Rock Sliders - Galvanize, Powder Coat, or Paint? (1 Viewer)

[Jetboy]

Just finished welding up some sliders for my '15 4runner. I plan to keep this vehicle for 8-10 years, so I want something durable that looks good for a long time.

I've already put a coat of etching primer on them - and that's how they sit. So... I could pretty easily blast them and get them galvanized for maybe $75-100, then paint over top. or I could have them powder coated for about the same $. Or just go with paint. I seem to read a lot of folks saying not to powder coat sliders because they get scratched and then rust underneath the coating.

They are bolt on - so I could paint now and see how it holds up, then blast and have them coated later as well.

What would you suggest?

Thanks,

Jetboy

 

[CreeperSleeper]

I prefer good ol rattle can on my sliders that I touch up on a regular basis.

 

[Jetboy]

I ended up rattle canning with some of this:

If it doesn't hold up I'll take 'em to the galvanizing shop, then put a good coat of epoxy paint on top or powder coat.

The semi flat matched the plastic pretty nicely:

 

[gregnash]

When looking at paint one of my club members swears by the enamel industrial paints that Kelly Moore and a few other companies put out. These paints are ment for industrial usage so they are meant to harden more (his words) vs. a traditional enamel or epoxy/poly based paint used for auto stuff. Basically think of it as tractor grade paint that is used on heavy equipment.

 

[onlyonedr]

If you are going to drive the rig, powdercoat will hold up quite a long time. If you have intentions of wheeling the thing, paint them. Always clean the steel well with a solvent. Use sandable automotive primer or self-etching primer. For a top coat I have been using Duplicolor Bumper Coating, it is formulated with a flex agent intended for plastic bumpers to allow the paint to give and scuff instead of just chipping off when it get scratched up. Extremely limited color selection but it holds up really well, my sliders are 10 years old already and other than some dings in the steel itself they look new from just a few feet back!

 

[Splangy]

Make sure you don't top coat over the self etching primer. A surfaced primer will need to be layer down before topcoating. I recommend an epoxy primer (self etch will need to be removed) with a good quality bedliner.

 

[Hendrik]

I'm doing a set for my 105 and after speaking with a the guys that do all our surface treatment at work, it seems that Industrial enamel (as mentioned above) is a very good way to go for this application.

 

[half k cruiser]

How about John Deere Blitz Black ? Planning on using this on my armor.

 

[tyrepierce]

Make sure you don't top coat over the self etching primer. A surfaced primer will need to be layer down before topcoating. I recommend an epoxy primer (self etch will need to be removed) with a good quality bedliner.

Would an automotive primer such as this (https://www.rustoleum.com/product-catalog/consumer-brands/stops-rust/automotive-primer-spray)be a decent replacement to an epoxy primer?

 

[Splangy]

Would an automotive primer such as this (https://www.rustoleum.com/product-catalog/consumer-brands/stops-rust/automotive-primer-spray)be a decent replacement to an epoxy primer?

I stopped reading as soon as I saw rustoleum, but I’m gonna say absolutely not.