Andy Hi,
If the damage on your bull bar is not to extensive then you can remove the
plastic coating from the rusty areas, treat the rust with some rust
inhibitor liquid and then cover the area with a product called PLASTIDIP.
You can buy in from Frosts in the UK (
www.frosts.co.uk)
I have used it to repair the plastic coating on the bullbar of one of my
Camels and it worked like a charm.
--------
I would not recommend powder coating if your bullbar is rislan coated
(plastic coated)
Rislan is FAR STRONGER. Powder coating is not that bad but plastic is far
better.
First hand experience on that also since I have decided to remove the
plastic coating from the bullbar of my second camel and have powder coated
it instead. The ability of the plastic coating to withstand abbrasion from
obstacles and minor hits/contacts with hard surface is far better than that
of the powder coating. And powder coating does chip-away while
plastic/rislan coating just stays there.
Treating a plastic coated bullbar with PLASTIDIP is what I would now choose.
----------------
If you decide to strip the plastic coating the best way to do it is to heat
the plastic coating with a hot air gun or a blow torch, taking care not to
burn but just soften the plastic coating. Then cut the area with a very
sharp blade (modelling knifes are very good at that), preferably in stripes
and remove the coating in lengths. The grills area is very easy to do so as
long as you cut the coating from one side of the grill and then around the
perimeter at the start and end of the grill. Heat the coating and then just
"un-wrap" it from the metal.
If you go this way (removing the plastic coating) I would suggest you
galvanise the bull bar. You will have to sand it afterwards so as to remove
excess material and smoothen the surface a bit but this will make your
bullbar totally immune to rust. PLASTIDIP works and sticks like gum to
galvanised areas so no problem with painting it and making it black.
Hope this helps
Pantelis
"Dougal" <DougalAThiskennel.free-online.co.uk> wrote in message
news:
[email protected]...
> Andy Cunningham wrote:
> > I've just got myself a Dakar 4x4 (www.dakar4x4.me.uk) that needs some
> > cosmetic work doing to it.
> >
> > One of the jobs is a bit of tidying up the front bull bar. It's a
> > welded and plastic coated jobbie at the moment.
> >
> > I guess the best approach will be to remove the plastic completely and
> > either paint the bare metal or get it power coated.
> >
> > I was going to go the satin finish hammerite route, unless anyone has
> > any better suggestions.
> >
> > However, my big question is: what's the best way to get the plastic
> > coating off without scratching the underlying metal?
> >
> > Andy
>
> Investigate the possibility of the fluidised hot bed cleaning process.
> Basically the part is heated in a bed of hot sand and burns the material
> off.
>
> This process is increasingly being used to clean paint line components,
> reclaim parts with faulty plastic/powder coatings etc..
>
> Look here for typical info.:
> http://www.steelstrip.net/
>
> If you decide to recoat, the firm doing the job may possess such
> equipment anyway. You are then left only with ensuring that the
> inevitable rusty bits are dealt with.
