Spray Painting and Clear Coating my new Tailgate.

[Bronco648]

@Lefty I appreciate that level of detail but the truck isn't worth the effort (I guess I wasn't clear enough describing the current state). It's in good condition but it has some minor dents dings. The tailgate I bought is that yellow/orange color and is in nice enough condition that a simple sand with 400 or 600 grit should be good enough for primer and then a coat of Oxford White. I was more curious about how to scuff the sides and bottom (which have lots of 'nooks and crannies') so the new paint sticks and looks decent. The drain holes are clear.

@Angry Possum I missed that your tailgate was new. I can see why you skipped scuffing those areas.

 

[Angry Possum]

@Lefty I appreciate that level of detail but the truck isn't worth the effort (I guess I wasn't clear enough describing the current state). It's in good condition but it has some minor dents dings. The tailgate I bought is that yellow/orange color and is in nice enough condition that a simple sand with 400 or 600 grit should be good enough for primer and then a coat of Oxford White. I was more curious about how to scuff the sides and bottom (which have lots of 'nooks and crannies') so the new paint sticks and looks decent. The drain holes are clear.

@Angry Possum I missed that your tailgate was new. I can see why you skipped scuffing those areas.

Yes, good price too.

 

[Lefty]

@Lefty I appreciate that level of detail but the truck isn't worth the effort (I guess I wasn't clear enough describing the current state). It's in good condition but it has some minor dents dings. The tailgate I bought is that yellow/orange color and is in nice enough condition that a simple sand with 400 or 600 grit should be good enough for primer and then a coat of Oxford White. I was more curious about how to scuff the sides and bottom (which have lots of 'nooks and crannies') so the new paint sticks and looks decent. The drain holes are clear.

@Angry Possum I missed that your tailgate was new. I can see why you skipped scuffing those areas.

I have a cheap sandblaster, great for nooks and crannies, also a wire brush for an electric drill. and a Dremel. There are a number of chemicals, but my go-to cleaner is CLR. It will help strip the rust too. And if it doesn't, Eastwood makes a nice primer called Rust Encapsulator.

Even then, I had a devil of a time cleaning all the rust off the rear differential. I confess I used cheap paint but sealed it with several coats of clear acrylic urethane. It held up well even after a winter.

 

[Bronco648]

@Lefty I need to do my diff cover, too. They have a tendency to rust thru in this area of the upper Midwest. I may just replace mine.

 

[Lefty]

@Lefty I need to do my diff cover, too. They have a tendency to rust thru in this area of the upper Midwest. I may just replace mine.

I live up here in Minneapolis/Saint Paul. We have exactly the same problem.

Those top sealer coats were Krylon urethane. I knew that it holds up longer than conventional rattle can paints, but even the Krylon won't last as long as I would like.

I had repainted the frame last year with POR 15. It's good stuff but not really as good as some would think. Like so many other evaporative paints, it needs a sealer. I chose krylon. It worked pretty good.

Krylon Urethane sprayed over POR 15 lasts longer.

This summer I did a little test in paint chemistry. Knowing 2K clear coat "epoxy" is the best, most durable sealer, I sprayed some over a Krylon test strip in order to see if those two different paints were compatible. Sure enough, it worked.

So I sprayed another 2 coats of 2K clearcoat over the diff cover. Now it looks a little better even than the photo. I'm hoping my good luck continues this winter.

A word of caution; 2K paints contain isocyanide, a deadly poison. It's maybe okay to spray outside, but one should really wear a respirator when working under the truck.

 

[Bronco648]

@Lefty Boy, that looks really nice. My truck didn't have such conscientious previous owners (it's an '11 RCSB XL with few/no options - a basic work truck). However, I did have the underside of our '17 Expedition done with Fluid Film. That's done a great job of keeping corrosion at bay. My Ranger's frame is by no means a rusty mess but it would require a LOT of effort to make it look factory (again). I'm trying to pick my battles. I finally found a nice tailgate and am on the hunt for two doors. Once I get the doors sorted, the major rust issues will have been addressed. I'm outside of Chicago but the truck doesn't see much road use (now). I'm allowed to work from home, permanently but the office is only 5 miles away (for days I want to go in). I need to address the brake system (pads/rotors/bearings/seals/e-brake/etc.) too. Maybe by Spring I'll have had time to address all of that.

 

[Lefty]

@Lefty Boy, that looks really nice. My truck didn't have such conscientious previous owners (it's an '11 RCSB XL with few/no options - a basic work truck). However, I did have the underside of our '17 Expedition done with Fluid Film. That's done a great job of keeping corrosion at bay. My Ranger's frame is by no means a rusty mess but it would require a LOT of effort to make it look factory (again). I'm trying to pick my battles. I finally found a nice tailgate and am on the hunt for two doors. Once I get the doors sorted, the major rust issues will have been addressed. I'm outside of Chicago but the truck doesn't see much road use (now). I'm allowed to work from home, permanently but the office is only 5 miles away (for days I want to go in). I need to address the brake system (pads/rotors/bearings/seals/e-brake/etc.) too. Maybe by Spring I'll have had time to address all of that.

Happy trails!

The underside of my Ranger once looked as bad as everyone else's. I went ahead and fixed it anyway: the same dirty job everybody does, removed the bed, sandblasted the rough stuff off, applied 2 coats of POR 15, then sealed it all with a top coat and Krylon urethane. The diff cover looked as bad as the rest. Painting the underside is pretty much a thankless job nobody notices, except the guys at the oil change store.

But that's not the point. The bottom side is preserved and protected, good for another 20 years.

My friend, on the other hand, did not to the same to his Ranger. He loaded with accessories; fender flares, bull bar, tonneau cover, new wheels and tires, bedliner, new seats. His last upgrade was a set of new running boards which he bolted to the frame rails. Those rails were so badly rusted that they bent when he stepped on them. After spending all that time and money, he sold it.

I may never get my time and money out of mine, but then again, I don't have to buy a new truck. It looks new too, and will last a long time.