against a bench grinder wire wheel for a solid 20 or 30 seconds with not a scratch!

That said, I just rattle-canned my sliders. 4xInnovations actually recommends against powdercoating in their instructions, for reasons already stated: it will still scrape off and you'll end up with constant, costly professional repairs, or a DIY touch-up job anyways.

 

[Steve G]

My rock sliders came in from White Knuckle Offroad yesterday! I've decided to go the rattle can route... I intend to use these sliders and just not sure I like the idea of powder coating something that is going to come in contact with rocks. It just seems like a waste of money to me and not sure touch ups will be as easy on powder coat or linex if it chips or tears or starts to separate due to a bad application.

Found this little rattle can guide on popular mechanics... I like it. Going that route. I'll post some pics after the rainy weather clears and I can start the project.

https://www.popularmechanics.com/home/outdoor-projects/how-to/a24028/how-to-paint-bare-metal/


Thanks all... what a great community here.

 

[adventure_is_necessary]

Like pretty much everyone that has commented mentioned, they're sliders. They're meant to be beat on and abused. You're gonna lose paint. My best suggestion would be to not skimp on the prep both on the sliders and frame. clean the metal off as best you can with an abrasive and then a cleaner like mineral spirits or rubbing alcohol to get any excess residue off. Make sure the metal is warm for best adhesion. I'd recommend a good textured paint after the primer for grip as some have mentioned. I'd suggest adding grip tape to common footing areas, but that's your call. On those spots, I'd just use a standard paint instead. I just wanna stress the prep as that will ensure the paint will hold as best as it can and will protect the metal. Whatever paint you use will be cheaper and easier to touch up than powdercoat or a bed liner. I have no experience with POR15, but it sounds like that might be something to consider given the bits of info on this forum.

 

[Qmed Joe]

I just ordered some oem paint because I plan on painting my fender flares and figured that I'll throw some primer/paint/gloss coat on my sliders that are sitting at home bare metal in a box from 4X Innovations. They go on in about 10 days!

 

[JoshMTN4R]

I went with paint as well, just for the ease of keeping sealed and repairing any chips or scrapes from use. I use the Tractor Supply tractor implement paint - this stuff is phenomenal. Light coats and it seals like a powdercoat (clearly not quite as good as actual powdercoating) but doesn't run (if you use the light coats) and takes new spray to touch up like a champ. Very durable.

Is this the stuff you're talking about Ryan?
https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/majic-tractor-truck-implement-oil-base-enamel-matte-black-1-gal

 

[systemdelete]

On my bronco I POR-15 the sliders and my bumpers, and then just as it tacked up I started with the tractor and implement enamel from TSC. The POR-15 is tough as nails properly applied and the paint got them the color I wanted and was easy to touch up. :) ONLY time I regretted it was when I wanted to weld on a few new light tabs to my front bumper. The only way to get POR-15 off to get back to bare metal is by grinding, so I suggest you make any modifications before you apply it.

 

[Dustin T. Gladwell]

What brand is the sliders? How much did they run you? I want to put a set on my tundra and the CBIs are a grand

 

[SpikeMD]

Sounds like good paint. I found the black hammer finish rustoleum at Home Depot which is easy to brush on and doesn't require shielding the truck from over spray.

Problem with OEM paint is that it will be very slippery.

Someone mentioned tacky grip tape like used on stairs. Well, I put some on initially but it would catch my pant leg or worse bare leg in the summer. Took it off quickly.

 

[4wheelspulling]

I just ordered a set of rock sliders for my Tundra and am having them sent bare metal... the powder coating cost seemed a little high and I wanted to keep my options open. Looking for thoughts on coating material? I was planning to just spray them with matte black spray paint when they arrive, but it occurred to me they might be a little slippery in wet conditions. I want my truck to slide over rocks, not me or my kids sliding off the sliders.

Is linex a good choice, or would it chip off in giant chunks when rock makes contact? Maybe just some grip tape near the doors? I plan to use these for their intended purpose, so I want something that allows me to touch up easily in the driveway after an outing.

When I was looking for a set of Rock Sliders for my FZJ80, I talked with a couple of different companies that made some great sliders. I asked why the price difference of powder coating. The answer given by both companies was the same. If they did the powder coating, you have the pieces coated on the inside of the the slider tubes also. So, that gives some more rust out protection, from the inside out. Then just touch up with what ever you like from use and to keep them looking good and rust free, after use. Benz.

 

[12AMJKU]

I spray line x. I would do line x. That’s stuff is insane.