How To Finish Avid Light Bar

i'm thinking about ditching my westin bull bar for an avid off road light bar. i'm just wondering what you guys think is the best way to finish the bar. i've looked through all 46 pages of the avid light bar thread. but it is very congested and they all start looking alike after a while. i dont offroad, so it shouldn't see any abuse other than bugs. my truck is blacked out, so i definitely want it black of some sort. it seems some people powder coat, some line-x and some spray paint it themselves. i'm not sure yet if i want a glossy smooth finish or a flat textured finish. some pictures of each finish would be nice and some comments on the durability of each finish would be great also.

edit: added a poll to make things a little easier

 

I am waiting on my bar. And I have to decide too. I have painted my motorcycle with a HVLP gun including stripes and metallic paint so I know I can paint. So, I have thought about painting it myself. But, the more I think about it, and based on experience with the factory paint and the paint I laid down which is tons better than factory, there is just no way it will hold up to any abuse. And down low and out front it is going to get abused.

That being said, rattle can means you can touch it up yourself real easy. And hopefully not have to repaint the whole thing. That is a viable option. Two stage paint (base and clear) are out as that is too much work and I expect plenty of touch up.

I am going with powder coat. No question it is durable. And touchup of powder coat black gloss is easy. I use a touch up paint pen from Harley for the powder coat on the my bikes frame and it does gloss black real good.

However, if a different color for powdercoat is used then I am not sure about touch up with some pen. And matching anything besides pure white or black won't be easy.

Since my bike frame holds up real well against the road elements, and I can easily touch it up, I am going with powder coat gloss black. I would prefer to use another color but I want as little extra work as possible as I am not getting any younger and I am not wasting my time fixing things when I can be riding/driving.

Hope this helps you somehow.

 

That's a great idea there Bobo.

I scratched mine right after I put it on. It was on the bottom of one of the tubes so it doesn't really matter how it looked. I just shot it with a little rattle can self etching primer and some gloss black and you can't really tell unless you are under the truck and up close too it. But if I ever scratch it where it is easily visable I think I will try Bobo_1's recommendation.

(oh mine is powder coated gloss black by the way )

 

After thinking about this some more, I am thinking the bed liner would be probably the most durable next to powder coat. But, unless I had some more things on the truck with the liner on it I don't think it would go with the rest of the truck. I would have to see it to know for sure. Again, touch up with the liner wouldn't be as easy as rattle can or a touch up pen.

 

Thanks. I think there is a huge difference in powder coating work. I had a guy do my handle bars and they scratch real easy when mounting them. I took them back and he made them much better and resistant to easy scratching. Not sure what he did differently but when I get the Avid done I am going to mention this so they make it good and thick or whatever they need to do.

 

I had mine powder coated for $100. The finish seems pretty durable, but I haven't abused it (yet).

 

I'd go with powder coat.

The powder coat industry has gone nuts over the past 5 years. They now offer over 100 colors and textures, and if I'm not mistaken, flat/satin finishes are also available.

 

what is the lifespan on a powdercoat finish? it seems like when i bought my step bars and bull bar, the stainless steel had a lifetime warranty. but the black powdercoat only came with a 5 year warranty.

 

X2

 

rattle can...
you can always have it looking new and cheap too

 

this is off topic of how to finish the avid bar. but about how much do the avid bars weigh? i'm looking into a lift, and i was wondering if i needed heavy shocks and coils or not.

 

Your question not going to get visibility in this thread. I suggest you start a new one with your question. Better yet, email brandon@avidoffroad.com and let him tell you.

 

I went with Line-X.. Not the cheapest route, but worth it

 

I just received my light bar from Brandon. I'm very satisfied with the quality. I'm getting it Linex'd sometime this week. I think that'll be the most maintenance free way to do it. I briefly thought about chrome to match the rear and nerfs but decided it wouldn't have the look I wanted.

Has anyone chromed theirs?

I would say it weighs between 30-40 lbs from carrying it into the garage.

 

Powdercoated mine in Tucscan Black. More pics can be found in my build thread

 

that sounds about the same as the westin bull bar i have now. i dont think thats heavy enough to justify bigger coils.

i have done a little thinking about what kind of finish i want. i like the textured, flat black, wrinkled look, but that wouldn't really match anything on my truck. i think it would be best to match my n-fabs. which are a smooth, glossy black. i like the look of "Murdered_out_taco"'s finish.



with that being said, is powdercoating the only way to achieve that kind of finish and have it look good and be durable??

 

what about that truck bed liner in a can? i have some and was wondering if it works pretty much the same as line x

 

What kind of surface preparation did you do before painting??

Chips are often caused by wrong surface preparation

 

Mmmmmm I was not asked to use this pic lol!

 

murdered out what lift do u have on ur truck