best way to paint light bar and sliders

trying to see which is the best way to get the light bar and sliders painted to last a long time and look good without alot of maintenance

 

Powdercoating most durable but pricey.. The advantages of DIY through the "rattlecan" process is cost and easier to touch-up. I try this first. You can always powdercoat if you don't like the DIY results.

 

Rattle can that shit. Sliders are going to get torn up anyway. Re-rattle and done.

 

Spray it down with a degreaser, then wash and dry. Then go to Advance auto and get a can of Herculiner for $30. Use this. Its very durable and looks great.

 

Get yourself some krylon cammo. Its uv resistant and goes on great and you can pick up a new can whenever you need it. If you're just looking to keep it black or whatever.

BUT
Spray down with degreaser (if you're talking real degreaser, like oileater or gunk) is dead ass wrong. Not to be mean. You might get by, but I tell ya what.. dirt has great adhesion potential, degreaser does not. There are cleaning products for cleaning before you paint.

I use dx330 and dx103, then dx330 again (ppg numbers).. Basically a very clean solvent "wax and grease remover"/prepsol (note not "degreaser") and then alcohol to get both petroleum and other organic stuff. Then, I'll pickle the metal (phosphoric acid). You can get the wax and grease remover at Walmart I think in a duplicolor or something line. I recommend that you then swing by your local ACE/Tru-value and pick up some picklex, jasco or ospho (phosphoric acid rinses) following the instructions to the letter.

You follow those instructions and you won't have any fish eyes or sticky or peeling, or rust, ever (barring damage). Don't smoke around your unfinished metal. It causes fisheyes. If you have, do the alcohol wipe again.

If you don't care how it looks, that's fine, but no sense painting it at all if you don't prep it. Ospho under some good spray paint will last a good long time. Ya barely need to paint pickled metal.

Your light-bar is chrome though No? You'll need a minimum of self etching primer (available in a rattle can now-a-days), and I"d also go over it with some.. well whatever you can get to rough up that chrome. Clean it super good and go to town with whatever top coat after the etch primer. If you do have chrome and really want it to stick. Get an acid etch rinse from your local paint store.

I like herculiner for an old clampy pos, but it gets real ugly real fast (oxidizes, hardens, fades) If he's asking how to paint them, he probably cares.

If you really wanted to get into painting, you can pick up a turbine sprayer for a few hundred used. No gigantic high cfm $4000 compressor to buy and wire and you can carry it anywhere. Make sure you get at least a 3 stage turbine for automotive. Then get yourself any ol epoxy primer and paint that over your pickled metal. You'll be in like flint.

Or you can go to the media blasting/powdercoat shop and spend the same amount of money you'd spend on a sprayer getting your stuff done.

Of course, for any of the paint, just follow manufacturers instructions for cover and cure. Don't mess with them.. there's a lot of chemistry in there. Even in rattle can. Its not poster paint.