Bedliner instead of paint? (2 Viewers)

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Joined
Feb 13, 2011
Threads
7
Messages
46
Location
Oak Harbor, WA
Hey everyone, I'm looking for ideas on when I finally tear in to my 40 as to weather I should paint it or use a tint-able bed liner for the exterior. I like the original mustard yellow so it would be tinted that color. I'd probably stick with a diy kit like the Upol raptor but any personal experiences would be great to hear on any other kits out there. The 40 wouldn't be a show truck just a weekend wheeler and a camping rig, but I still want it to look nice, just not have to worry about a nick here or a scratch there. Has anyone ever done this. Will it fade? Would there be a heat issue with it absorbing to much radiant UV rays and overheating or turn into a sweat box in the summers? If anyone has pictures please post them so I can see what it looks like.
 
my bet is it would fade bad.

also its going to take a few kits of bed liner to do the truck, each kit is ruffly 100$ . you could buy some paint for that money and a cheapo spray gun
 
I did the floor of my fj8 and the lip where people would step with black herculiner. I does not get nearly has hot as the parts that are painted. So heat should not be an issue. It will fade, they all do. It will also be a nightmare to wash, and if it does not turn out well it will be very difficult to get off and go back to a painted surface. Also anything that hits the body hard enough that would scratch all the way through some good paint and to the bare metal would also mess this up. It is tough but only so tough. Get some paint and paint it.
 
I'm in the process of replacing the rear sill and redoing the quarter panels and bed. I had the same issue and have decided to stay original and paint the bed.
 
I have started mine using the u-pol kit most of it is done but its in pieces. I did charcoal gray I can post some pics if your interested. Very easy to do and you can adjust the texture by how high or low you set the psi the gun is putting out. I went on the high side so the texture isn't to rough.
 
I know of a guy who painted the exterior of his FJ55 with black Herculiner. Bought 3 of the gallon kits at Pep Boys when they were on sale. Rolled & brushed it on over a weekend. He never washed it anyway. Looked good for a few years, did fade and suffer "thinning" due to the UV damage (never garaged). Really easy to put another coat on. Really easy to patch the rock rash.
Sure, there are a few pics of it here on 'Mud. Here's one...
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I painted mine with 2 coats of Durabak smooth with UV block. I hated the color so spray painted the color I wanted. The Durabak was not 100% cured so the spray paint stuck well. Still looks good.
 
Line-x w/ freeborn red and the xtra so it won't fade. i was worried about going red, but my line-x guy has his jeeps top in red for the past few years and it hasn't faded a bit.

so far only issue getting it back together is the kick vent pin, everything else is going together perfectly surprisingly enough.

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I did the outside of my 40 with tan durabak in the smooth version and the interior in the grey rough version. It came out pretty good, going on 2 years and still looks good. Not a show quality finish, but has held up great against branches. I've also had to do some repair spots which was easy, just cut out the old liner around the damaged area, prep and re-line it. Would recommend it if you in the woods a lot...wouldn't recommend it if you think the next owner might want paint...it doesn't come off easy!
 
Durabak paintjob

The first pic is how I bought her from the PO. The last 2 are what my wife calls pissing on it and like a dog marking what is his,lol she rocks. But just some changes and and stuff. The black is fading but not bad for 4 or more years. The yellow is still bright when I was with detergent. I actually hate the yellow and in the process of removing the yellow n diamond plating and painting it black as for the rest its a almost the oem tan color by durabak. Only problem is the PO painted over all bolts. Also he painted the rollcage with the same rough stuff. sucks about that is the scraps everyone. hope these help. I like the product and is easy to apply.
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Thanks eveyone for the reply's and pics. I'm never going to sell it so I'm not worried about any future owners and there opinions of it. I like the idea of it being easy to take care of but still like the glossy aspect of paint. I guess time will tell what I spray on it.
 
holding up?

So anyone who has done it, would you do it again? I am thinking pretty seriously about going this route. My rig will be around a long time, and given to my grandson some day. It will be pulled behind an RV in the mean time..I want tough and easy to maintain.

D
 
Yes, I would. I used smooth Durabak and rattle can paint over it. Great finish and I have only dinged it on rocks. Branches have not worn through it.
 
I did mine top, bottom and sides in Line-x many, many years ago.....still perfect and scratch free and no fade. I did not coat the fenders/hood/windshield or cowl as you can see in the picture. Washed easier than paint, durable and looks great still. No wear from shoes and boots on the floorboards whatsoever. I would do it again!
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There's a guy down the street from me who painted his Toyota Truck with liner and it looks pretty cool. In my opinion he could have gone with a less rough texture and had better results. It seems to be difficult to clean grime, tree sap, other normal residue from the rough paint.

I think most folks are going for rugged durability and a matte finish for the exterior application of liner.
 

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