DIY bedliner stuff

[Paradiddle]

I have some really nice scratches on the roof of the bus from the gas cans, and was thinking of "herculining" in between the roof rack rails.

Who has put this stuff on themselves and what product did you use? Do you recommend it? Do they need some type of UV protectant?

I will only be coating the room space in between the rails and would probably do it in black as it will be hard to see.

Thanks in advance for the advice.

Jeff

[Art Welch]

I wouldn't use Herculiner Jeff. I did the inside of my tub with it and:

1. It works well but it looks kinda crappy.

2. You have to scrub it to get dirt off.

3. It's flammable. Welding on metal near it or using the plasma cutter almost always starts a small fire.

4. The surface isn't as consistent as some of the "professional" liners like Rhino.

Then again it will be on your roof and hard to see as you note so it might not be bad. It does protect the surface it's on.

[PK99TJ]

I herc'd my olympic rock rails (they were starting to collect rust). While they have held up fine ever since -- they've definitely taken a lot of UV abuse. They've faded quite a bit, and as mentioned -- very hard to clean up.

[Paradiddle]

Thanks Art - what are the other brands of the DIY stuff?

I'm totally unfamiliar with any of this stuff.

I don't want to scrub it to get the dirt off.

Maybe I'll go with a professionally applied product.

Jeff

[Daless2]

Hi Jeff,

I do a two part process with this stuff on my bumpers, skid plates and rocker guards.

First step is to paint it with Hammerite. This covers any rust and seals the surface incredibly tight.

It takes 14 to 17 days for Hammerite to fully cure. After it cures I apply a spray coat of Duplicolor rattle can bed liner from Wal-mart. (About $6 per can.)

I have found this to work very very well. Some of the items I have done this to have been sprayed for more then 4 years and other then normal wear and tear they still look great.

One of the nice things about DupliColor is that you can spray over it and it becomes self healing. Meaning the new spray melts the old covering and they kinda "Meld" together.

I do this once a year on my skid plates and rocker guards to get the rock scraps covered up.

If you go with DupliColor there is something you need to know. It comes in two flavors but they really don't tell you that on the outside of the can.

Look at the top cover of the can.

If it is a very high gloss Black stay away from it. The High Gloss black spays in very large "Chucks", almost spitting out of the can and making a very rough high textured finish. (Red that grabs on to and hold dirt real well)

Go the cans that have a MAT Black Can Top.

These spray a nice fine texture. (Certainly not smooth, but no where near as rough or dirt holding as the other.)

I like this stuff. It's very easy to spray out of a rattle can without streaks too.

Just a thought for you. Perhaps it will be helpful.

Frank

[MJR]

I wouldn't use the brush/roll on stuff. There is a spray on Bedliner that is also sold (Pep Boys carries it) and I have been meaning to by a can so I can try it out on something. if it comes out like rubberized undercoating then it should be pretty good stuff.

[Scott Hill]

Jeff,

get a can of touch up paint and clear coat from Kragen they have the duplicolor you need. next time you want to carry something on the roof use a pad of the no skid tool box linner stuff.

you have a great looking rig and it seems silly to paint the roof with any of that kind of crap.


JMO


Scott

[Stu Olson]

Herculiner applied with either a brush or roller (or both) has been getting a fair amount applicaiton from a number of the guys I regularly Jeep with here in Phoenix. I've seen several trail racks, corner guards, and bumpers that have turned out well, IMO.

They all have said that good prep work is the key. Get a dozen of the green Scotch scrub pads and don't be afraid to use them. They used Xylene (sp) to wipe the surface down after scrubbing, then wiped it down again. You don't want any grease or oil traces left behind so emphasis is on getting it clean before the Herc is applied.

[speaceman]

Well, I duplicolored the plastic body cladding and the rocker panels underneath the rockrails on the ZJ, as you saw.

It has held up pretty well. I did notice that the duplicolor seems to work better on the plastic than on the metal. It turned out more textured. I don't know how it would end up looking on your roof.

Personally, I don't think I'd bother taping up the rails on your roof. I'd just paint over the whole section.

It is a bit tricky using duplicolor if you are taping areas off. You have to pull the tape after the duplicolor has dried a bit, but not too long after or it will tear the edge and screw up your nice taped off line. The difficulty lies in the fact that you apply the first coat of duplicolor to cover the area and the next coats (which you have to wait a couple of minutes to do) for the texture.

So by the time you are done, 15 or so minutes have passed and the duplicolor is tacky.

Anyway, if you decide to go this route, the duplicolor is something like 6 bucks a can. You'll probably need about 2 or 3.

Plus, use Bulldog adhesion promoter first. THis really gets the duplicolor to stick. It's something like 9 bucks a can and you probably only need 2.

Both can be found at pep boys.

a little help for you Shalom. I fixed the name for you.

[Paulwpetrea]

Look here: Herculiner, etc.

[William]

One of the guys from SPORT (Skid Plate Off Road Team) AKA Raow. (Roving Alcoholics on Wheels) had his done in green. The entire jeep. It faded and looks a little like a pale avacado. Ugly, it adds a lot of wieght, and.... generally sucked. But he had an high opinion of it. He's the president or vice president of the club. Drives an XJ.

[MJR]

William I have seen pictures on the net of his XJ. I noticed he calls it the "Avacado". Certainly takes all kinds eh ?.

[William]

Originally posted by MJR
William I have seen pictures on the net of his XJ. I noticed he calls it the "Avacado". Certainly takes all kinds eh ?.

You know, it's a good idea in concept, and it appears that his method of putting it on worked. I mean by all rights, it prevents deep scratches, most minor dents, it deadens sound, durable etc... By that ideal, it fits the bill. But, it kind of faded (which wouldn't bother me much) and, just seemed a little excessive. But I did consider it. It does look sort of an avacado color.

The good thing about jeeping is, if you think about it, some one else will do it, and you can see how it turns out first. So, in effect he did it, and I saw it, and decided that I wouldn't ever try. It came out good. Just not worth it I guess..

He was a pretty cool guy to be on the trail with (I ran LC with him once), but the last time at BB, was a little bit of a pain, and I've steered clear since.

[MJR]

William does he know how much weight it added to his rig ?.

[TJRON]

How about some rubber like they put on RV tops? Carpet would look nice on an XJ, a little tack strip here and there and your all set! Contact paper is another nice option.

[William]

Originally posted by MJR
William does he know how much weight it added to his rig ?.

Actually, talking to him, he did. They kept track of howmany gallons of liner they used, and wieghed one to get an idea. I don't remember of hand how much it was. Seth M knows Maggie who has wheeled with that guy often, so, perhaps in a 7 degrees of seperation I can find out for you, if you want.

[MJR]

Originally posted by William


Actually, talking to him, he did. They kept track of howmany gallons of liner they used, and wieghed one to get an idea. I don't remember of hand how much it was. Seth M knows Maggie who has wheeled with that guy often, so, perhaps in a 7 degrees of seperation I can find out for you, if you want.

No big deal I was just curious.

[lynn]

IIRC, Herculiner has the "nubs" in it that make it difficult to clean. Durabak is the same stuff/same manufacturer, but without the nubs, gives a smoother/easier to clean finish.