My personal vehicle, a 2013 F150, my bumpers are painted, and starting to rust. ( Insert ford joke here,) I am wondering if I should just sand blast and paint them, a job I could do myself, or get them powder coated? This is my get the groceries, go to church vehicle.
Metal bumpers? Boy, that is old.
if your able to sandblast and paint thats the route I would go use a product like por-15 or chassis saver under the paint
I am led to believe that powder coating is a superior product, but it is really expensive. Front and rear bumpers would cost almost as much as painting the entire truck.
You’ll find that F-150 bumper is comprised of a bunch of pieces with a plastic cap on top. You can probably purchase the left and right face bar end caps ( with or without sensor holes), cheaper than re-finishing your original ones. And you will probably break all the brittle plastic clips. Such an odd design for a pickup bumper. Or, after seeing how unsubstantial the OEM rear bumper is, you will want to make your own.
I have yet to see a powder coated product stand up any better then paint. Honestly a spray paint job is as durable as most powder coating or "professional" paint jobs. If it's just a bumper, you can buy pre-mixed spray paint cans of exact color and had good results. Another option might just be trying to find a used one in good shape.
My father's 96 is in my back yard. It has a real back bumper. Chrome, and no rust yet. As for the rust of the, I mean the rest of the truck, the frame has rotted so thin on the drivers side, that it has broken. The drivers floor is full of holes, the drivers front cab mount is gone. The box was toast. Went out to start it up last spring, and I think she turned a bearing. Why I keep it is beyond me. If my father were alive, he would have junked it. But yes it's pretty thin, the 2013 bumper that is. It is starting to rust around the back up sensor holes, and the front facing corners. The front bumper has a couple rock chips starting to bubble. I was going to trade when it was paid off, but I have been in a new truck, with a payment, since 1991, and decided to keep this one. If I had have thought farther ahead, I would have kept her oiled up.
I just did a quick look on the NAPA system, a couple Ford OEM dealer sites and Amazon for the end caps, chrome and painted. Not available anywhere. Might have to fix your rusty ones.
Powder coating is hyped as a superior product and while it might resist scratching more initially, once it is permeated rust forms at an accelerated rate, or at least this has been my experience. I've had powder coated pieces peel off in sheets once rust got under it. With paint you can always scuff the rust and repaint to slow it down. Paint is my choice.
I have nothing nice to say about powder coat. Manufacturers use it because it's easier for them not because it's better than paint. If you paint it or a different used one, use primer.
When I put aftermarket bumpers, headache racks, and nerf bars on a pickup. I take them and have them sprayed with spray in bedliner. Works really well.
Get a new bumper off ebay for around $200
I have never actually watched powder coating done. So I looked it up, and found videos of this guy the restores old toys and things. All they ever show are his gloved hands. He has lots of nice tools. He did a couple old tonka tow trucks. He powder coated them. Looked really nice. He restores tools, you name it. Does great work. But I think I will look at painting. If the powder coat was going to last forever, maybe, but from what most have said, I'll stick with what I know. Thanks
Paint them with a polyurethane paint like Endura. Probably better than powder coating.
In my experience powder coating is nice for things that wont see rocks and debris hitting it at say 70mph. Powder coat chips pretty easily in those situations and once it chips as stated allows rust in and ya cant just fix a small spot and have it look good IMHO. My old Ford trucks always had chrome bumpers and could take a beating, however even the chrome they use now a days is thin and different from the old school stuff. Plus the bumpers even on m 1 ton ram are paper thin compared to 40yrs ago. Powder coating can be nice for certain situations, is easy to clean, and looks good but nothing is perfect.
wire brush any rusty spots then brush on some ospho
I have a gooseneck trailer that was powder coated. Once the coating was chipped it came off in sheets. Id blast and paint. Or try Corroseal rust converter and some sanding .
Blast and paint. Epoxy primer and good urethane paint would be my vote. Powder coat sucks on things that will see salt and road debris.
Yup, its what i do when i want it to last. I aint messing with powder crap.