Painting Aluminum?

I was thinking the same as CROM, be kinda cool to leave them..
If you wanna simple solution to paint with good results. This stuff lays down really nice and smooth. Scotch brite your panels and spray. Actually probably be fine not even doing that with this stuff.
SEM 39143 Trim black

$23 SEM 39143 Trim Black Aerosol - 15 oz.

http://www.amazon.com/SEM-39143-Trim-Black-Aerosol/dp/B000EM019O

http://www.semproducts.com/aerospace-refinish/trim-black

 

This is what I used on my Relentless IFS aluminum. Then sprayed some regular Rustoleum paint over it. It has held up well. What's nice is that aluminum doesn't rust like steel so you don't really need to paint it. Especially if it's gonna get scuffed up off roading.

$10 Rust-Oleum 254170 Professional Primer Spray Paint, 15 oz, Aluminum

http://www.amazon.com/Rust-Oleum-25...id=1446899659&sr=8-1&keywords=aluminum+primer

 

Removed my factory skids and put on the first two this weekend. Went with bare sanded metal with more time spent on the IFS skid. Pics show only the first plate installed. I'm glad I didn't spent any time/money on a coating because I would have f*cked it up during the install. Let's just say that the front plate didn't just fall into place. There was some minor interference with some tabs on the front bumper (seen directly under the licence plate), and the hooks that are supposed to go through the square holes in front didn't line up well. The mid skid also bottomed out on the IFS skid tabs before bottoming out on the chassis mounting points. BFH was required a few times, but they should now go on-and-off pretty easy if I change my mind about paint. The trans skid comes very close to the exhaust crossover pipe, and because I’m afraid of a rattle from the exhaust moving in its hangers I decided put some fiberglass heat wrap on the pipe before bolting on the skid. The wrap is ordered. Gas tank skid needs a nearly empty tank for installation, and I just filled her up…derp.

 

I'm happy with it as is for now. the factory skid was grey, so the color is a good match. I'll see how it looks after an Ohio winter, but for now I'm calling it done. If it ever looks crappy I can always re-sand or hit it with a scotch brite pad. As mentioned above, the IFS skid is really the only one that shows...other than the sides of the others under the truck. Not too much to clean up if it becomes necessary.

On another subject, does anyone know of a spray-can bed-liner or similar product that comes in colors - specifically red? The factory tow hook shows more than with the factory skid, and I wanted to accent it and match the TRD coil springs. I recently got a Jeep Cherokee Trail Hawk as a rental car on a business trip, and liked the coating on its recovery points. red wrinkled finish.

 

Tried that, but mine doesn't fit if I alternate. the plate is currently sitting flush against the support under it on both sides, and it looks straight when compared to the underside of the bumper. Using either top hole results in a large gap between the plate and it's mounting point - threads showing between the upper plate surface and the chassis. The real problem was the two metal tabs on the bottom of the bumper. They would not let it slide forward enough, and trying to put them behind the plate pushed it too far forward.

 

Wait...was I supposed to keep the factory front bolt spacers in place? The directions didn't mention this.

 

Yes, I read the instructions, but the level of detail is low and they do not mention the spacers either way. They also left out how the exhaust spacer is to be bolted to the trans cross member, but it's pretty obvious. After looking at MANY pics of installed IFS skids online I am convinced that I have them on correctly. Although the ones in the instructions have only one square hole per side for the hooks, mine, yours, and most of the others I found have two on each side. In every pic I found, the hooks were both in the bottom two holes (like mine) or the top two holes. I think the top two are for folks with a diff drop, as the BudBuilt site states:

"If you have a diff drop, you will need to get spacers from the maker of your diff drop to space your skid plates."

I sent Bud Built an email yesterday asking about the spacers, and some "extra" hardware that was included in the kit. Nobody likes to have bolts left over...

I appreciate your offer above. Please do let me know if/when you remove yours. The pics might be helpful.

 

BudBuilt never responded to my email, or the one i sent after it. i think the skids are on correctly, but the instructions are weak.

 

I used the warm weather here in Ohio to get the rest of the skids mounted, and I'm glad I chose to wrap the exhaust crossover first. The trans skid is just barely touching the wrap, meaning that the pipe might only be 1/16"-1/8" away from the plate. Would have rattled over bumps for sure as the exhaust moved in the rubber mounts.