Rihno Rockers

[Sky]

Well now im looking at the rihno rocker panels. I called today to see what they would charge and they want $250. 00 to spray the rockers. And If i want them painted then its another $120. 00 I called Line-X they wanted $500. 00 + extra for it painted.



I would like to hear from anyone who has had this done, and picture would be great too!

 

[dresslered]

Sky-

There are a few pictures of this being done in the old forums (Scott1 for one example). I had originally intended on doing this when I had my Rhino installed and the installer wanted another $700. It involves a lot of sanding and masking to do a good job. Use caution on the cheaper install. I have heard that water can seap down between the rockers and the coating causing the panels to immedialtely rust out. I decided to wait until I've thoroughly chipped up my rockers before I do the job. Good luck.

 

[John_P]

Sky:



I believe Steve St. Laurent had his truck

sprayed like that with the "PermaTech"

coating. He had it matched to the paint

color and it looked good. He posted

some pictures awhile ago. You may

want to e-mail him.



--------

John_P

 

[Steve St.Laurent]

$250 sounds pretty cheap to me. In order to do the job properly they'll have to remove your rear bumper as well as the inner fender liners. While you're at it you'll want them to spray around the inside of the wheel wells on the exposed metal as well. The masking takes a long time. I had mine sprayed by Permatech - the reason I went with them is because I had a Rhino liner in a previous truck and it faded within a year. Permatech is supposed to have this problem fixed and my bedliner from Permatech still looks great after 2 1/2 years so I believe it. Also, Permatech is better able to match colors. If you want an exact paint match instead of going for a two-tone look then you'll probably have to paint over it. Myself I didn't want to paint over it because if it ever got scratched the color would show through. My rockers are the same color as the lower front bumper facia (darker grey than the driftwood that was on it originally), if it gets scratched, gouged, etc it will still look exactly the same because the material itself is that color. The shop that is doing it is more important than the material IMO - if they don't prep it well and don't mask it well you'll be sorry, and it would be very difficult to have it stripped off and redone (read EXPENSIVE). Permatech charged me $330 to spray mine, but the truck was delivered to them with the fender liners and bumper already removed and most of the prep work already done (I had a deer run into the side of the truck so I had the body shop fix the damage and just shoot the primer coat). The line-x quote of $500 sounds closer to what I'd expect. Either way I would highly recommend that you get the names of a couple of guys that had it done there and go check out their work before signing on the dotted line. When I had mine done I went to the shop while they were doing the masking so that I was assured that they knew EXACTLY what I was looking for. It took them 2. 5 hrs just to mask it! You can see pics of mine at this thread - https://www.turbodieselregister.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=5704

 

[jwdeeming]

This is an idea I've kept in my back pocket for later too. I'm a little surprised at those prices - seem high - but it's a job you'd sure want done right.



I've heard a lot of discrepancies between jobs at different installers. There are definitely good and bad ones. I got my bed Rhino lined (1/4 inch thick on the bed floor, wheel wells and tail gate, 1/8 inch everywhere else) for about $450, and the job was done very nicely. The lines over the top of the bed rails are very straight and I am pleased with the quality after 9 months.



For spraying your rockers however, I have a thought. Other threads have pointed out that Rhino is a softer material than the Line-X. The Rhino also seems much harder to clean and looses it's glossy surface after awhile. My Phord buddy has the Line-X and I've seen this to be true. Although I like the softer Rhino material in the bed - not as slippery - I would seriously consider Line-X for any body panels.



Just a thought.

JimD



P. S. Steve posted his while I was still typing - I don't know about Permatech but it sounds like he's keying on the same issue with Rhino fading. I don't mean to push Line-X, it's just the only one I'm familiar with that seems harder than Rhino. Steve, I checked your pics - that looks GREAT! Now I know I'll do that someday when the chips get too bad.

 

[dresslered]

Jim, I think that you have a good point on using the harder finish for the rockers. I needed the Rhino in the bed for my slide-in. I'm very happy with my over-the-rail Rhino.

 

[Sky]

Well I just called Perma-Tech and they only wanted $225. 00 + $75. 00 to match the paint. He said it would take about 4 hours. Hmmmm? Maby its just cheaper in my neck of the woods.

 

[KatDiesel]

Originally posted by Sky

Well I just called Perma-Tech and they only wanted $225. 00 + $75. 00 to match the paint. He said it would take about 4 hours. Hmmmm? Maby its just cheaper in my neck of the woods.

I was quoted about $450 for my rockers to be lined with Perma-Tech. Debating whether or not I want to do it, "Afraid" they will screw it up. I guess if they do it will give me a reason to paint the bottom a 2nd color



I am trying to decide if I want the metal flakes in that material, and then also if I want to color match the truck or go with the color of the bumer (like steves).



Oh well... . I hate descions... .

 

[JFitzgerald]

The guy I bought my truck from just had his new Dodge professionally done this way. Not sure what brand or cost.



I am thinking about going over the small rust spots on my rockers with POR15 and then applying Herculiner by hand, then painting the original color over that. Does this sound like a good (low cost) idea? I want to kill what little rust has started and protect from further chips and scrapes when I head out into the woods to take my Jeep & camper to the trails.



Would like the body to last as long as the engine should. Not an easy thing in the rust belt.

 

[Steve St.Laurent]

My recommendation would be to sand down to bare metal any areas that you have chips to get ALL of the corrosion out of there. Then clean it ( http://www.eastwoodcompany.com sells a product called pre-paint prep that does an awesome job - I keep several cans on hand at all times) and spray it with a self etching primer. Then take it to someone to have it done right. I've seen the Herculiner stuff used before and I haven't been impressed at all - IMO it never truly hardens like a true liner product. With the cost of our trucks I think it's worth it to do it right. I used to spend a few hours a month fixing rock chips (using a fiberglass pen from Eastwood to get any corrosion that had started first and then prepping it, painting it, etc). I was going to have the entire truck painted with a real paint job (not what D/C CALLS a paint job). When I got hit by the deer it was a perfect opportunity to take care of the rockers and wheel wells - which were the only places I was actually getting chips. Since I had it done I haven't gotten a single chip - no more corrosion on the body either - WELL worth the little bit extra. JMHO



-Steve

 

[jwdeeming]

Can't remember specifics, but I also remember hearing negative comments about Herculiner. Do some research on that one first...

JimD