Is Smittybilt really that low quality?

Cooper Smith

Cooper Smith

Waiting for my 4.0...
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I'm looking into buying some rear quarter panel armor for my 2003 2.4 TJ after my regear. I'm trying to hide some dents and the typical rust near the tailgate (after I cut it out of course).

My biggest question is, if I buy the armor, is the powder coating going to disintegrate after 1 salt cycle? I don't want to toss out $400-500 just to have a rusted mess like Barricade fenders. The reviews aren't too bad, but I've learned to disregard reviews over the years with shit parts. That said, I do rigorously wash my vehicles that get driven in the salty-slushy winter shitshows up north.
 
Cooper Smith said:
I'm looking into buying some rear quarter panel armor for my 2003 2.4 TJ after my regear. I'm trying to hide some dents and the typical rust near the tailgate (after I cut it out of course).

My biggest question is, if I buy the armor, is the powder coating going to disintegrate after 1 salt cycle? I don't want to toss out $400-500 just to have a rusted mess like Barricade fenders. The reviews aren't too bad, but I've learned to disregard reviews over the years with shit parts. That said, I do rigorously wash my vehicles that get driven in the salty-slushy winter shitshows up north.
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I don’t think anyone can answer that question definitively, but what you should do regardless is:

  1. Clean the corners with alcohol.
  2. Scuff with green scotch brite pad so there is no gloss showing. Won’t take much.
  3. Paint with satin black multiple coats following directions on can (usually a light coat every few minutes). Do the inside first, then do the outside the next day. Build up the coats. I’d do 8-10 coats because spray paint doesn’t add a lot of thickness.
  4. If you want it really good add a 2k clear coat. Multiple coats following can directions.
There’s no reason the name Smittybilt will change your results. You’ll be good to go for a long time.
 
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JMT said:
I don’t think anyone can answer that question definitively, but what you should do regardless is:

  1. Clean the corners with alcohol.
  2. Scuff with green scotch brite pad so there is no gloss showing. Won’t take much.
  3. Paint with satin black multiple coats following directions on can (usually a light coat every few minutes). Do the inside first, then do the outside the next day. Build up the coats. I’d do 8-10 coats because spray paint doesn’t add a lot of thickness.
  4. If you want it really good add a 2k clear coat. Multiple coats following can directions.
There’s no reason the name Smittybilt will change your results. You’ll be good to go for a long time.
Click to expand...

Ah, okay. Makes sense. So decent spray paint and good to go?
 
JMT said:
I don’t think anyone can answer that question definitively, but what you should do regardless is:

  1. Clean the corners with alcohol.
  2. Scuff with green scotch brite pad so there is no gloss showing. Won’t take much.
  3. Paint with satin black multiple coats following directions on can (usually a light coat every few minutes). Do the inside first, then do the outside the next day. Build up the coats. I’d do 8-10 coats because spray paint doesn’t add a lot of thickness.
  4. If you want it really good add a 2k clear coat. Multiple coats following can directions.
There’s no reason the name Smittybilt will change your results. You’ll be good to go for a long time.
Click to expand...

All that sounds fine but the question I saw is:

Cooper Smith said:
My biggest question is, if I buy the armor, is the powder coating going to disintegrate after 1 salt cycle?
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I certainly don't know about the quality of Smittybilt's powder coat and what will happen to it after any salt cycles. My limited experience with any chinesium powder coat is that it will easily flake off whether exposed to salt or not.

FWIW JMT's answer will work either instead of powder coat paint or to touch up the variious places where it flakes off but it would be alot of work to keep any of it looking like new..

Being in the rust belt and regardless of whatever the visible coating is, when I get to adding more armor I'm going to Fluid Film the whole inside of the armor and the whole part of the body that will be covered to make it harder for the damn moisture to get in between the two and causing more headaches. I did that to my standard Rubicon rocker guards a couple times over the past 6 years and the last time I checked all was good. I do wonder if the rubber gasket behind those rocker guards is helping but I don't think I'll be adding any gasket when i add more armor, but who knows maybe I'll give it a test.
 
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If you don't like Shittybilt's Chinese products, Rusty's is made in the USA. :unsure:
p.s. My Shittybilt rocker guard powder coating was still good after 3 winters with salted roads. I wash my Jeeps after driving in it though.
Rusty's (2017_11_20 00_38_12 UTC).jpg


ROCKERS (2017_11_20 00_38_12 UTC) (2).jpg
 
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Cooper Smith said:
I'm looking into buying some rear quarter panel armor for my 2003 2.4 TJ after my regear. I'm trying to hide some dents and the typical rust near the tailgate (after I cut it out of course).

My biggest question is, if I buy the armor, is the powder coating going to disintegrate after 1 salt cycle? I don't want to toss out $400-500 just to have a rusted mess like Barricade fenders. The reviews aren't too bad, but I've learned to disregard reviews over the years with shit parts. That said, I do rigorously wash my vehicles that get driven in the salty-slushy winter shitshows up north.
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I don’t know the current cost for aluminum corner armor, but that’s what I’d be targeting especially if I still lived in northern Ohio.

I’ve seen some ugly photos of steel fenders not holding up to rust-belt winters and am aware of how nasty Northern Ohio is on vehicles.

For that reason, I imagine corner armor will see a similar fate. Id avoid them bc they are steel not bc they are made by SB. Going more intense with future maintenance will burn time and money enough to possibly make u wish u had just bought aluminum and for the weight savings and longevity.
 
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I’m no Smitty fan, however at one point for several reasons outside of my control I did end up with a bumper/tire carrier combo for a while. The product itself was junk but the wrinkle powder coat finish held up extremely well. No salt though. But very durable otherwise.
 
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My wife has Smitybilt bumpers front and rear, so far no problems. But we don’t deal with salt here in central / northern CA.
 
TheBoogieman said:
I hope that was sarcasm. :unsure: I'd rather deal with the rust.
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In terms of Jeeps, yes it's great. In terms of existing there, I'd rather chew on broken glass.

My mediation there is to buy a Jeep in Cali and drive it home and spend as little time there as possible. I like the desert. Might move out to AZ/NV. How bad is the rust situation in VA?
 
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Cooper Smith said:
In terms of Jeeps, yes it's great. In terms of existing there, I'd rather chew on broken glass.

My mediation there is to buy a Jeep in Cali and drive it home and spend as little time there as possible. I like the desert. Might move out to AZ/NV. How bad is the rust situation in VA?
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Non issue here in N. AL...
 
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