Sliders - What should I paint / line them with?

I should clarify for anyone using this thread to decide on what to coat their sliders with that I intend to use my truck as an overlanding / hunting / fishing / camping vehicle. I have rock sliders for the "just in case" situation that I will come across rocks on the trail. If I intended to use my truck to play in the rocks, I would have gone with black spray paint.

I chose Line-X primarily because I believe that it will hold up to weather, gravel roads, vegetation, and city driving better than the alternatives.

 

Old thread, but whatever.

I had my sliders blasted, primed and Line-X'd for around $300, IIRC. When they sprayed the coating, they taped off the legs about 3" back from the mounting brackets so it wouldn't cook from the welding heat.

Plans have changed though, and it's looking like I'm going to bolt them on instead so will likely paint the uncoated parts with rubberized undercoating or summat. (

They do look spectacular though, and I'm looking forward to having them on. Might wait until spring now unless I figure out some sort of easy way to stop the doors from getting all mucked up from slush and such - that's certainly one advantage of the black plastic OEM running boards (or whatever they're called).

Cheers,
Marc

 

por-15 is crazy stuff. Liquid plastic.

 

I'm almost ready to pull the trigger on either some Smittybuilt or Avid side steps.

https://avidoffroad.infusionsoft.com/app/storeFront/showProductDetail?productId=97

http://www.autoanything.com/nerf-bars/61A4999A0A0.aspx






While I'm pretty sure the Avids are superior in quality and construction, I'm concerned with having to maintain them with some type of coating.

I assume with the Avids, some type of coating is absoutely necessary or else rust will quickly form. So leaving the Avids bare is not really an option.

Question: Is there some type of clear sealant that one can put over the avids rather than paint that will protect from rust but will not chip or scratch?

There is an option for a stainless Smittybuilt which would seem to be almost maintance free... (and lifetime warranty)

The quesiton is, does one like the stainless look?

I'd much preferr black steps, but given how much of an issue maintaining them is, I'm starting to swing the other way (stainless).

Thoughts?

 

I've never seen stainless sliders, other than diamond plate stuff for Jeeps.

Maintaining sliders is not much of an issue, $6 and 10 minutes once a year or so depending on how much you wheel and how anal retentive you are.

 

satan paint?

that's some evil shit....

 

those aren't sliders.... they're nerf bars.

 

I understand that woodygg, my question wasn't about sliders vs nerfbars, but more to do with maintinance.

 

Well if you do any moderate and higher off-roading, those shiny nerf bars are gonna be a maintenance nightmare.

 

Only real off roading I'll be doing is driving on various FSR's while hunting.

So no rock crawaling or risky off roading for me.

Which is why I don't need sliders.

Just steps so my wife and kids can get in and out easier...

But I really like the looks and durability of the Avid's and or SmittyBuilt's over the standard OEM nerf bars...

However, can you elaborate more on your comment about those shiny nerf bars are gonna be a maintenance nightmare? I'm assuming you mean actual damage from being bolt on vs welded to frame?

 

Sliders are much stronger and designed to shrug off dents and scrapes (and support the weight of the vehicle) that will tear up step/nerfs very quickly. In this sense they are much easier to maintain since the "damage" to them is much less and is easily touched up, compared to a chrome looking step which will look like a shiny raisin after a while from wheeling.

If you're not doing any real off-roading then I suppose it's not an issue and the step/nerf style things will work for you. But I wonder, why are you worried about maintenance if you're only driving on easy FSRs?

 

Which is why I really like the Avids. The build quality is the same as their regular sliders, just bolt-on. However, the downside is having to coat them with something that isn't going to be permanent and will require ongoing maintenance.

We also get lots of snow/salt/dirt in the winter where I live so I'm not just worried about the coating chipping/peeling off when on the FSR roads, but the long term derability of the coating duing the four seasons.

I like the idea of not having to do any touchup on the stainless steel (not chrome) and the lifetime warranty of the Smittybuilt....

But obviously the Avid's are better/stronger overall quality...

 

Take a look at a product called Graviguard! It is not like plastidip where it peels off. I have used this under motorcycle fenders to resist the rock chips and inclement weather. As you know, nobody washes under the fenders. It is similar to undercoating, but is not thick like bedliner. There are plenty of vendors, so this is just a link to the product

http://www.repaintsupply.com/pd_gravigard.cfm

http://www.offshoreautobodysupplies.com/u-pol-grav-guard-anti-stone-chip-aerosol-gray-black/