Happy Monday Everyone!
So I recently bought a TJ and absolutely love it so far. One thing that I'm not too thrilled about is the diamond plated aluminum armor that is on both of the rear quarter panels and the gate. Unfortunately, the armor is drilled into the panels and is held on with washer head hex screws, so I can't just remove it and move on with my life - I also don't really have the ability or money to sand, bondo, color match, for a complete removal either. I've thought about removing the panels and replacing the screws but I don't think that will look too great either. What I've narrowed down my option to is painting the aluminum black to make it stand out less. My Jeep is black, and the armor is currently silver.
I've read a lot of threads about painting aluminum and am aware of the basics - cleaning, sanding, etching, priming, etc. Just wanted to roll my thoughts out on how to tackle this project to see if you guys have any recommendations!
My idea is to remove the panels and then clean with Krud Kutter metal cleaner. Seems like it etches as well. I am thinking about using a steel cup wire brush on a power drill to clean the surface, and then sanding the edges of the plates to ensure the paint molds around the edges and corners. I don't think sanding the entire material will be as effective as the wire cup because it's diamond plated and not a flat surface. I would then spray the material a couple of times with aluminum primer and then was thinking about rustoleum satin or flat black for the main coat (other shade/color suggestions appreciated!). I would then screw the panels back on with black washer head hex screws and move on to the next project!
I'll send a picture of what it looks like later to give a better idea of what it looks like now!
So I recently bought a TJ and absolutely love it so far. One thing that I'm not too thrilled about is the diamond plated aluminum armor that is on both of the rear quarter panels and the gate. Unfortunately, the armor is drilled into the panels and is held on with washer head hex screws, so I can't just remove it and move on with my life - I also don't really have the ability or money to sand, bondo, color match, for a complete removal either. I've thought about removing the panels and replacing the screws but I don't think that will look too great either. What I've narrowed down my option to is painting the aluminum black to make it stand out less. My Jeep is black, and the armor is currently silver.
I've read a lot of threads about painting aluminum and am aware of the basics - cleaning, sanding, etching, priming, etc. Just wanted to roll my thoughts out on how to tackle this project to see if you guys have any recommendations!
My idea is to remove the panels and then clean with Krud Kutter metal cleaner. Seems like it etches as well. I am thinking about using a steel cup wire brush on a power drill to clean the surface, and then sanding the edges of the plates to ensure the paint molds around the edges and corners. I don't think sanding the entire material will be as effective as the wire cup because it's diamond plated and not a flat surface. I would then spray the material a couple of times with aluminum primer and then was thinking about rustoleum satin or flat black for the main coat (other shade/color suggestions appreciated!). I would then screw the panels back on with black washer head hex screws and move on to the next project!
I'll send a picture of what it looks like later to give a better idea of what it looks like now!
