Laying under the truck yesterday to firewire) the wire mess left from a 47 year set up that was hacked by the body shop did.when they removed my old dock bumper to install this new one..which left me with no running lights and no turn signal on the right rear.....I saw that the whole underside of the bed is as Henry left it when it left the factory in 1972. Actually its has a coating of mud on it still from whatever the P/O got stuck in when he last used this truck before getting sick and just leaving it that way for maybe 5 or 6 years...when I got the truck it was packed with adobe mud in the frame rails all the way up to the cab. I spent about 3 hours with a pressure washer, a hammer and a chisel to break that mud up and expose the frame from that mud protective coating it had....it was really packed solid. When I removed it the frame was clean like it had been sealed by that mud....any way...the frame was coated in por 15 at the body shop but they did NOTHING for the underside of the bed. The bed had been removed and was in a building while the truck was outside.getting the frame Por 15..No thought was done to do anything with that bed underside...It was my idea to coat the frame while the bed was off....I thought they would have done something with the underside of the bed also but that is not what occurred... the painter and his prep work were great his co workers with their lack of initiative not so great...my fault I put too much faith in my friend to handle my truck...there is no way someone else is going to do that the same way you will...I should have managed this job better....Anyway what do you all suggest for a way to get this under side of the bed looking spiffy and protected now that the outside has this beautiful coat of paint that I need to protect when I do whatever you suggest?

I used to work for a company named Kimball Midwest a Maintenance of Operations Supply company(a small company that does what McMaster Carr does..... they sell an undercoating....I have never used it or really sold it...It was in my original sales offering and it read well I remember...when I finally went to use it a few years after quitting them...it was dried solid in the can so I never got to try it.....I like KIMBALL's spray rattle can paints.they cover very well since they have a very high pigment percentage...they work well..as long as you use them fairly soon after getting them....they will become solid in the can also...short shelf life..... Kimball takes the time to partner with really great companies...In the year I worked for them I never saw a product I did not think was top notch...I have been able to source a few of these same things from the actual manufacturer and sell them on my tool truck...stuff like the drill bit lube that is in a paste form...so far I have not figured out who makes the rattle can paint for them...I would love to know so I can buy that cheaper from the actual manufacturer also...but that isnt a big deal I dont use too much paint ......what do you guys think I should use to undercoat? I do NOT have easy access to a compressor and the related spray equipment...there is a compressor in the building I am in until Feb 1st but I think this project will be messy using spray equipment and I dont want to leave this place on a bad note....although I do plan to commandeer the 12k lift there to do whatever I end up doing to the underside....Im not sure what the differences are in the KIMBALL Ultra Rubberized offerings other than one is a 20 oz and the other is 24 oz... the third offering says it is "100% rubber no asphalt additives" I dont know if any of that is relevant to what I should or shouldnt use.....

 

I'm intrigued by the "all rubber, no tar" aspect, but have no earthly idea if that's an advantage, or a disadvantage in the case of using it on a truck body.
I'm a big fan of things like this though, and have used several brands of "rubberized undercoating" in spray cans over the years. All with good degrees of success.
I really like Lizard Skin, but it requires a compressor and equipment, and a well protected space because it's potentially so messy.

I actually coated the backside of my chrome Bronco bumpers (because the plating was not that good on the back of course) and was pleasantly surprised twenty years later to see that it had kept in good shape and had not allowed any rust. Even while the front exposed chrome surface had developed the usual pits.
I also had done the frame and some body panels, and have experienced the same good luck with rust prevention. Not to mention helping to make the inside of the truck notably quieter.

The downside (if it can be considered that) is that they fade and hold dirt. It's only a real downside for a truck you like to show off. From an actual performances standpoint though, they do their job even when faded and dirty.
On my Bronco, which I have the longest "test duration" with (43 years and counting) I simply took satin black spray paint about every five or six years and sprayed the most visible points in the wheel wells to dress them back up.
Otherwise, the products have held up well and have only shown signs of peeling in a few places. Which would be just as easily touched up.

If one or the other of your choices states it's better at sound deadening, without paying a penalty in longevity, that's the one I'd choose.
Not that most truck beds need sound reductions, but if you have a camper shell, the added insulation is a good thing. And if you do the underside of your cab as well, that's where the sound-deadening properties would really be helpful.

Paul

 

I have been thinking of using this.
https://www.oreillyauto.com/detail/b...q=up4883&pos=0
They even have it in different colors in the spray can.

 

I appreciate your taking the time to tell me of your experience with this idea....I will also be doing the underside of the cab so anything that helps the cabin area be as quiet as it can will be a real bonus....I still have not installed the carpet or the underlay dynamat yet to do that it currently still has the factory original rubber mat on the floor....I really like that rubber original floor but I know carpet will look good and witht the dynamat under it I will enjoy sound deadening results also

 

I think Im gonna use the Kimball stuff....Ive had such good results with their other products....Ill post as I do this so you and others can follow or not....

 

I plan on finding out where I can get something like this in the near future: VCI Coating

Nasa article about it: NASA Article

VCI (vapor corrosion inhibitor) undercoatings are available but I have not found off the shelf products. I was looking at one that had military specifications and was used on commercial big trucks. I figured I would find a place that coated the underside of dump trucks and see what they would charge since the undercoating was sold buy the 55 gallon drum.

With our trucks not being galvanized we need all the help we can get to preserve them.

 

First time I've seen the spray cans of Raptor. And you used to have to dye/tint your own. Now I'm gonna' have to see what colors they come in from the factory. It's tough stuff, but not much on sound-deadening.
I have tinted Raptor in my '68 Bronco. Colored a very close approximation to the original Peacock Blue that is still on the outside.
Raptor is maybe the only one I'd use to coat the inside of a cab if you want a relatively smooth feel, great looks and color matching. It's got a great finish that is not hard on hands and knees, so you can protect your cabin and not kill your skin when you're rummaging around in it, like some bedliner materials will do.
But, it's not much on sound deadening. That's why I was considering Lizard Skin for the outside of the Bronco. It's literally an echo chamber and is extremely noisy inside. Between the engine, the road noise, the mud tires and exhaust, it's almost painful!
My '71 on the other hand is practically like a Cadillac by comparison. The carpet made the biggest difference, but the rubberized undercoating is I'm sure helping with the bare bits like the wheel wells and kick panels.

But the tinted Raptor looks fantastic and I doubt I'll ever have any trouble stemming from a lack of protection. It's tough stuff.

Paul