Anyone PlastiDipped The OEM Hard Tonneau Cover?

[TrainTrac]

A recent post in another ST group about PlastiDipping rims got me to thinking about other uses for PlastiDip. I bought my 2010 LTD last fall, and the OEM hard tonneau cover has a few scuffs in it. I can't recall seeing anything anywhere about someone refurbishing or repainting these covers. I figure that trying to repaint it would be a huge pain in the @$$ because of all of the rubber trim, latch covers, the center hinge, etc that would need to be removed to paint it.



Then I got to thinking, what about PlastiDip? Seems like that might be an easier way to go to improve the appearance of a scuffed up OEM hard tonneau cover. If it ends up not working well or doesn't look good, it can always be peeled right off!



So has anyone tried this, or heard of someone attempting this? I may just attempt it this summer...

 

[Richard L]

Wouldn't you need to remove all the rubber and plastic trim to do the PlastiDip?



I think you would be better off either having it sprayed with Line-X, or Rhino-Liner....you would probably get a more even coating and hide most imperfections. You might even consider using some of that Flex-Steel spray in the can that they advertise on TV...I have never used it, but it might work as well as other products. Might be worth investing in a can or two to experiment on a piece of wood or plastic to see if you want to chance using it on your tonneau cover?



...Rich

 

[TrainTrac]

I've been looking into the PlastiDip products. Talked to some guys who've done parts on their Tracs (grilles, rims) with them, and they look pretty good. It seems to be fairly easy to apply. Goes on evenly, and most of the rubber/plastic trim on the cover could be masked off. PD even makes a product to apply to that stuff (what they recommend for tires when PD'ing rims on tires) that could be applied to the rubber/plastic stuff on the cover to prevent the product from sticking where you don't want it. And the beauty of PD is that if you do overspray, you can just peel it off of the areas where you don't want to keep it. Can't do that with Line-X or Rhino.



Moreover, it's a DIY weekend product that can be done in your own garage for probably under $100 vs. having Line-X/Rhino professionally applied for probably <$300.



I've used the as-seen-on-TV Flex Steel stuff to repair gutter leaks. It's crap. Didn't last long before the gutter started to leak again.

 

[blksn8k]

Train, I purchased a used factory cover from a member here as a Christmas gift for my brother-in-law and repainted it using a couple of spray cans of Krylon Fusion satin black. That was a year and a half ago and it still looks good.

As with any painting project the most time consuming and important part is surface preparation and that includes masking and a thorough cleaning to remove any contaminants. Fusion paint for plastics does not require sanding which is helpful considering the rough texture of the factory finish.

I have also painted my factory running boards with the same paint.

 

[TrainTrac]

I purchased a used factory cover from a member here as a Christmas gift for my brother-in-law and repainted it using a couple of spray cans of Krylon Fusion satin black. That was a year and a half ago and it still looks good.

As with any painting project the most time consuming and important part is surface preparation and that includes masking and a thorough cleaning to remove any contaminants. Fusion paint for plastics does not require sanding which is helpful considering the rough texture of the factory finish.

I have also painted my factory running boards with the same paint.

Good to know, thanks. When you painted the cover, did you remove the seals and latch covers, or just mask them off?

 

[blksn8k]

If I recall correctly, there was a lot of excess adhesive on the seals which I simply trimmed off as best I could with a razor blade, cleaned everything with common isopropyl alcohol and then painted seals, latch covers and all. Didn't mask anything. That is the beauty of Fusion paint. It pretty much sticks to anything including old glue. :grin:



Unfortunately, Fusion paint won't fill in deep nicks and gouges like some other methods but if the cover is in decent condition it does a pretty good job of restoring it to near OEM appearance for cheap.



I had to be a little more careful on the running boards due to the exposed metal trim which I had to mask off before spraying the plastic parts.

 

[TrainTrac]

If I recall correctly, there was a lot of excess adhesive on the seals which I simply trimmed off as best I could with a razor blade, cleaned everything with common isopropyl alcohol and then painted seals, latch covers and all. Didn't mask anything. That is the beauty of Fusion paint. It pretty much sticks to anything including old glue.

So did how well did the paint adhere to the rubber over the center hinge? Did it crack at all when the cover is opened/folded in half?