Painting new sliders

My AP sliders came in and after debated, I decided to paint them vs. powdercoat. The way I see it, I intend to use get my moneys worth out of them so paint is cheaper and easier to touch up.

Gratuitous (and crappy) cell phone pics:



First thing I did was mount them to 4x4 timbers. While stable sitting on their bases, mounting them to the 4x4's will prevent them from being tipped or knocked over. I then lightly sanded and cleaned everything:


After another thread discussion, I went with Rustoleum Bare Metal Primer. It dries to the touch in 30 minutes, can be handled in 2-3 hours and fully cures in 48 hours. The instructions are to reapply within 1 hour or after 48 hours so I have my timer set to 30 minutes after each coat:


First coat:


To be continued...

 

Second coat of primer painted.

One thing to note. If you look at the way I have the sliders attached to the timber, I have the tops pointed inward which was a bad idea. The top is what everyone will see and it is difficult to paint in this configuration. I could have used longer pieces of timber but that would have been a waste of wood.

 

Nice nice I called this morning and mine should be shipped today

 

You planning on bolting or welding on?

 

That's awesome...this very moment I'm painting my diy relentless fab bumper with the same paint/primer till I can get it powder coated some day. Like to know how this paint works out for you and what paint will you finish them out with?

 

sub'd

I'm going to have to do this when I get my (SOS) sliders in next month.

 

Here's the paint that I'm using. I went with a semi-gloss as I didn't want anything too shiny.


Here is what they look like after one coat. It's still tacky so the shine may go down but they do have the appearance of powdercoating.


As an unexpected benefit, the white primer stands out against the black paint which helps with ensuring an even coat. The first coat takes the longest to go on. After that, each subsequent coat is just enough to make it look "wet".

So far, I've used about 1 1/2 cans of primer (2 coats) and just over 1 can of black pant (1 coat). My plan is to get 3 coats of black on it, wait until Wednesday, touch up as needed and maybe add a coat of clear coat.

 

Looks good

 

Bolting them on for now. In talking with Kurtis as AP, the bolts are strong enough to take a Hi-Lift. I may burn them in later if/when I get around to it.

 

Nice ... Think I might just have mine bed liner'd along with my rockers and possibly frame... Depends if I can get it lined up before the run..

 

I don't have pics as it is too dark but after 3 coats of black, it looks exactly like powdercoat, even has that glossy, slightly dimpled look. So far, I'm really happy in how its turned out.

 

I used rusto- flat black then bedlined them with the rust-o bed liner. It came out nice. Sanding was a pita.

 

Sanding wasn't too bad as there was no rust or oil. I took some 120 grit and lightly sanded everything, just enough to remove the tarnish and lightly scratch the metal. I then took some shop rags and wiped everything clean.

 

Looking good. I thought about using that spray primer, but ended up going with the self etching. I plan on shooting mine with the duplicolor bedliner as mine are wide with no kick out, so more of a slider/step. Also mine were flashed pretty good, so I had to hit them with a 4" grinder and flapper wheel.

 

I did a rough measurement and they'll stick out 6"-8" past the rocker which is nice as the kids have a step. However, I'm thinking the paint will wear down especially with muddy shoes. They'll also be very slick in the winter with snow covered boots. Once on and fully cured, I may run a strip of grip tape on the outer rail on top for traction.

 

That's thinkin lol

 

Dispatch, those sliders are looking good!

 

A few other lessons learned:

1. The 4x4 timber was cut at 24". If I would have set them on saw horses instead of the ground, it would have been easier to see all sides of the tubing.

2. Overestimate the amount of paint needed. Even using very light coats, I used just over 1 can of paint per coat.

3. Dedicate an afternoon and have a stop watch. It took around 15 minutes to paint each coat and I set my timer for 30 minutes between coats so I started painting every 45 minutes.

4. Plan your week. Once you've waited longer than 1 hour, you need to wait 48 hours before painting again. My timeline is paint today (monday), touch up and paint bases Wednesday and install Saturday.

 

Enjoy it.

It'll never look as good again.

Hopefully

 

I hope so. Wife was looking at them and mentioned that I should lift the truck next