Bumper/Skid Powder-Coat Color Opinions...

[bartonmd]

OK, so powder coating is now a $100 option for the bumpers and $75 for the radiator skids...

Basically unless it's that heavy texture black that the oil pan skids have been coming, I need to buy a 44# box of powder for the coater to use for my stuff... My bumper, rad skid, and winch mount together took right at a 5# sample, to give you an idea of qty; and the stuff really only lasts 2 years... My prototype bumper (below) was rattle canned black until last week, and it just really didn't look good with the rest of the TB... It looked sort of out of place...

IMO, a pure black bumper looks a little out of place on some vehicle colors, unless you add the rhino lining on the fenders/rockers like a couple have...

My thought is, if I could have 2 colors, they would be a textured black (that I can already get stuff painted in), and a "hammered black" (dark textured grey, with fine black in the texture)... The "hammered black" matches the unpainted body plastic almost perfectly, and also matches the hammered black that a lot of us have on our rock sliders and stuff...

I'm looking for real opinions about the color, before I drop $350 on a box of it. I'd rather hear "I hate it" now than have everybody who hates it be silent and the 5 people who like it are the only ones who post...

Honest opinions. What say ye? (ETA: customers / potential customers or not... I want to hear from everybody with an opinion about it!)

Thanks,
Mike

[Trail X]

Interesting finish. All my stuff was done in a semigloss black. The powdercoater said the semigloss will be easier to clean than a flat, but not as flashy as a gloss.

Since I'm no longer really a potential buyer, my opinion doesn't really matter. But that finish does look pretty cool. I'm just partial to a smooth black.

[bartonmd]

I think the heavy texture black might be a bit hard to clean, but this is sort of a gloss on the texture, and the texture isn't as deep, so I don't think it will be as bad to clean as a heavy texture, and certainly not as bad as a flat...

Potential customers or not, I would just like the opinions, either good or bad...

This is basically the color I've been painting most everything, but it will just hold up better, due to being powder coat, not paint...

Mike

[Trail X]

I definitely agree with the powder coat option though. I can attest to how well PC holds up. My front bumper has been on my truck 2.5 years now. A couple rust spots are starting on some of the sharp edges, but otherwise looks really good overall. That reminds me Mike... you probably know this, but take a flap disk to all of the sharp edges of the plates and the PC will hold up much longer. Apparently the PC doesn't like sharp corners.

[bartonmd]

Thanks! Yeah, it sort of "flows" away from the sharp points, so they don't get as much coverage...

Mike

[navigator]

I think it looks great and a lot of guys will go for it.

Personally I may never get a bumper and I'm somewhat of a tightwad.......
I'm not sure if I got a bumper I would want to spend another $100 to get it powder coated.
That color on your bumper does look really good though and would match my truck pretty well.

My other thought is you mention it lasts about 2 years, then we'd have to take it to get it re-coated.
If it was me I would likely rather find a rattle can option I like.

One other thought is you took 5# of powder for your bumper and skids, that comes to about 9 bumper and skid sets, I wonder if you will get enough call to make up that many. I'm not sure how many you sell.

I can also see guys maybe getting the bumper done but rattle canning the rad skid since it is mostly out of sight.
That might add up to having to sell a lot of bumpers.

All that being said, I think most guys that are springing for bumpers like this will go ahead and spring for the extra protection and how easy it is to clean and how good it looks.

[Trail X]

$100 is an incredible price. My front bumper cost $200, and my rear $250 to powder.

It is 100% worth it to invest the extra $100 to protect the bumper against rust.

And the 2 year thing is when it may start chipping at the edges. The majority of the bumper will still be pretty pristine.

[bartonmd]

Even the rustoleum hammered is an every 6 months thing to re-do, and then you get rust forming, which bubbles up under the re-coats that you do... Rock chips almost instantly, etc...

Actually, my rad skid was pitted with enough rust that the P/C didn't even come out great on it, as I'd run it for over a year, and just hit it with some paint in the front every once in a while...

I'm not really worried about using the powder, if people actually buy the option... I'll be doing T-case / fuel tank skids after a bit, which will take a TON of powder, but are down in the grime all the time, and won't just be 2 bolts on/off like the bumper, so powder down there would be a good thing...

Mike

[Trail X]

Sounds like a prime place for aluminum.

[bartonmd]

Sounds like a prime place for aluminum.

Not and have the price be reasonable... It would be 1/4 or better aluminum, too, which would be nearly as heavy as steel, and not as durable...

Mike

[navigator]

that's good information Mike for those of us that don't have a lot of experience with it.
Is there a way to touch up powder coat?

[bartonmd]

that's good information Mike for those of us that don't have a lot of experience with it.
Is there a way to touch up powder coat?

You can dab a little of a matching paint on chips and stuff, or if it's too bad, they can powder coat over somethig that's already powder coated... You can't P/C over paint, though!

Mike

[Flying Monkey]

In my opinion powder coating is the best way you can go. Its alot more durable then paint. It looks clean, and performs well, so its a great choice.

[bgwolfpack]

Mike,

I wouldn't complicate things too much when offering such a high end product. I would think the textured black will work on any colored truck and if someone wants different let them handle it themselves.

You make a fantastic bunch of add-ons for this group, don't let it become a headache for you, especially at your pricing.

[angryninjaduck]

I like it. Coincidentally, it's fairly close to my stock bumper and fender "bling"

[bartonmd]

Mike,

I wouldn't complicate things too much when offering such a high end product. I would think the textured black will work on any colored truck and if someone wants different let them handle it themselves.

You make a fantastic bunch of add-ons for this group, don't let it become a headache for you, especially at your pricing.

It's no big deal on my end what color it's coated, just if it's coated or not... Then again, you may be right, I don't know...

I like it. Coincidentally, it's fairly close to my stock bumper and fender "bling"

Yeah, that was actually the color I was trying to match... The stock plastic cladding...

Mike

[Gordinho80]

The color was always cool, to have it in powder coat now, uber cool!

[MrSmithsTB]

Good color choices. No need to offer too much. They get the job done and just as stated earlier, any special requests people can handle themselves.

[fishsticks]

After doing my fenders, I ended up thinning the Herculiner a bit and brushing it onto my front bumper/tire carrier.

They texture is very similar what you have there and I like it quite a bit.

+1 Yes vote.

[BSalty]

I like it. I would like to see it next to some of the other factory paint colors (I.E. my color ha ha) but yeah I do like it. I have paid that much to have LCAs and PHRs for my old F-bodies powder coated in the past so that is a great deal. Especially as an optional add-on.