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Painting A-arms


Doddy

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I desperately need to paint my A-arms...they are currently the stock Yamaha blue and I would like to paint them black as cheap as possible. I would by new ones, but they really aren't in the budget right now.

 

Here is what I was thinking:

 

1) Rhino Lined Black - Would this work, has anyone done it? If so what prep work do I need to do?

 

2) Automotive paint - My buddy has a shop and a gun but how much would paint be, and what kind?

 

Any help would be appreciated.

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Powdercoat is the best way to go, but painting stock a arms is kind of a joke. With so many options and such a huge aftermarket you could easily find a set of decent powdercoated a arms. Take into consideration that stock a arms ball joints arnt replacable.

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Yeah if PC were an option I would def. go in that direction but b/c the ball joints aren't replaceable and obviously can't be baked I will defer to paint. I would by aftermarket, but I'm already dropping about $1,000 on motor work so new A-arms just won't work out.

 

I don't race or anything so I'm not worried about adding a few extra oz to the frame due to the Rhino line I just want something that will hold up and I worry about plain paint on the A-arms holding up to mild abuse.

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Powder coating is over rated if you ask me. It isn't durable at all and will get scratched and gouged quite easily. Rhino liner is as easy to apply as paint and way more durable. I would rattle can it flat black because its soooo damn easy to fix if you do scratch them up. Flat black just blends perfectly as long as you use the same paint.

I learned my lesson with the rocksliders on my Nissan Xterra. They came powdercoated which scratched off easy. I Rhino lined them after but basically the same results. Now I have them in flat black (wheels too) because it literally takes 30 seconds to fix them when they don't look good anymore.

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I say just paint them I agree that powder coat is overrated it looks kick ass but it chips easy and then its a real pain in the ass to fix. If your a duner then OK but personally I'm a trail and woods rider so in my opinion I would be pulling it apart and fixing it way to often. Paint it and forget it and then pick up a set of a arm guards and then problem solved. Rhinolining is OK also but its hold dirt which makes it a pain in the ass to clean. You wont just be hosing it off it will need scrubbed.

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Vht makes a paint called Roll Cage and Chassis Epoxy Paint in a rattle can. It is a flat black color and when properly applied and cured it is almost as good as powdercoating. I use it on stuff that can't be powdercoated or will need to be touched up and it works great. It should be available at any auto parts store that carrys VHT header paint, or maybe you can get it from Summit Racing.

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Painted them this weekend. Look good fresh but I'm sure they are going to chip like crazy once I get them out there riding. I used truck bed liner and it turned out descent...I really should have spent more time on the prep, but after about 2 hours of sanding those things down by hand I was tired of it so I cleaned them up and started painting. I'll post some pics later, and then again after the first trip out so you can see how the paint held.

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Painted them this weekend. Look good fresh but I'm sure they are going to chip like crazy once I get them out there riding. I used truck bed liner and it turned out descent...I really should have spent more time on the prep, but after about 2 hours of sanding those things down by hand I was tired of it so I cleaned them up and started painting. I'll post some pics later, and then again after the first trip out so you can see how the paint held.

 

If your buddy had a spray gun you should have went to sherwin williams and got a car paint with hardener. I had painted my stock a arms when I had them and the paint never chipped or scratched. I had them for about two years. The paint was a single stage acrylic enamel. probably would have cost around $30.

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