Collision Repair Training | Australia
|
Collision Repair Training | Australia
|
Current Events/News: Advantage Online: 2002 Archives
REPAIRING SPRAY-ON BED LINERS
With the popularity of spray-on bed liners comes the issue of how to repair them when they’re damaged. When a box side panel requires replacement, the coating must be reapplied to match the texture on the remaining portion of the truck bed. In some instances, the entire bed must be re-coated. Also, the bed liner material can be tinted to match the truck’s exterior color, so color matching becomes an issue. When repairing a spray-on bed liner, check to see if the original installer’s warranty will be voided if repairs are made. Some spray-on bed liner companies require that the bed liner be repaired by the original installer or an authorized dealer. The first step to doing a repair is determining which type of product was used for the initial installation. The bed liner shown in Figure 1 is repairable with the use of the same product that was applied originally. The box side of the pickup truck was replaced at factory seams and was primed, seam-sealed and refinished to the original color. This ensures that adequate corrosion protection has been reapplied. The area around the repair is masked to prevent sanding areas that will not be coated. The ribs in the bed floor are chosen to blend the coating. This will enable the repair material to be sprayed up to the existing liner and not have a definite edge. Next, the repair area is sanded using a plastic abrasive pad. This gives the coating a scratch to adhere to. Any bare metal must be primed using a self-etching primer. The existing bed liner is also sanded where the blend will be made (see Figure 2). The repair area is then cleaned with wax and grease remover to remove any surface contaminants (see Figure 3). The remainder of the vehicle is covered with plastic to protect the finish from overspray. A technique called reverse masking is used on the rib where the blend will occur. This technique will create a “soft edge” meaning the tape line will not be visible after the material is applied. This is done by rolling the tape to create a tube. When the product is sprayed to the edge, the rounded tube deflects the overspray away from the hard tape line leaving a soft edge (see Figure 4). This particular product is mixed in a four-to-one ratio with the catalyst and is stirred. This product only has a 20 minute pot life, so it’s important to get it sprayed on quickly and to only mix as much material as can be sprayed within 20 minutes. A sprayout panel is used to match the texture with the existing bed liner. Spray gun setup, travel speed, spray gun distance, and air pressure will all affect the texture. By spraying a sprayout panel, the proper technique and adjustments can be determined to match the texture (see Figure 5). The material is applied in two to three uniform coats allowing a five to ten minute flash time between coats (see Figure 6). The optimum total film thickness of the coating should be 15–20 mils. Before the material dries, the masking is removed from the blend area and the texture is checked for a match (see Figure 7). It’s important to note that not every spray-on bed liner can be repaired using this technique. Some products must be sprayed with special equipment designed to mix the product as it’s sprayed and should be repaired by the original installer. |
||||||||||||||||||||
|
Page Last Revised: |
||||||||||||||||||||
