Bullbar Paint Advice

O

Oosti

Member
Hey guys,

Im wanting to repaint my black bullbar and going to try do it myself.

Looking for some advice on whether I should take it back to bare metal first then do a primer and paint? or would it be better to just sand and roughen up the current paint?

Ive actually already started taking it back to bare metal but halfway through started questioning whether this was necessary.

For a once of job is it cheaper to buy spray cans at my local automotive store? or invest in a spray gun (already have an aircompressor)

Thanks!
 
O

Oosti

Member
cam04 said:
Most bars are powdercoat. You’ll want to rough it it and use a powdercoat tolerant primer.
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What are the other options? I dont have the gear to powdercoat so cant do that DIY. Is it worth the money to get it professionally powder coated? Or will a DIY spray paint job with a glossy black look alright?
 
Triton14

Triton14

Well-Known Member
Your asking a hard question without being able to see it.

Are you re painting because of corrosion?

If so then imo you need to back to bare metal & rust treat it, undercoat in rust resistant paint then main coat it.

If rust is showing up in one place it's because the powder coat has opened up & exposed the metal..
It will keep doing so as it ages
 
cam04

cam04

Well-Known Member
Oosti said:
What are the other options? I dont have the gear to powdercoat so cant do that DIY. Is it worth the money to get it professionally powder coated? Or will a DIY spray paint job with a glossy black look alright?
Click to expand...
You can paint over powdercoat with the right prep. As for how it will look - that’s subjective.
 
D

dabbler

Active Member
I'm getting a couple of powder coated gates and railings painted on Tuesday (all the local powdercoaters have months of work).

I'll ask my guy what he's using to prep but I'm pretty sure he said the process will be a) clean off any dirt/grime, b) tidy up any corrosion spots and c) lightly "scour" with a softer wet scour then start the new application when dry. He's opted to use brushes and rollers and not using a spray setup but then he can also perform paint magic unlike us mere mortals. If the prep is different I'll post again.

Bunnings sell a Sabco range of scours which you can cut into smaller pieces. The softest (white) is very mild, the harshest (black) should be avoided around painted finishes. There are two in between as well.
www.bunnings.com.au

Sabco Professional White Non Scratch Utility Pad

Find Sabco Professional White Non Scratch Utility Pad at Bunnings. Visit your local store for the widest range of products.
www.bunnings.com.au www.bunnings.com.au

Personally I dislike shiny high-gloss bullbars and would think about a satin finish.
 
Rusty Panels

Rusty Panels

Well-Known Member
It is a bullbar and made to protect the car so it doesn't have to have a Rolls Royce finish. Any good result is dependent on the preparation. It's not necessary to take anything back to bare metal unless there's rust or another issue. If you sand it so that you're imperfections are smooth you can paint it with a primer/filler that will give you a better surface to begin with and then your top coats after that. Make sure that you clean the whole thing with a wax and grease remover before you start painting. Several light coats are better than a couple of heavy coats too, so be patient.
 
Triton14

Triton14

Well-Known Member
Oosti said:
I ended up taking it to someone who powdercoated it for $200. Was amazing, looked brand new
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Did they remove the bar to paint it??

I just did the spots on my bar(that I could see!) where the powder coat was peeling off, prepared it with high speed brass brush, rust converter, etch primer & then raptor multi purpose coat.

I dont think you can count out there would be rust/powder coat flaking behind the bar where you cats see.
 
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