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Wed Apr 04, 2012 8:14 pm

My buggy plans are for highway and moderate off-road use. I have searched around for details of guys using bed liner to protect the undersides of fenders and the lower parts of the body. I started thinking why not coat the top side of the body with bedliner also?
I found a company that offers both smooth and textured bed liners in multiple colors.

http://www.durabakcompany.com/faq.htm

I was able to find a YouTube video of a guy applying it to his boat floor and it came out pretty smooth. It looks like cleaning the buggy would be pretty easy with the smooth lining.
Does anybody have experience with this stuff? It seems like the bodywork would be very minimal since my body is probably 40 years old. Does anybody see a reason to not give it a try? Once I give it a try there is no turning back.
Thanks Eric

Wed Apr 04, 2012 9:27 pm

I use spray can box liner on outsides of the buggies I've built. IT's cheap, durable and covers up a multitude of sins. The only experience I have with sprayed in box liner are whay I have seen in truck I work on.

The only drawbacks I can see using it like you intend are

1 - weight, it will probably double the weight of you body if it's the same stuff I've seen used. I once raced against a guy who had a Datsun 1200 that he had sprayed with brown box liner and painted white stripes across the hood and trunk and we called it "the football" He said it added 300lbs to the car.

2 - you'll never be able to do anything with the body when you've done and any repairs will be that much more work.

If you don't really see these as bad, do it.

brad

Thu Apr 05, 2012 4:28 am

Spraying bedliner on the outside of the body will also hinder resale should you ever want to sell it, unless you happen upon someone that likes the color and lack of gloss.

Thu Apr 05, 2012 8:50 pm

I too was worried about the weight increase from the bed liner. Then I happened across the Durabak coating. The whole body could be coated with around 1 gallon. 10 lbs per gallon. Not too bad at all.
They have a smooth coating that appears to be semi-gloss. The images that I have found on-line don't look too bad.
I ordered the sample chips from Durabak to see what they look like outside in the sun. I don't want a flat colored buggy.
Im sure that this is what I will use on the lower part of the body. I'm still not sure about the top.
Thanks for the responses
Eric

Fri Apr 06, 2012 12:47 pm

I used the black UV textured Durabak underneath my floorpan and on top of it. With the proper prep, the product went on just as advertised and looks just like the sample they sent me. It does not go on real thick either, which is nice when you consider weight. I am very happy with it.
You definitely need to use the Xylene they recommend to clean your surfaces, and to keep the brushes/rollers clean and soft. Good luck.

Fri Apr 06, 2012 6:46 pm

Sounds good. Thanks for the advise. I'm glad somebody has had good luck with this product.