Durabak Bedliner DIY in Vivid Blue

[Gatorized]

Last night my 7yr old and I sanded the bed down with 80 grit. This morning we washed it, did a bit more sanding in spots we missed, cleaned it again, then taped off using Frog Tape, and finally a wipe with xylene before application of the Durabak. We did 2 coats, and then touch ups in between as well as a little at the end to ensure 100% coverage.

Overall I am extremely pleased with the results and very proud of myself.

hard to tell from picture - did you go down to bare metal or just skuff up the paint?

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[LaMuerta]

hard to tell from picture - did you go down to bare metal or just skuff up the paint?

Just scuffed. After washing it the paint was very hazy and no longer shiny. This is what it looked like after scuff and wash.

 

[nbennettksu]

Nice prep work, the end result looks great.

The least fun part for any project [for me] is the sanding. I don't know why, I just find it so boring

 

[LaMuerta]

Nice prep work, the end result looks great.

The least fun part for any project [for me] is the sanding. I don't know why, I just find it so boring

Thank you! Yeah not my favorite either, thankfully the kiddo did most of the hard work and I just went over it.

 

[Dougstdig]

I´d bet that those panels never have to come off. I´ve never come across one of those that failed. He´ll probably never have to remove one of those panels for the life of the truck. We´ve got probably 30 Gladiators in one of our Jeep clubs and I have never heard of someone having to remove the panel.

If you did a search you’d find the issue with the center light. Is it a big deal? No. Unless like me if I have it I want it functional. There’s an issue with the male/female connection point. You can tap it and the light comes back on. Not an expensive fix (<$100), but an issue none the less.

 

[Dougstdig]

If you did a search you’d find the issue with the center light. Is it a big deal? No. Unless like me if I have it I want it functional. There’s an issue with the male/female connection point. You can tap it and the light comes back on. Not an expensive fix (<$100), but an issue none the less.

Never needed in the one on my Dodge Ram, until I did to fix /replace the mechanism. On the gladiator, I had the neighbors kit try to open it and being a teenager, thought it took 200lbs of force. Pulled the clip right off of the left rod. Again, not an expensive fix, but one that needed to be made if I wanted access to the bed since I have a rigid tri-fold cover on it.

 

[bleda2002]

Perfectly said thank you. I knew it wasn't the end of the world. Thank you.

Or just cut a slot in the bolts back them out and replace from ace. Not really a big deal.

 

[berb]

HOLY SH*T! What a great job!

Who cares about a center brake light! You've got 2 brake lights on either side.

This looks awesome! Great Job. Post a pic further out so we can really see the contrast and how it looks.

 

[LaMuerta]

HOLY SH*T! What a great job!

Who cares about a center brake light! You've got 2 brake lights on either side.

This looks awesome! Great Job. Post a pic further out so we can really see the contrast and how it looks.

Thank you! Definitely will do a follow up!

 

[Reddout99]

Came out great. Definitely post more pics of it out in the sun.

 

[Dougstdig]

Mine just burnt out and I aint in a big hurry to replace it either

I get it, but have been in the legal field for years. I can just see an attorney or an insurance company of the person that just rear-ended me (just a scenario, but VERY true none the less) claim that their client is only 70-90% at fault due to a non functioning piece of safety equipment on my vehicle. That would/could tally up to thousands of Doll Hairs for a $50-$80 part. I can’t remember what I paid for mine from Benny.

Since I see this type of stuff, it would make me the dumbass for not remedying it before it could happen…I think this is called wisdom.

 

[LaMuerta]

Came out great. Definitely post more pics of it out in the sun.

Here are 2 shots from today.

 

[SoCal Gunner]

@LaMuerta

Tell me more about that tire carrier

 

[LaMuerta]

@LaMuerta

Tell me more about that tire carrier

It's ok, I love the idea but it has its flaws. So it's a Vijay bumper, likely something from overseas. Its normally a $600 bumper but my buddy bought it and realized it doesn't fit his JK (new guy), so he sold it to me for a $100. Now I got it cheap so I can't complain too much. I'll attach a few pics, also in one pic the cover for the hinge is not on and you can see the castle nut, but it's on now. I needed a new screw to keep it on.

Here are the flaws:

So in order to get it to work properly we had to cut the rear lip off because it kept hitting the tailgate.

After each opening, the weight and movement of the tire carrier shifts the bumper in the corner where the tire and hinge sit. Now when I open the arm, I also have to lift up on the arm which shifts the weight and moves the bumper back into position. I do not know if it was me cutting the lip off or just cheap overseas garbage. Everything is torqued down properly so I don't know. I also don't know where he got it from, and could also be related to a slight bend on the latch side, maybe shipping damage.

Also not having an added safety latch is scary, damn thing opened up on me while driving. Thankfully nobody behind me when it happened.

And finally there is no stop, it will swing all the way open and smash the tail light. I use a ratchet strap from the basket to the D ring to keep it open.

I'm thinking about switching to a different bumper and just putting the spare in the bed strapped or putting it back down below. I wanted the spare tire area clear for my hornblasters setup I took off my RAM.

 

[trust]

Your boy does good work! I love the blue black combo

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