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I have gotten quite a few pm's about this so I decided a little write up would help. If you have step rails/sliders and can take them off easily, DO IT! They just get in the way. This a very easy project to do, you just have to realize that once you start, there's NO TURNING BACK!
Time to complete: 3-4 hours to apply, overnight to use, 24 hours to cure.
materials needed:
Herculiner - (I had a gallon can, I don't think the small quart would be enough)
Paint roller, small brush & paint tray - Used to apply the herculiner
Painters tape - (i used the blue variety, some people talk about using tape that has metal wire in it to get a clean line. I had no problem w/ that)
Scotch brite pad - an abrasive pad used to rough up the clearcoat
Acetone - used to clean the paint
Rags, gloves, tarps - used to keep the herculiner off things it's not intended to be on. I had an old pair of leather work gloves.
Pinstriping - This idea is from Muzikman. it really cleans up the edge of the herculiner and makes it look REALLY good. I used black 2 stripe pintriping that I found at Autozone.
Car wash soap and water - Used to clean the paint
2 Ziplock bags - 1 large enough to put the roller into. the other for your paintbrush. I used a plastic walmart bag to cover the paint tray.
A note of warning before you start this. Herculiner is permanent. Once you get it on something, whether intentional or not, it is there. I STILL have black spots on my arms from where the hercy splattered over a week ago. If you get it somewhere accidentially, grab a rag w/ acetone on it and wipe up the mistake.
step 1:
Start in a clean dry area w/ GOOD ventilation. The fumes can make you sick. A garage w/ the door opened partially is best because it will block the wind but allow good ventilation. I used a floor fan to blow out of the cracked door. The wind can blow dirt/grass clippings/etc into the herculiner where it will stay for all of eternity.
Step 2:
Lay down a drop cloth and get all of your materials ready to use. Always have a spare rag handy for accidental application.
Step 3:
Tape off the area that you are going to cover. I went off of the centerline of the door moldings and set my tape just below that line. This way the pin stripe would be at the center of the molding. I taped inside of the door jambs and 1/4" around the inside of the door. You want the herculiner to wrap around the edge of the door.
I unscrewed the front inner fenderliners to get behind them. I just pulled them away and propped them there. You will want to unhook foam rubber door strip on the front edge of the rear door. It just pops out w/ little white clips. As for the foam door trim at the bottom of the doors, I just taped around/over them.
Step 4:
PUT ON YOUR GLOVES! Clean the area that you are going to herculine. Use a soap that will clean off any oils that may be on the paint.
Step 5:
Grab your scotchbrite pad and go to town. The goal here is to scuff up the paint, NOT to completely remove it.
Step 6:
Clean off the areas you have sanded w/ the acetone. Go easy on this because if you leave it on there too long, it will start removing the paint.
Step 7:
Get your herculiner ready. You will need to stir it for a few minutes to get all of the rubber particles suspended in the paint. It says on the can DO NOT SHAKE CAN. I don't know why.
Once stirred sufficiently, pour it out into your paint tray. Grab your roller and apply the herculiner. The first coat should be a light coat. Try to cover the area but don't go over areas that you have already covered (aka partially dry) if at all possible. The reason for this is that the herculiner will pull back up. Use a small paintbrush to fill in the areas too tight for the roller. This would be your corners, the back/inside of the door, up against the body molding, etc.
Step 8:
Wait 1-2 hours for the first coat of herculiner to dry. Put the paint roller into the large ziplock bag, the paint brush into the smaller one, and cover up the paint tray. Seal up the ziplock bags around the business end of the paint roller/brush. The goal here is to keep them out of the air.
Then have a beer, surf XterraNation, etc. The drying time will depend HEAVILY on your individual conditions (humidity, temp, ventilation, application thickness). You are ready to go when you can touch the applied herculiner and it doesn't come off on your hand. DO NOT WAIT ANY LONGER. If you do, you won't be able to remove the tape later.
Step 9:
Remove your painting tools from the ziplock bags and apply the second coat. This one can be thicker. It will allow you to fill in the light spots or any areas you might have missed.
Step 10:
As soon as you are done w/ the second coat, start peeling back your blue painters tape. Peel at a 180 degree angle and straight back. This will leave a nice clean edge. If you peel away from the herculiner, it can leave little black spots that will ruin your edge. Be careful with this tape as it still has wet herculiner on it. I had an empty drywall bucket that I put it into after I pulled it off.
Step 11:
Enjoy. it looks good doesn't it? Close your garage door the rest of the way to keep the dust out. The herculiner needs time to dry and to cure. It will be fully set at around 24 hours. The truck will be ok to drive the next morning as long as you keep it dry and out of the mud.
Step 12:
Apply your pinstriping. I applied mine w/ the thick line on the bottom. I followed along the top edge of the herculiner as close as I could get it. That way, from a distance, it looks like there is just one pinstripe about 1/4" above the herculiner. It makes it look factory applied.
Step 13:
Clean up. Throw away the roller, paintbrush, ziplock bags, pretty much anything that has herculiner on it. That ISH does not come off. As you can see in the above pic, I did not put down a drop cloth and now I have little black spots all over my garage floor. Also, the herculiner is very shiny at first, but will fade to a dull black color with exposure to the sun. If you want to keep it shiny, they sell a uv additive you can apply after it dries. I did not want that.
Conclusion:
No more rock chips!!!! I had close to 30 good sized rock chips (a couple that started to rust even) plus it looks hella good. From a distance, it makes the truck look like it has been lifted even higher. I hope this helps you guys out. If you have any other questions, please let me know!
PS, if you want a good laugh, check out this http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=18595 on the dangers of herculiner...it has had over 476,000 page views. win!
Time to complete: 3-4 hours to apply, overnight to use, 24 hours to cure.
materials needed:
Herculiner - (I had a gallon can, I don't think the small quart would be enough)
Paint roller, small brush & paint tray - Used to apply the herculiner
Painters tape - (i used the blue variety, some people talk about using tape that has metal wire in it to get a clean line. I had no problem w/ that)
Scotch brite pad - an abrasive pad used to rough up the clearcoat
Acetone - used to clean the paint
Rags, gloves, tarps - used to keep the herculiner off things it's not intended to be on. I had an old pair of leather work gloves.
Pinstriping - This idea is from Muzikman. it really cleans up the edge of the herculiner and makes it look REALLY good. I used black 2 stripe pintriping that I found at Autozone.
Car wash soap and water - Used to clean the paint
2 Ziplock bags - 1 large enough to put the roller into. the other for your paintbrush. I used a plastic walmart bag to cover the paint tray.
A note of warning before you start this. Herculiner is permanent. Once you get it on something, whether intentional or not, it is there. I STILL have black spots on my arms from where the hercy splattered over a week ago. If you get it somewhere accidentially, grab a rag w/ acetone on it and wipe up the mistake.
step 1:
Start in a clean dry area w/ GOOD ventilation. The fumes can make you sick. A garage w/ the door opened partially is best because it will block the wind but allow good ventilation. I used a floor fan to blow out of the cracked door. The wind can blow dirt/grass clippings/etc into the herculiner where it will stay for all of eternity.
Step 2:
Lay down a drop cloth and get all of your materials ready to use. Always have a spare rag handy for accidental application.
Step 3:
Tape off the area that you are going to cover. I went off of the centerline of the door moldings and set my tape just below that line. This way the pin stripe would be at the center of the molding. I taped inside of the door jambs and 1/4" around the inside of the door. You want the herculiner to wrap around the edge of the door.
I unscrewed the front inner fenderliners to get behind them. I just pulled them away and propped them there. You will want to unhook foam rubber door strip on the front edge of the rear door. It just pops out w/ little white clips. As for the foam door trim at the bottom of the doors, I just taped around/over them.
Step 4:
PUT ON YOUR GLOVES! Clean the area that you are going to herculine. Use a soap that will clean off any oils that may be on the paint.
Step 5:
Grab your scotchbrite pad and go to town. The goal here is to scuff up the paint, NOT to completely remove it.
Step 6:
Clean off the areas you have sanded w/ the acetone. Go easy on this because if you leave it on there too long, it will start removing the paint.
Step 7:
Get your herculiner ready. You will need to stir it for a few minutes to get all of the rubber particles suspended in the paint. It says on the can DO NOT SHAKE CAN. I don't know why.
Once stirred sufficiently, pour it out into your paint tray. Grab your roller and apply the herculiner. The first coat should be a light coat. Try to cover the area but don't go over areas that you have already covered (aka partially dry) if at all possible. The reason for this is that the herculiner will pull back up. Use a small paintbrush to fill in the areas too tight for the roller. This would be your corners, the back/inside of the door, up against the body molding, etc.
Step 8:
Wait 1-2 hours for the first coat of herculiner to dry. Put the paint roller into the large ziplock bag, the paint brush into the smaller one, and cover up the paint tray. Seal up the ziplock bags around the business end of the paint roller/brush. The goal here is to keep them out of the air.
Then have a beer, surf XterraNation, etc. The drying time will depend HEAVILY on your individual conditions (humidity, temp, ventilation, application thickness). You are ready to go when you can touch the applied herculiner and it doesn't come off on your hand. DO NOT WAIT ANY LONGER. If you do, you won't be able to remove the tape later.
Step 9:
Remove your painting tools from the ziplock bags and apply the second coat. This one can be thicker. It will allow you to fill in the light spots or any areas you might have missed.
Step 10:
As soon as you are done w/ the second coat, start peeling back your blue painters tape. Peel at a 180 degree angle and straight back. This will leave a nice clean edge. If you peel away from the herculiner, it can leave little black spots that will ruin your edge. Be careful with this tape as it still has wet herculiner on it. I had an empty drywall bucket that I put it into after I pulled it off.
Step 11:
Enjoy. it looks good doesn't it? Close your garage door the rest of the way to keep the dust out. The herculiner needs time to dry and to cure. It will be fully set at around 24 hours. The truck will be ok to drive the next morning as long as you keep it dry and out of the mud.
Step 12:
Apply your pinstriping. I applied mine w/ the thick line on the bottom. I followed along the top edge of the herculiner as close as I could get it. That way, from a distance, it looks like there is just one pinstripe about 1/4" above the herculiner. It makes it look factory applied.
Step 13:
Clean up. Throw away the roller, paintbrush, ziplock bags, pretty much anything that has herculiner on it. That ISH does not come off. As you can see in the above pic, I did not put down a drop cloth and now I have little black spots all over my garage floor. Also, the herculiner is very shiny at first, but will fade to a dull black color with exposure to the sun. If you want to keep it shiny, they sell a uv additive you can apply after it dries. I did not want that.
Conclusion:
No more rock chips!!!! I had close to 30 good sized rock chips (a couple that started to rust even) plus it looks hella good. From a distance, it makes the truck look like it has been lifted even higher. I hope this helps you guys out. If you have any other questions, please let me know!
PS, if you want a good laugh, check out this http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=18595 on the dangers of herculiner...it has had over 476,000 page views. win!
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