Skid Plate Protection from Rust

[omi205]

My RCI steel skids are about to be delivered in the coming week and was hoping to pick the brains of Bronco6G to see what the best recommendation is for preventing rust on steel skid plates? The steel skid plates I ordered are powder coated, so that should help, but I noticed that there are still small/tiny areas that are not powder coated where the steel can be seen. I think these are where the skids are hung from during the powder coating process. I am worried that these small untreated areas will rust first and then spread under the powder coating.

Is it common to paint or apply some other form of coating/additional protection to prevent rust in these small untreated areas or all over the skids? The advice is much appreciated.

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[broadicustomworks]

If you never plan on actually having the skids touch anything, you may want to do a quick spray can touch up where the hangers blocked the powder from reaching. With powder coat, I would also check inside corners, as the powder will attract and build on the sides of an internal 90 degree angle vs. the center of the bend due to the Faraday cage effect.

IMO that should be a final inspection quality gate situation at RCI before they box them up (to make sure no exposed metal is left and everything is coated appropriately).

On the flip side, if you are going to skid them on stuff, the powdercoating isn't going to be some sort of magic kevlar. You'll be either just going with it or taking them off every so often to paint the whole thing anyway.

 

[Gtrekker]

My RCI steel skids are about to be delivered in the coming week and was hoping to pick the brains of Bronco6G to see what the best recommendation is for preventing rust on steel skid plates? The steel skid plates I ordered are powder coated, so that should help, but I noticed that there are still small/tiny areas that are not powder coated where the steel can be seen. I think these are where the skids are hung from during the powder coating process. I am worried that these small untreated areas will rust first and then spread under the powder coating.

Is it common to paint or apply some other form of coating/additional protection to prevent rust in these small untreated areas or all over the skids? The advice is much appreciated.

I'd recommend spraying the skid plate with Bed liner. It holds up well, doesn't fade and prevents rust.

 

[da_jokker]

Same with me.... A bit disappointed to spend so much money on skin plates only defined that they had rubbed off, or missed, spots with the powder coating.

Anything on the top side or the edges that's exposed, just get you some black mat spray paint and touch them up.

The bottoms are going to get scraped up anyway and you'll be spray painting them often.

The only skid plates that you don't have to spray paint now and then are the ones that have that plastic outer shell that's replaceable, or of course aluminum ones but then why bother ;p

 

[Silver-Bolt]

Rattle can. If you are off-roading your skids are going to get scraped and beat up. Wash it when you get off the trail and rattle can it.

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