Brush Guards - Finishes/Rusting
Chris Wolney
I am considering purchasing a brush guard for my truck. My only concern is
that I see so many trucks out there with rusted-out brush guards and nerf
bars. What should I look for in a brush guard? Any names to avoid or any
names which are known to be reliable? I can't justify $250 for a brush guard
if the bugger will rust out in a few years.
Right now, I'm looking at a Calmini black-powder coated job which looks nice.
Any comments?
-Chris
DZavetsky
one, the powder coat will split and peal and there is no way to stop
it.....This would not apply to a highest-quality grade of powder coating..
Chrome will rust no matter what you do to prevent it.......The degree to
which the rust grows can be altered, however........If you apply regular
coats of a good quality carnuba wax and polish away any specks of rust
with a quality polish vbefore waxing, the problem will be almost
nothing...I had a chrome bed bar that never rusted at
all.......Maintaining chrome is the only way!!!
Another option would be the stainless steel or aluminum units.....They
look nicer with less maintainence.......However, just like the vehicle
itself, ALL add on accesories require additional maintainance,
particularly during the winter months....
Kevin Tapperson
up a rusting chrome brush guard? (At least I think it's chrome, don't know for
sure as I'm not the original owner. It doesn't look like it's painted, as I
would expect to see chips in the paint and the paint flaking off.) Will a
metallic silver spray paint stick, and look reasonably good?
Thanks,
Kevin Tapperson
kevi...@mail.utexas.edu
Andy Dingley
> I am considering purchasing a brush guard for my truck. My only concern is
>that I see so many trucks out there with rusted-out brush guards and nerf
>bars.
Stainless:
Looks nice (if you like shiny), wears well. May cost more to buy and
the use of heavier gauge tube may make it heavier.
Chrome:
Avoid. Looks nice for a week, then picks up irrepairable scratches and
rust pits. May also be weak, as the chroming process is a bad idea
structurally. Most competition scrutineering rules expressly forbid
chromed roll cages for just this reason.
Powder coating:
Looks good, although usually only available in black. Lasts for about
5 years, then starts to split on the corners and edges (angular
designs are more prone to this, especially light guards). Once the
covering has split, it becomes a water and rust trap.
Powder coating can be replaced, but this is quite a time consuming
operation for dismantling and cleaning before recoating. It's maybe
worth it for an old and unusual light guard, but not for large bars.
Paint:
Cheap and easy to touch up after damage.
Galvanised (Zinc):
Strong, looks OK, lasts well. Used on most LandRover bumpers and they
go on for ever. Hot-dip zinc is thicker and lasts longer than
electrolytic zinc, but has the problem that it can't be used on closed
tube sections. If you have a bar made of tubes, the maker must cut a
vent hole into each section (usually a small notch at a weld) and this
can turn into a rust pit later on. Some makers (e.g. Safety Devices)
are now using a metal spraying process to avoid this hole and this
problem. Zinc makes a good base coat underneath powder coating.
I've painted the bumpers (originally powder coated) on my Rangie. The
paint I used was aircraft walkway compound; black paint full of
abrasive grit. It now looks like the bumpers have been wrapped in
sandpaper. _I_ like it, as it's a perfectly respectable matt black
finish that doesn't slip when I use them as a step ladder.
Dissenting opinions from my co-worker across the room are "It's made
shite at the factory so it can't start to look any worse". He should
laugh - I'm going to do the floor panels in his Lightweight with it
when he's not looking 8-)
--
Andy Dingley din...@codesmth.demon.co.uk
If all it takes is an infinite number of monkeys with typewriters,
how come AOL haven't written any Shakespeare yet ?