ATV Trailer - chips in paint - Toyota Tundra Forums : Tundra Solutions Forum

clarks · #1 (**permalink**) 08-28-2009, 04:25 PM

What kind of maintenance are you guys doing on a trailer that gets chipped up from pulling it & then it turns to rust. I'm in AZ where you wouldn't think that is a major deal but it does make your trailer look bad.
I was going to rub off the rust stains & then I guess periodically, wipe WD40 over the chips to help slow down the process. I don't want to paint over it because I've done that before with spray cans & it usually looks just as bad. I was thinking of putting that 3m clear bra stuff on major areas like the wheel wells & storage bin but like I said, you can't get very much of that stuff for the money.
Ideas w/sealing it after I remove the rust? If I apply a car sealant over the paint & chips would that help?

Brandon1 · #2 (**permalink**) 08-28-2009, 05:50 PM

My opinion would have been to spray paint touchup the areas, but you say thats no-go.

To keep rust from coming back you could either sand the area and apply a clearcoat or clean the area and apply a car wax. First suggestion would be more permanent than the 2nd, but the car wax should keep rust from coming back for a while at least.

clarks · #3 (**permalink**) 08-28-2009, 11:38 PM

When I say touch up painting isn't prefered, what I mean by that is I don't want to do the spray can. Done that & it looks bad. I will look at some of the metal auto paints that I could brush on to see if I could get close to the same white color & it would be thicker than the spray can, then I would be ok with that.

07DCwhiteSR5 · #4 (**permalink**) 11-08-2009, 08:45 PM

my co worker had his utility trailer sprayed with bed liner material. not linex or rhino but a knock off...but it works and holds up well. no chips and actually looks good.

csawyer · #5 (**permalink**) 11-09-2009, 04:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 07DCwhiteSR5

my co worker had his utility trailer sprayed with bed liner material. not linex or rhino but a knock off...but it works and holds up well. no chips and actually looks good.

I've seen that done as well and it does work. They can now impregnate that stuff with pretty much any color and make it look good. It doesn't shine, but it beats all the nicks and holes. You do have to apply UV protection at least once a year to help maintain the color so it doesn't fade out like a lot of truck beds do. There is a spray-applied polyurea coating that looks like galvanized metal that has UV protection in it--it's basically LineX with no texture.

Also, you could check out ClearMask. I think they do custom-fit protection films. The only problem with that is the film will actually magnify the chips so you still have to repair them before you cover them up. Just make sure you get a good quality film if that's the route you decide on. Some of the lower quality products turn yellowish over time and look like crap.

You could also look into some of the diamond plate covering--doesn't chip as badly as paint and can be polished to look great.