Hi Folks,
I'm getting ready to start on some of the body parts on my truck and I had an idea about trying something. I have seen several truck bed coatings that are something like Rhino Liner. Some claim to be better... I was wondering if any one here has tried using these coatings on the inside of fenders and other panels exposed to road debris. If so I would be interested in any opinions about the best products and also prep of the surface to be coated.

On previous thread I expressed my dissapointment with the durability of Rhino Liner which I had put in the bed of my '03 F-350. I do however feel that something along this line wouild create a barrier against chipping from road debris. I'm thinking along the lines of a hardened paint on the inside of these panels and fenders covered with the bed liner coating. It would seem to me that this would create a cushioned coating to protect the inside. I'm sure that with the years of wear and surface rust, not to mention some minor patching, that the metal has lost some of it's thickness and I thought this might be an excellent way to preserve what is left.

I am quite interested and open to any and all suggestions.

Later Folks...

 

Dave - we had a gent use Eastwoods on the underside of his fenders - here was his response to Ross (Albuq), on the Flathead Forum...


picture by flatheadfreddy)

I guess a check of Eastwood's site would come up with it.

R

 

Although I don't have personal experience with it, a good friend of mine is building a Model A roadster pickup and is using the rattle can bed liner material on the underside of the fenders. He has used it before and claims it really helps. I think he buys it at NAPA but I don't recall the brand.

 

I'm going to use the Chassis Saver paint, top-coated with epoxy primer, than color, on mine. Hopefully, I'll never drive in the rain, pick up a rock, dust, dirt...



R

 

I tried this stuff recommended by my body man.

Dupli-color

Truck Bed
Coating

It was from a local mega auto parts house. something like $4 or $5 a can.

I have had it on my truck for several years now with no adhesion problems and no star cracking in my rear fiberglass fenders.

I used it on the underside of my cab, running boards, and inside front and rear fender wells.

It sprays on very nicely with no runs or spitting, about the same as spray paint to use.

 

It kind of sounds like you guys have confirmed my suspicions and thinking about this stuff. I do intend to drive this truck enough that it is possible for me to end up in snow, slush, rain and other minor road debris. I would prefer something I could put in a spray gun as opposed to a spray can. I use those things but I don't care for them. Any additional links you guys have to this sort of product would be helpful. I'd like to look at all the alternatives.

Later Guys...

 

I used clear Chipquard on mine, on top of the paint, 5 coats.
SEM Clear Chip Guard Aerosol (for example)

Also on the cab in the fenderwells..

Sam

 

Hi sam,
Now that's another idea I hadn't thought of.

 

I used Herculiner (roll-on) bed liner on my 56. It has stood up very well. I plan to use it on the underside of my fenders and running boards. Two coats is pretty thick and looks a lot like Rhino Liner after it dries. ASFAK, it only comes in black.

 

and they have both aerosol and paint gun supplies.

and just like any other 'paint' you have to put this on inside the curing window of the base paint, OR scuff the surface

I did both.. On the cab we scuffed the surface (clearcoat) under the fenderwells, and under the fenders we put it on, on top of the just drying clear coat (inside the 8 hour window)

This stuff has a 4 hour between coats window.

Sam

 

I would not use any of the liner material alone as an undercoat. To be effective the coating has to get in where rust startes and I think most of this stuff is too thick. I would spray whatever will not be covered by a painted finish with some type of rust barrier, like PM Master Series, that will stop the rust. You can probably stop there, but if you want something to further protect this paint from chips or as a sound deadener, go with a reqular spray on undercoart (cheaper) or the RhinoLiner type stuff.

 

Black is good. I kind of like the roll on idea too. I'll check it out.

Later Man...

 

I don't plan on using it as an undercoating... I want it for it's mechanical protection. Body deadner is a waste of time and it actually promotes rust in areas like I live in where they use lots of salt. It seperates just a little and the salt water gets under it and does it's nasty thing. I will not allow undercoating on anything I buy new. I have a '93 van with 256,000 miles that has been all over the rust belt in theworst weather and never garaged. It has no undercoating of any kind and no rust. I have been buying new vehicles for forty years and never had one undercoated with anything. In the case of this vehicle I will paimt the underside with a hardened enamel like I use on my trailer decks. We drive stuff on it and it stays on. As I said, the liner coating is for mechanical protection only. This has nothing to do with rust prevention.

 

Any type of bedliner coating is thick in its application. Spraying it over bolt heads will make the bolt head into a round black glob, so be aware of that. It will fill small holes where certain bolts and screws will need to go through. You'll need to know where they are as finding them afterward can be a pain. The upside is this stuff is durable. The downside is this stuff is durable, and once a scratch is formed, water gets in behind it, it will stay there and rust from the inside out, and you won't know it since the "crust" will stay there. On my friend's mud truck, we epoxy primered the frame, then applied chassis black. The underside of the cab, front fenders, and bed were sprayed with POR15, then sprayed with Herculiner (several cans) And has held up pretty well. My 2 cents.

EDIT: most normal spray guns can't spray this stuff.

 

Mine will/is get(ting) coated with epoxy primer (SPI) and then sprayed with SPIs bedliner. The spray gun from Baker PBE is around $30 for it.

I intend to spray the parts in pieces, so as to not coat the bolts. They will be stainless.

A regular gun will not spray that thick stuff.