EXterior bedliner

[EODBRIAN]

a few months ago (about 6, it was the old coloradok5 page), someone was asking for opinions on what color he should paint his blazer. in the opinions, someone suggested using a bedliner type product to paint the exterior, and gave a link to the web-page. on the web-page i remember there being a safety orange painted toyota (i think) and numerous other vehiles painted completely with this stuff. i think there was also a jeep cherokee with the lowers painted. im interested in painting my truck with this stuff (not orange, but blue). if anyone could direct me to the web page, or where i could get some, its greatly appreciated. im im corpus christi. thanx again, brian.

EODBRIAN

 

[73Jimmy]

This will get you there eventually:

http://truckworld.com/cote-l/about/about.html

I am going for waterproof, so I won't care if it rains a bit when I have the top off (most of the time).

I ordered a gallon of Orange for $139 about 2 weeks ago, haven't seen it yet, but I am ready.
I took out all the interior and sanded down the paint, I used Xylene to remove grease/wax.
I used silver POR15 on the rusty spots and will Durabak the whole tub from firewall to tailgate.

Since it has been sitting in my garage for about two weeks, I will sand and xylene it one more time
when the Durabak shows up. I will post pictures on my site when I am done.

If the inside goes well, I am going to just whack out my rusty fenders so my 900x16's will fit and Durabak
the outside too!

Good luck on your project.

73Jimmy

 

[ED70K5]

I wonder if you can lay it on thick like the Rhino Liner? I would really like to see some pics of it when your done, cause I want to do the interior of my K5.

 

[Boss]

I personally wouldn't recommend Durabak for the exterior of the truck, like the body. Underneath would be fine, but the reason is that Durabak has little rubber chips in it, to keep from slipping. If you have that on your body, I don't think it would look right. I applied it myself in the entire interior. I did 2 coats, that is thick enough, but not thick like Rhino. I'm sure you can get it that thick, but you would have to apply several coats. My overall opinion on the product is that I think it is a good product, not great. I would recommend putting carpet over the durbak to protect it from day to day abuse. I don't have carpet over my tailgate and some of the durabak already chipped off, just from loading and unloading stuff.
Boss

 

[73Jimmy]

How much did it take to do two coats? I ordered a gallon, and it is taking forever to get here.
Should I order more if I want two coats from firewall to tailgate?

I looked at some pictures of Durabak on the body of rigs, it sure doesn't shine! But I have to admit,
I don't wash my Jimmy very often..just gets dirty again. I live on a gravel road, in the winter/spring
we get small slides across the roads...sometimes the roads wash right out 'til the county puts them back.
Summer time is dusty.

Point is, I don't mind spending money on the running gear, but I want the rest of it to be as maintenance free as possible.

When your tailgate Durabak scraped off, was it easy to touch up with more Durabak?

Thanks,

73Jimmy

 

[Boss]

73 Jimmy,

I ordered two gallons of Durabak, but still have a half left. It took about 1 gallon and a 1/4 to do two coats from Tailgate, firewall, to front cab. But they were THICK coats. I'm sure you can get by with 1 gallon. (I spilled about maybe 1/8 by the way, b/c I wasn't being too careful). Anyways, Yeah, when it chipped off the tailgate, it can definately be easy to repair. Just put another coat over the chipped one and done.
But I definately wouldn't put Durabak on the exterior of the body. When you apply it to your interior, you'll understand where I'm coming from. Its too rough, b/c of the rubber chips.
Boss

 

[EODBRIAN]

thanks for the web page 73jimmy!!! thats what i was lookin' for. thanks ed70k5 and boss for the input also. think im gonna go through with it. just wondering from those of you that have used durabak in the bed, is this stuff soft and pliable?? wondering how far i can go with this stuff as far as all the seals go. can i pull my windshield and seal and paint underneith? will the seal still keep the h2o out?? also on the cap side window seals?? any comments?? thanx again guys.

EODBRIAN

 

[73Jimmy]

Hi Again,

I got my Durabak today. Ordered April 26, arrived May 16th. Who the heck is RPS? MAN!

Anyway..I was reading the instructions and it talks about going over rubber with Durabak: rough it up alittle
and use Xylene to get any oil off the surface and then apply the Durabak. I think they are talking
about door seals and such.

Because of the heavy texture (rubber chips) I don't think your windshield would seal up if you put
Durabak between the frame and the glass. Of course, that depends on how many tubes of silicon you use

I will start on it tomorrow afternoon, should have more to report soon.

73Jimmy

 

[73Jimmy]

Tips on applying Durabak... MIX THE PAINT EVERY 2 MINUTES!!!

My first coat went on kinda thin, but I was trying to be careful and take
my time with a small brush..painting directly out of the gallon can.
I should have gotten a clue here but the brush appeared to be picking
up rubber too so I figured the magic was going to be in the second coat.
Up to this point I mixed the paint before I started and then two times
more before I was done with the first coat.

The next day, it was still very tacky, but the beginning of the second coat
went on like apple sauce.. looked great. I realized now the first coat was
too thin. When Durabak says you should "lay" it on, not brush it out like paint,
they aren't kidding. I was almost done, working toward the tailgate, doing the right
rear fender hump and the Durabak in the can suddenly (and I mean suddenly)
turned to the consistancy of wet sand. It wouldn't stick to the metal!
I splashed in a little Xylene to thin it and was troweling it on by the time I
finished up by the gas line hump in the right rear corner. Not a pretty sight...
I wasn't going for looks but I am very disappointed with the job I did.

Maybe it will look better in the morning, hope so.

If you use Durabak, MIX IT EVERY 2 MINUTES !!
And dig down deep into the can when you pull up the
paint. It should look like a light apple sauce, not a
lumpy paint.

The pictures on this one are going to be gruesome.

73Jimmy

 

[Boss]

Hey 73 Jimmy,

Sorry to hear about the problem you had, but I didn't encounter that problem. Maybe you did it when the weather was really hot outside. When I applied it, I mixed it very well and then poured it into a paint roller tray. Then I closed the lid real tight. I used a roller to roll it on and disposable paint brush for the tight spots. The two coats I put on looks good. I have pics of it, but not good ones. I have carpet over it now, but I'll post them when I get a chance.
Boss

 

[Jimbo]

I DBaked the entire tub of my Jimmy also. I am very happy with it for the price. True it is not as thick as Rhino buy I didn't have the cash for that.

Mine has chipped some from unloading and loading, but hey, it is a truck....I don't care much about dents and dings, so I'm not gonna stress a couple nicks in my bed.

I would use DBak again.....