I was hoping it would encapsulate it like POR15 does. I do have some other spots that are bubbling that I want to remove as much rust as possible, treat the rust and cover the entire vehicle. But if the upol will not encapsulate, than Ill need to treat first.
U-POL Tintable Raptor Lining Review
- Thread starter antFJ
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REDrum
What Would Steve Zissou Do?
GLTHFJ60:
So its been 6+ months, anything pros/cons report?
Also, you are one of the few who have gone with white. Did you mix/tint or was straight out of the box from U-pol?
So its been 6+ months, anything pros/cons report?
Also, you are one of the few who have gone with white. Did you mix/tint or was straight out of the box from U-pol?
REDrum
What Would Steve Zissou Do?
For those who have sprayed entire (FZJ80) exterior, how many u-pol "bottles" were need? Looks like a FJ60 requires 8? Not sure if an FZJ80 needs more or less...
merbesfield
SILVER Star
Never sprayed the exterior of auto but for the underside, black, it worked great. Cannot say if will hold up but from looks of it I think it will. As for qty, based on underside I am sure it would be at least 8.
I tinted the two tintable raptor liner kits with ~1qt of 033 Dupont ChromaColor urethane paint.
Pros include:
- impossible to get pin striping from rubbing up on trees / brush while wheeling
- doesn't seem to fade at all
- good abrasion resistance
- bends with the steel instead of cracking
- very high heat resistance
Cons include:
- difficult to keep clean
Took her out wheeling a couple of months ago and rubbed the body on some boulders and the sides of ditches. My cut rocker got bent up a little bit, but the liner curled up with the steel instead of cracking and coming off.
When I rubbed her on the ditch, the panel bent in a little, and the outside corner had a little liner rub off, but overall, it did pretty well. I had a lot of pressure on the quarter panel and only a very small amount of liner rubbed off.
I tagged a boulder in the driver's rear quarter and while it put a nice wave in the panel, the boulder only scuffed the liner.
Finally, I have my exhaust hard mounted to my frame and the cat is only 1" or so below the body of the RaptorLined body, with no heat shields at all. The floor inside the truck heats up like crazy, but the raptor liner looks no worse for the wear.
The ditch:
The result of that ditch:
You can see where I tagged the chopped rocker:
A closer shot:
Not the wrinkle in the foreground, but in the middle of the frame above the LC emblem, you can see the new wave. I was told that the panel was pushed in 2-3" and then settled in this location:
If you need any other info, feel free to ask!
REDrum
What Would Steve Zissou Do?
merbesfield
SILVER Star
Curious, why are you using a bed liner on the outside? Yes, the UPol is really good stuff, I loved how it sprayed, but I don't see it holding up to serious abuse on the outside and if you do tag trees and rocks it will be a PIA to repair vs. if paint, you just do your body work and shoot some more paint. IMO if you want something cheap, just shoot some single stage. Now if you like the way the UPol looks, that is different story, but given the cons, I still don't think it is very practical as an all over coating. I would imagine getting that stuff back off if you change your mind would be a b#%^tch.
I disagree 100% with you, for a wheeling truck. I know that regular paint would not hold up to being tagged by boulders, trees, dirt, or gravel kicked up by the truck in front of you. If you want to know what it'd be like to repair, I can buy another kit and repair these scratches. I guarantee that after wiping off with xylene, all I'd have to do is mask off what I want painted and spray. No sanding, just good to go.
Now, for a street truck or restoration, never use bedliner, always paint. When I painted mine, I knew I wanted something that would stand up to my abuse. From my original paint job, I knew that regular paint doesn't. Raptor Liner does.
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merbesfield
SILVER Star
Good to know that the Raptor is that strong. As for the cleaning? Mine is pretty shiny and sort of slick, even tho very bumpy. Can you pressure wash it hard and get the dirt off? Do you know if it will hold up to 3500 psi? Also, when you mask for repair, do you sand it so it feathers, or just hose it on? Thx
To be honest, I haven't washed my truck one time since I sprayed the raptor liner. I call a stiff rain my 'car wash'. I say that it's a bitch to keep clean because the rain doesn't wash off all of the dirt
In addition, I have not attempted to repair any of the scratches in my paint. However, what I would do is wipe with xylene, then spray on, feathering into the existing panels. Due to the texture, it should blend very easily.
I will make an effort to find a friend with a pressure washer and then give my truck a good wash. I'll try to make that happen at some point this summer and then I'll post my results.
Came across this old thread while searching different kinds of coatings. It would be good to hear from some of you that have had Raptor on for a while. How well does it hold up to abuse, how does it hold up to weather (UV) and how easy to touch up a oops.
I'm curious too. Just picked up a T100 and considering doing the bed and bed rails. I'm interested in the tintable.
Also, has anyone tried the SEM liner? I know the make some good products.
Also, has anyone tried the SEM liner? I know the make some good products.
82cruiser
GOLD Star
SEM Rockit Liner
I used SEM Rockit Liner like it a lot. Easy to apply with their supplied shutz gun. For a finer application, it could be thinned more and shot through a paint gun with an appropriate tip.
REDrum
What Would Steve Zissou Do?
Just had my FZJ 80 sprayed with white tinted Raptor. It took 8 bottles, but really needed 10....
Wheeled last weekend and dented front fender. Will post how it takes to popping back out.
Wheeled last weekend and dented front fender. Will post how it takes to popping back out.
Did Raptor liner about 7 years ago now on my 45. Has held up great both under it and in the bed.
Do not forget though, this is not your Rhino liner where they spray it on super thick and you can abuse the heck out of it. It is stronge but it has its limits also.
And just like any paint type product prep is everthing.
Do not forget though, this is not your Rhino liner where they spray it on super thick and you can abuse the heck out of it. It is stronge but it has its limits also.
And just like any paint type product prep is everthing.
Any input on solvent for cleaning the gun? I'm not going to use all four bottles at once, so will have to clean things out between uses. The U•Pol documentation just generically says "gun wash" and I've seen some references to laquer thinner, xylene, or acetone being used.
I assume I'm just looking for something for cleaning urethanes from paint guns?
I assume I'm just looking for something for cleaning urethanes from paint guns?
I used MEK( or MEK substitute from home depot).
SO did I. It worked great, but be ready for a crazy spray patern, which will need somewhere to go!
I used Xylene to clean my gun once done. Remember though, if you mix hardener into Raptor liner, it will set up, regardless of whether or not it's in the bottle.
I've had Moonshine painted with Raptor Liner for 9 months now and she sits outside every day. I hand washed her for the first time since 2008 and all of the dirt came off really easily! I used regular car wash detergent and a regular sponge, something you would not be able to do with a rougher-textured coating. Unfortunately, I don't have any pictures of what she looked like washed, but the paint looks perfect, exactly as she did when we put her together. No fading whatsoever.
This coating is very resilient to dents, but it will come off when pushed up against a rock. I put a couple of new dents in the PS rear C and D pillars, and took off some of the coating from the upper PS rear door as well as the rain gutter above the PS rear quarter panel.
The below pictures were taken after an offroading trip and I have not washed Moonshine since the trip.
In short, I love my Raptor Liner and every wheeling-focused truck I build from here on out will use this product.
I've had Moonshine painted with Raptor Liner for 9 months now and she sits outside every day. I hand washed her for the first time since 2008 and all of the dirt came off really easily! I used regular car wash detergent and a regular sponge, something you would not be able to do with a rougher-textured coating. Unfortunately, I don't have any pictures of what she looked like washed, but the paint looks perfect, exactly as she did when we put her together. No fading whatsoever.
This coating is very resilient to dents, but it will come off when pushed up against a rock. I put a couple of new dents in the PS rear C and D pillars, and took off some of the coating from the upper PS rear door as well as the rain gutter above the PS rear quarter panel.
The below pictures were taken after an offroading trip and I have not washed Moonshine since the trip.
In short, I love my Raptor Liner and every wheeling-focused truck I build from here on out will use this product.
