What is everyone using to treat / corrosion proof their aluminum skids with?

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Ephry73

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Finally got the UCF skid after waiting a bit. I'm in the NY area( Just north of NYC) and the roads get salted/brined with some nasty stuff. I don't want to have the skid plate self dissolve after a winter or two, much less start acting up against the frame and screws with the salt and making some other issues, or worse corrode at the weld points and become a rattle party.

I'm thinking clean, where I can, with 0000 steel wool where I can and self etch primer the whole skid and then add KBS or POR top coat, or even POR Gas tank sealer just to make sure the inside will stay salt free. The outside(the side facing down) will obviously be easier to clean and maintain, so my main focus is the inside that can hold salt and water longer.

For the outside part I will just top coat it after the self etching primer and touch it up and clean when needed. Or am I overthinking this and I should just use some seam sealer between the frame and the skid and just call it good? Anyone from the NE or rust belt with a UCF Aluminum skid and what long term changes/effects have you seen after a winter?



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FWIW, I have an aluminum Savvy gas tank skid that has been installed for close to seven years. Other than some fluid film in the winter, I haven’t done a thing to it and it still looks great. I swapped the hardware for stainless and even that still looks great. Not to mention, three of those seven years were spent in Hatteras, NC on the Outer Banks. The epitome of salt/salt water and shit weather in the winter. Aluminum FTW!
 
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I was also considering that same exact skid, but I held off for the same exact reason.

Supposedly painting aluminum is tricky. I was doing a little research and thought about this....

Why not have it galvanized then top coat it?

POR sucks, it won't last and doesn't like UV, plus I don't know how it will react with AL.
 
SvtLdr said:
How does UV come into play with a belly skid? Just a question.
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Screenshot_20210501-203941_Google.jpg
 
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POR15 sucks, don't waste time or $ for that.
i spent 2hrs yesterday scrapping it off of surfaces that just kept rotting away under the product, the only thing it stopped was me from seeing it developing.

leave it raw and hose down the belly real good every spring.
 
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TWiG01 said:
FWIW, I have an aluminum Savvy gas tank skid that has been installed for close to seven years. Other than some fluid film in the winter, I haven’t done a thing to it and it still looks great. I swapped the hardware for stainless and even that still looks great. Not to mention, three of those seven years were spent in Hatteras, NC on the Outer Banks. The epitome of salt/salt water and shit weather in the winter. Aluminum FTW!
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That is first hand for sure. No water rinsing the underside at all in between salts?

Edit: Meant to type rinsing, not ringing
 
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williambmac said:
I was also considering that same exact skid, but I held off for the same exact reason.

Supposedly painting aluminum is tricky. I was doing a little research and thought about this....

Why not have it galvanized then top coat it?

POR sucks, it won't last and doesn't like UV, plus I don't know how it will react with AL.
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There are galvanizing etching primers, which is one way to go about it. Self etching primer and Top coat would do it for my peace of mind and it will not see the light of day, unless I did something wrong. I have seen galvanized aluminum panels phosphate in salty environments. Couple of scratches and there you go.

After picking up the skid plate with one hand, I understood that the choice of aluminum was the right choice.
 
When I get to the point of having an aluminum skid plate I'll probably just paint the whole top side, add some Fluid Film where it bolts to the frame and pretty much ignore the bottom.

Actually that's what I've done to both of my stock steel center and gas tank skid plates. I figure both steel and aluminum are fighting the same causes of corrosion so when I go aluminum I'll do it again.

FWIW, I used to think POR15 would be the way to go but from reading (besides this thread) and hearing different things it may just be another snake oil.
 
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I was talking about having it dipped as opposed to the rattle can stuff.

I was actually going to do it to my new Motobilt bumpers, but being impatient I didn't want to wait the 2 weeks.

Then I thought about powder coating them, but 250.00 a bumper is too much.

I ended up doing what @taylormade73 did, sprayed them with Rustoleum paint/primer. The only additional thing I did was use self etching primer first.

I'm probably going to order the skid in the next couple of weeks. I most prime and paint.

I wouldn't consider powdercoating because I see what happens within a year or so.
 
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Ephry73 said:
That is first hand for sure. No water ringing the underside at all in between salts?
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Nothing out of the ordinary. When I wash the exterior, i always give the undercarriage a little spray down with the hose, but not in the winter/cold. Eventually I’ll get an aluminum transfer case skid as well and I plan to just leave it bare.
 
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JEEPCJTJ said:
FWIW, I used to think POR15 would be the way to go but from reading (besides this thread) and hearing different things it may just be another snake oil.
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I used to be a dealer for POR and a good friend was the C.E.O. for years. It is basically paint with more solids added to it.
The addition of extra solids cuts down on the porosity, thus starving out the rust by not allowing it to come in contact with moisture.

The problem is even with proper prepping, it will eventually start peeling.

I used it on several vehicles without much success.

It's great if your vehicle is a garage queen that only comes out for car shows and never sees the elements.
 
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just the word "skid" implies your wasting your time putting any additional finish to the bottom of it. a few scratches and your protection is compromised.

treat it like you do your frame, clean it every now and then and a bit of oil to keep it damp and your fine. if you don't treat your frame don't worry about the skid it'll outlast the jeep.
 
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williambmac said:
I was talking about having it dipped as opposed to the rattle can stuff.

I was actually going to do it to my new Motobilt bumpers, but being impatient I didn't want to wait the 2 weeks.

Then I thought about powder coating them, but 250.00 a bumper is too much.

I ended up doing what @taylormade73 did, sprayed them with Rustoleum paint/primer. The only additional thing I did was use self etching primer first.

I'm probably going to order the skid in the next couple of weeks. I most prime and paint.

I wouldn't consider powdercoating because I see what happens within a year or so.
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Yeah the roads out here have that nice sandpaper effect. I remember sway bars getting to bare metal in less than a winter.
 
someguysjeep said:
just the word "skid" implies your wasting your time putting any additional finish to the bottom of it. a few scratches and your protection is compromised.

treat it like you do your frame, clean it every now and then and a bit of oil to keep it damp and your fine. if you don't treat your frame don't worry about the skid it'll outlast the jeep.
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For sure. Although I don't see me putting many skid marks on it until I move out of NY. ;)
 
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