Tree trunk
Well-known member
I don’t blame you! was soo clean too 
Pearl, the 93' Explorer
- Thread starter troysladeck
- Start date
4xFoorOffroad
Active member
Old SUV’s had like nothing for crash protection. Someone turned in front of my wife’s 4runner and I built a frame behind another stock bumper with a removeable / bolt on push bar out in front. There’s a tube structure behind it that an eBay sheet metal bumper can bolt to directly after drilling a couple holes in it rather than fiddle with the OEM mounts if it happens again. Prefer the stock look for a mellow ride over a trail purposed rig.
troysladeck
Well-known member
That looks great. May have to do something like that!
troysladeck
Well-known member
3rd bumper on and hopefully my last 
. Zero reinforcement on this one and didnt even bother painting the inside due to lack of motivation lol
Anybody have any experience with the White Alloy armor yet? So far i’m not impressed with it. Had the bumper sandblasted, did 2 coats of metal etch, and then did two coats of alloy armor and let it sit for a day and a half, which is what Mike cox recommended. During the install the bumper lightly touched the body a few times and now I have multiple scratches down to bare metal. Was hoping it would be a little more durable than this. I have a feeling its going to get scratched up from bushes
. Zero reinforcement on this one and didnt even bother painting the inside due to lack of motivation lolAnybody have any experience with the White Alloy armor yet? So far i’m not impressed with it. Had the bumper sandblasted, did 2 coats of metal etch, and then did two coats of alloy armor and let it sit for a day and a half, which is what Mike cox recommended. During the install the bumper lightly touched the body a few times and now I have multiple scratches down to bare metal. Was hoping it would be a little more durable than this. I have a feeling its going to get scratched up from bushes
gascapkevin
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- May 9, 2023
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- 155
Maybe don't run into bushes or wires and then it won't get scratched. Crazy concept I know.
troysladeck
Well-known member
you’re lucky the Dutch Bro’s drive thru doesn’t have any bushes or else your raptor may get some scratches too
gascapkevin
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- May 9, 2023
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- 155
the bodj
Well-known member
I genuinely don't understand everyone's fetish towards Steel-It and Alloy Armor. Maybe they have their place recoating shocks, but I don't see them doing anything different from any other spray paint, especially at the cost/can. I understand supporting people in the industry, but I guess I just don't have the pennies to throw away like that.
troysladeck
Well-known member
I like their weld-thru paints, especially for frame plating / mounts to coat the inside of bare metal parts before welding on. I'm also a shitty painter but its easy to get a great finish with a stainless steel paint. But this white paint isn't even weldable or have any benefits to their normal stuff. won't be using it again
4xFoorOffroad
Active member
Unless you have a compressor and a spray gun, I’d recommend rattle cans of 2k epoxy primer and whatever you want to put on top of it from cheap Home Depot to 2k single stage color coat. It’ll be about the same as steel-it and way more durable. Any good prep for a weld is going to remove all the paint no matter what kind it is and a trail fix will burn off whatever paint you have on there once heat starts burning it off anyway.
I used steel it to paint my entire back half on my truck, and we paint every truck in the shop with alloy armor now. I absolutely suck at painting when it comes to regular paint, I just cannot ever get it consistent (obviously on me) Steel it and alloy armor spray too fuckin good, and the finish is great looking imo. When I painted my chassis it was 22$ a can which to me was justifiable. It’s now 45$ and the quality has gone to shit. I won’t ever use that again. No complaints with the silver or black from alloy armor.
the bodj
Well-known member
Maybe if a customer is paying, then I'd be fine to pay $20+/can, but no way I can justify that myself - I'd rather deal with the occasional runs
the_fablab_
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- Apr 15, 2022
- Messages
- 198
Couple things I’d like to add as a mediocre painter and someone who paints tube work dab work regularly.
The weldable paints can be a cost saver. For example, a pre-bent pre-notched roll cage. I can paint all the tubes ahead of time minus the edges and still get clean awesome MIG welds with less slag than clean bare metal and finishing painting takes a fraction of the time and you get better coverage as the tubes are painted on all sides except for weld joints. The paint self levels well so you can paint over blue tape lines and it’ll cover without having to sand. It’s also beneficial for race applications where you don’t want the bare metal prep mess of scotch brite and wd40.
You can still do field repairs, see cracks, etc.
Non-weldable paints, I like a good enamel based paint, something that get good coverage and is durable, we use the Kimball-Midwest paint at work which I believe is what OSH paint used to be. Love it. With those paints you need a good metal etching primer, we just starting using the Kimball-Midwest stuff so the verdict is still out.
The issue the OP is having is his etching primer isn’t hitting into the metal, if it was he wouldn’t have his scratches go right to bare metal. I’m going to assume improper prep, like the metal wasn’t coarse enough, or there was a film of some sort of oil on it. It really easy to happen. Paint is 95% prep IMO
The weldable paints can be a cost saver. For example, a pre-bent pre-notched roll cage. I can paint all the tubes ahead of time minus the edges and still get clean awesome MIG welds with less slag than clean bare metal and finishing painting takes a fraction of the time and you get better coverage as the tubes are painted on all sides except for weld joints. The paint self levels well so you can paint over blue tape lines and it’ll cover without having to sand. It’s also beneficial for race applications where you don’t want the bare metal prep mess of scotch brite and wd40.
You can still do field repairs, see cracks, etc.
Non-weldable paints, I like a good enamel based paint, something that get good coverage and is durable, we use the Kimball-Midwest paint at work which I believe is what OSH paint used to be. Love it. With those paints you need a good metal etching primer, we just starting using the Kimball-Midwest stuff so the verdict is still out.
The issue the OP is having is his etching primer isn’t hitting into the metal, if it was he wouldn’t have his scratches go right to bare metal. I’m going to assume improper prep, like the metal wasn’t coarse enough, or there was a film of some sort of oil on it. It really easy to happen. Paint is 95% prep IMO
troysladeck
Well-known member
Good to know. It was a chrome bumper that I had sandblasted but did not have the chrome actually removed, just scuffed. That probably had something to do with why the metal etch didn’t work properly
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