Roll on bed liner in wagon

[NWSubie]

So I am thinking about putting the roll on bed liner on the inside of my 80 wagon this summer. I was courious if anyone has had problems with rust forming under the liner after it has been on. My carpet is pretty stinky and nasty and I pulled some of it out in my rear passenger area and found it had some rust but I believe I can easily fix it. I thought It would be much easier to clean water out after wheeling if I got rid of the carpet. Just courious as to what others have done.

[sario]

Please take pictures when it's done. that would be great for wet gear and dogs!

[El Presidente]

I have no experience putting bedliner in a Subaru, partly because I'm still building my subaru for offroad, but I do have experience lining the inside and outside of Jeeps. It works great!

 

Couple things to remember:

 

prep is key! Not properly sanding/scuffing the application surface or not properly cleaning it will make it peel off in a couple months to a couple years. If you do it right, it will be a nightmare to remove(experience speaking) and provide a non-slip, durable finish for ever. If done outside, this will be the last paint job your rig will ever see, if done inside, you can put carpet over it with no problem. If you talk to people who had problems with Herc. or Duraback, its because of bad prep, not the product. Kill any rust with POR-15 first, if you just coat it with bedliner, your just ignoring the problem and it will come back to bit you. RUST NEVER SLEEPS!

 

Putting it on You can use a normal paint roller, brush of any size, or if you have a big job, like the entire inside of a rig, a drywall texture hopper(Harbor freight has them for cheap) I like using a roller to spread it, and then dab it with a 4+" wide by 1+" thick brush. Some cheap chip brushes help with the little areas and can be throw away after each coat. Cleaning tools from this stuff sucks..consider throwing everything away when your done.

 

Don't put it on to thick The first layer will be almost transparent and look like crap and is more of a primer coat. The second, and if you can more coats(I usually do 3 minimun) will show the final finish and give a durable enough coat. Put extra layers in areas that will get more heat, sound and wear from foot traffic, like in floor boards, toe boards, above mufflers and in wheel wells.

 

Complete cleaning can be a challenge The final surface is rough, but not sharp, its more lumpy, like hills and valleys. Sometimes those little valleys cling onto dirt, especially if theres a lot of clay in it. Pressure washing can help or a stiff bristle brush, but is not horrible, whats left behind after a good hose washing is the very fine bits and isn't too noticable. This is a function over form deal, and if looks are at the top of your list, you probably shouldn't be offroad anyway.

 

Its easy to repair! Although its hard to do, I have seen rocks gouge lines in a bedlined Jeep, but this always has gone along with a narly dent in a fender. If this happens, clean the area around the gouge with soap and water and a bristle brush, grind the area with a 60 grit sanding disc in an angle grinder and then clean with Xylene(Home Depot, Lowes has it..its common) and then put fresh bedliner over the ground out area with as many coats as the original....good as new

 

Safety Meeting: Xylene is nasty stuff and contact with the skin should be avoided, its horrible on the liver, brains and kidneys. I prefer to kill those with booze:grin:. Seriously though, the vapors are actually absorbed through the membrane in your eyes too, so do this outside and use a fan for ventilation if needed. If you eyes are burning, your taking it in. A simple charcoal painting mask(used for oil based painting, also available at HD and Lowes) can seriously reduce intake through your lungs. Respirators are best, but masks work OK. Be aware of sources of ignition too, don't smoke, and extinguish pilot lights if near by.

 

Body mods prior to application If applying inside, you'll be able to take a garden hose or pressure washer and seriously clean the inside of your rig. If this sounds like something you want, go to a marine supply store and get some quick release rubber plugs used to seal hull drains and find some washers they fit in. Cut a hole slightly bigger than the ID of the washer at the lowest point int he floor and weld the washer over the hole. I like to use washers for a 1 1/2" or bigger bolt and a rubber plug that fits good, 1 1/2" is the bare minimum because your gonna be passing mud, and a lot of water. Now when you get back from wheeling and the inside is full of sticks, mud and rocks, you just open your drains and wash away. This gets funny looks sometimes when people see your rig pissing like a horse. They also work good for draining water after deep water fording, as well as letting water in when fording so you don't float(usually only a problem if your door seals are good)

 

Which Brand to use I absolute DO NOT recommend duplicolor bedliner, its too rubbery and lacks the body strength for anything that sees moderate/light use. Its for looks only. It doesn't absorb sound, heat and isn't as non-slip as a other bedliners, it sucks. Its thin too.

 

Stuff like Linex and Rino liner are the best, but not all of us have $2,000+ dollars to throw around. Most popular bedliners like this are an epoxy and are applied at high temps to make it cure right....not something that can be done at home.

 

The stuff I use is a Xylene suspended polyeurathane based coating that has bits of recycled tires in it and I can only recommend two names, which are basicly the same in composition. Herculiner and Duraback Herculiner can be found at most autoparts stores for $80 a gallon, or $30 a quart. Its a available in 4 colors Red, White, Grey and Black. Duraback is a trusted coating mostly for marine applications and runs $90 a gal. for non uv-protected and $120 gal. for UV-protected, no quart sizes are available, but it comes in a wide range of colors. Both product last about a year after opened, but can very slightly in color from can to can. Follow the directions on tack up time between coats too

 

When ever I coat a XJ/Cherokee, inside or out, I get two gallons and have extra for repairs. CJ's need less, a gallon is usually enough. One gallon may be enough on a subaru, but I can't say for certain..I'd get two.

 

http://durabakcompany.com/

 

http://www.herculiner.com/

 

I'm done typing now

[NWSubie]

Thank you very much for your reply El Presidente great information! Im not doing the outside of my wagon and I started with the plan to only do the rear cargo area of the wagon. But Im thinking it would be really cool to have the whole inside floor done. I printed out your directions and am now gonna wait until summer when I can clear out a space in my dads barn (full of tractor equipment now) to start the project. I am hoping to have it done by WCSS. Sounds like Ill plan on taking my time on the prep. Im excited to see how she turns out!

[El Presidente]

Glad I could help:banana:

 

I forgot to add for anyone else reading, that if you coat your fender wells, a light spray of PAM cooking oil will make mud release really easy, preventing the "mud buddy"(the 150-200 lbs of mud that sticks to underbody parts and fender wells when in the mud pits) Do not put PAM inside your rig, you will regret it.

[The Dude Abides]

Glad I could help:banana:

 

I forgot to add for anyone else reading, that if you coat your fender wells, a light spray of PAM cooking oil will make mud release really easy, preventing the "mud buddy"(the 150-200 lbs of mud that sticks to underbody parts and fender wells when in the mud pits) Do not put PAM inside your rig, you will regret it.

 

Probally want to coat the inside and outside of your wheels as well. Nothing like getting a nice 5lb pound wheel weight driveing down the highway.

[Ricearu]

i second that... wwhh whha aaa aaa tttt ttthh thhh ee hhhee lllllll lllll is shhaa kiinggg sooo bad dddd dddd :lol:

[El Presidente]

i second that... wwhh whha aaa aaa tttt ttthh thhh ee hhhee lllllll lllll is shhaa kiinggg sooo bad dddd dddd :lol:

 

took me a minute to figure that one out!

 

I always do a pre-highway inspection to avoid that. I've been surprised to find bent control arms, rocks and sticks in springs and radiators, missing mirrors and mud flaps and recently, a bent tie rod I didn't even feel till I hit the pavement. Check things like mud covered license plates and lights too, unless its a trailer king..gotta keep the staters happy

[bendecker]

A note on Herculiner (the only stuff I've used).

 

I've seen countless threads on boards about how brutally rough it is. WELL... if you lightly hand sand it after you put it on to get rid of the really sharp particles, it's great! Highly recommended.

 

-Ben

[Flowmastered87GL]

I herculined the interior of my old brat, looked and worked really good, but like it was mentioned earlier, YOU NEED FRESH AIR! I did it in my garage with the door open and regretted it. (that was not enough airflow) As far as I know I am fine, but I didn't feel so good the day after coating the floor :-\

[NWSubie]

Haha Maybe I'll put the liner on out in the middle of my driveway instead of in the barn/shop that I have access to. I doubt the animals in the stables will like the fumes!