Painting tunnel?

RobertTrivanovic · Sep 11, 2015

Im sure this has been talked about before but I didnt find much, plus its almost winter and im excited waiting for the snow to come.. So...

Has anyone done a DIY paint job on the tunnel that actually holds up and looks good and doesnt grab more snow then before? Want to make my sled all black without the costs of powder coating. Anyone have any paint to recommend or to stay away from? Overall a bad idea? What do you guys think?

SWITCHMAN · Sep 12, 2015

Have you considered a wrap. I blacked out my '14 Assault.
I ordered a ArcticFx flat black, no design just black. Pretty easy to install. I did end up powder coating some misc. parts but not the tunnel or tunnel top.

danby · Sep 12, 2015

I am wondering the same thing. I have been looking into a paint called endura it is highly chemical and impact resistant. It appears to be used on airplanes, boats, semis and greyhound busses top name a few things. Wondering if anyone has used this on there sled before?

RobertTrivanovic · Sep 13, 2015

SWITCHMAN said:
Have you considered a wrap. I blacked out my '14 Assault.
I ordered a ArcticFx flat black, no design just black. Pretty easy to install. I did end up powder coating some misc. parts but not the tunnel or tunnel top.View attachment 256288

Mind if I asked what you paid for just a plain tunnel wrap? Looking at their website though the wrap doesnt cover every part of the tunnel (understandably) which is more what im looking for all black no missing spots. Is yours just a wrap on the tunnel or is there powder coating on the tunnel too?

danby said:
I am wondering the same thing. I have been looking into a paint called endura it is highly chemical and impact resistant. It appears to be used on airplanes, boats, semis and greyhound busses top name a few things. Wondering if anyone has used this on there sled before?

Bump on his comment, if anyone has any paint input?

mountainhorse · Sep 13, 2015

My 2 cents from a previous thread

mountainhorse said:
Next item... Keep the snow and ice from sticking to the sled as much as possible.

Some of that is taken care of on the RMK's already... the "choke" point in the tunnel at the front... The bulkhead heat-exchanger does a good job of keeping the ice/snow from building up there.

BUT...

Coating the tunnel inside and out seems to be the best way to keep the ice-plaque at bay.

Since the PRO Chassis RMK's use some pretty high tech alloys and bonding agents that are sensitive to too much heat... I chose to paint rather than powdercoat the chassis assembly.

First order of business in any good paint-job is the prep work.

I'm not great with a spray gun in terms of smooth finish or some runs and drips...but the paint work I do... sticks well

All of the decals were removed and the adhesive residue removed with 3M Adhesive remover. This stuff is worth the investment of having a can on hand... decals... foam tape... foam insulation removal... this stuff just works. Then comes the foam padding under the fuel tank.

The chaincase was de-bonded and bearing supports removed.

Before I started in on the paint prep however... I installed additional tunnel bracing... Timbersled rear Tunnel gussets were "dry fit" and then riveted on with supplemental LORD 406GB adhesive. I sandblasted the gussets for good paint/adhesive "stick".

After that... I sprayed down the entire chassis with Purple-Power degreaser and let it soak a bit to remove all the mill oils from the chassis.
Rinse with hot water... then let dry... After that... a good spray of the entire chassis with Alumiprep-33 cleaner Etch to get good "tooth" for paint adhesion.

NOTE: Make sure to mask the heat exchangers inside the tunnel prior to primer and top-coat....The paint will affect the heat transfer from the coolers and could affect your engine cooling.

I let the chassis dry in a heated room for a few hours. I hung the chassis and then primered using SEM brand self etching primer for good adhesion...

A couple more hours of dry time... and she's ready for top coat.

I really like the catalyzed 1-stage paint from U-Tech... U-Tech 3.8 HSP.
This paint, a replacement for Imron... is tough as nails and rivals any powdercoating I've used... Made for airplanes originally... now common with fleet vehicles and other high demand applications. It holds gloss well and is very abrasion resistant.

It is however pretty nasty...You need to have a good booth or a forced air respirator to be able to shoot it.

For those of you without the right tools to do this... Do the prep work yourself... and take it ready to prime to a local body shop that would be willing to do a small job like this at a reasonable price.

I masked the coolers inside the tunnel for good heat transfer and used old fuel bits to push over all the threaded fasteners on the chassis... I hate chasing threads later.

I'm pleased with the results... though it is by no means a show-pony... a drip here...run there and plenty of orange-peel!!... but hey.. it's a sled!!

It may sound like a lot of work... but it actually goes pretty quickly.

More to come....

mountainhorse · Sep 13, 2015

U-Tech ROCKS!!

In many areas... the U-Tech 3.8 HSP has been replaced with U-Tech U350... which I have found to be just as easy to use an as durable.

IMO...Single stage paint (Not base-coat, Clear-coat)... is the way to go... and this paint sure is durable... can be mixed in almost any color too.

I had this paint mixed to a "Synergy Green" that is used on the newer Camaro's... pretty stunning... for my friends kids bike.

This stuff is tougher than 90% of the Powdercoats out there IMO.
Painted some Deere buckets with this... holds up very well.

Proper, thorough prep is KEY... but you will get a great result from this as the 3.8 HSP.

In fact.. I'm painting some A-Arms and a Big Block Chevy with this stuff today

.

danby · Sep 13, 2015

MH thanks for all the info that looks like great stuff. This is the paint I was looking at www.endura.ca it is a top coat called EX-2C. Just wondering what your thoughts on a 2 part polyurethane are?.

Cheers.

mountainhorse · Sep 13, 2015

To clarify Terms.

"2 part" and "single stage" can be the same thing

Single stage refers to a paint that does not need to be clearcoated.

The U-Tech is a catalyzed, 2-part, single-stage paint.... a cross linked LPU (Linear Poly Urethane)

I have no experience with Endura coatings.... but from reading their site... the Endura Ultra-Flex is similar in character to the U-Tech.

EDIT:... Looks like the EX-2C can be mixed.

I do know that the Isocynate content of these kinds of paint... YOU MUST HAVE A GOOD FORCED AIR RESPIRATOR TO SPRAY THIS.

mountainhorse · Sep 13, 2015

U-Tech is available in Canada as well.

danby · Sep 13, 2015

Thank you for the reply. I will try and locate a retailer for u-tech some what close to me.

tuneman · Sep 14, 2015

Save yourself a mountain of $$$ and hassle and just buy vinyl. It's a lot more durable than paint too (less tendency to chip). This is the stuff I bought and it's awesome. Holds up great. Spent about $15 to wrap the tunnel:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/3D-Black-Ca...?var=670254576373&hash=item5d4c1b3e06&vxp=mtr

I wrapped my SBA with the expensive 3M vinyl and prefer the thicker cheap stuff. It's held up better.

Hillclimbpro · Sep 14, 2015

I wrapped my tunnel last season with a carbon fiber. Got it off Amazon for $20 for a 60"x60" sheet. No problems shedding snow and held up great.

RobertTrivanovic · Sep 14, 2015

Hillclimbpro said:
I wrapped my tunnel last season with a carbon fiber. Got it off Amazon for $20 for a 60"x60" sheet. No problems shedding snow and held up great.

That turned out really good, did you wrap under the tunnel to? And to do it did you just take off the running boards, bumper, seat and tank or remove the entire tunnel?

Hillclimbpro · Sep 14, 2015

I just did the top and sides. I removed the boards, seat, tank, bumper and tail light.

danby · Sep 14, 2015

The only problem with a wrap for me is I am doing two tone candy apple red and black. I am doing the top of the tunnel black and the sides candy apple red with a black vei long bumper tunnel overlay. I am just not sure the color on the wrap will match the red I already have painted on my sled.

The Bob · Oct 5, 2015

MN U-Tech Supplier?

Can anyone direct me to a U-Tech Paint supplier in MN? Or can I order it and have it shipped from MI where it appears they are located?

Thanks

mountainhorse · Oct 5, 2015

Go to your local body shop supply shop... they may have it.

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Painting tunnel?

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