Can You Paint a Roll Cage After It Is Installed

HalfDork
2/12/14 1:11 p.m.

got a new cage, they want 300 to powder coat it.......can i just get some quality etch primer and quality paint (rattle can), if so what the best paint? how many coats of etch primer? then how long before you paint? how many coats of paint? then does it help to spray clear coat on it? thanks

Its a cage, clean it up with some degreaser, then paint thinner, then rattle can it with some rustoleum in the color you desire. You can thin out some canned rustoleum and brush it on for spots that are hard to reach with the spray can.

I used to think black was a good choice because it's easy to color match, but then someone pointed out that white is the best choice because it makes cracks stand out much better. It will look nice for only a few hours at best in white, but you won't miss a crack forming.

Is this a race car or a show car? Home Despot sells a roller specifically for pipes (has a curved shape). Degrease well then roll on some primer then Rustoleum. I'm partial to Smoke Gray-- makes a nice light background for inner fenders, engine bays, and interiors. You can find it anywhere when you need a touch up, too. Available in buckets and rattle cans, depending on your preference.

If you want something more durable and more for show, spray with epoxy primer then a topcoat of your choice. You'll need a gun for the epoxy, though I think Eastwood sells something in a rattle can. You don't need to use an etching primer with the epoxy as long as you have a good key on the clean metal. I'd use a single stage topcoat. Clear coat will cause you more problems in that application and no benefit.

I sprayed the cage in my CRX with Duplicolor Metal specks. I did a silver undercoat to make it pop more. It held up well beyond the normal wear spots. Could have prevented it with a clear tape or something.

I use battleship/smoke gray too and brush-on oil based rustoleum or tractor supply tractor paint. Oil based paint dries slow and won't hold brush marks. It's really tough too. Brushing it on makes it way less messy (and saves brain cells if you have to do it inside because it's too damn cold out).

I have heard of people having great luck with brush on rustolium hammer finish paint. It has a textured look, and is supposedly very durable and easy to touch up. The texture will hide less than perfect looking welds too.

I think most tech inspectors would prefer you not disguise welds. Leads to more questions.

The HalfDork
2/12/14 1:59 p.m.

BGKAST said: have heard of people having great luck with brush on rustolium hammer finish paint. It has a textured look, and is supposedly very durable and easy to touch up. The texture will hide less than perfect looking welds too.

funny you should mention that, that is what i want to use hammer finish in silver

so clean the cage with degreaser then paint thinner, spray on a etch primer then brush on rustolium hammer finish silver.......sounds like a plan, thanks everyone

make sure the primer will work with the rustoleum:

http://www.rustoleum.com/en/product-catalog/consumer-brands/auto/primers/self-etching-primer

Though honestly, I've not had any issues with Rustoleum not sticking to bare metal.

I think the hammer "hammers" best when applied to bare metal.

The HalfDork
2/12/14 2:13 p.m.

even better

Consider rustolieum Appliance Epoxy, will take longer to dry, but is much more durable and scratch resistant.

http://corner-carvers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=37313&highlight=appliance+epoxy

turboswede wrote: make sure the primer will work with the rustoleum: http://www.rustoleum.com/en/product-catalog/consumer-brands/auto/primers/self-etching-primer Though honestly, I've not had any issues with Rustoleum not sticking to bare metal.

Honestly, I haven't either. I only mentioned priming because that's what it says to do on the Rustoleum cans. I've always just painted it directly on bare metal, but didn't want to counsel someone else to ignore manufacturer's directions and wind up with a problem. And I guess priming with their product couldn't hurt...

The wrote:

BGKAST said: have heard of people having great luck with brush on rustolium hammer finish paint. It has a textured look, and is supposedly very durable and easy to touch up. The texture will hide less than perfect looking welds too.

funny you should mention that, that is what i want to use hammer finish in silver so clean the cage with degreaser then paint thinner, spray on a etch primer then brush on rustolium hammer finish silver.......sounds like a plan, thanks everyone

This is exactly what I did on my race car. Sprayed on some etching primer and then brushed on Rustoleum Hammer Finish Silver. Put it on heavy, to the point of getting a few runs. Just brush out the runs as they form. The paint dries quickly, quicker then regular Rustoleum oil based paint. The beauty of this paint is any touch ups are almost impossible to spot if done right. The local Menards had this paint in quarts on sale for about $1.50 off the regular price. I bought 2 quarts and plan on using it on my open car-trailer this spring.

Brush on rustoleum is awesome for cages and race car interiors. Best part is it comes off easy with a wire brush on a drill if you have to do any welding or repair work. Wipe the bare metal down good with prep sol and then paint right onto the bare metal. Top coat any time you want. Add as many layers as you want. It does a great job filling in questionable welds as well. You can mix and match different colors to get just the right shade.

I painted the bar in the Abomination with brush on Rustoleum with no primer, it looked good but had brush strokes. Later I hit it with some Rustoleum spray, man it looked great, smoothed right out.

The HalfDork
2/12/14 7:36 p.m.

i am fired up, glad i did not drop the 300 on the powder, thanks guys

whenry HalfDork
2/12/14 9:40 p.m.

I have usually given the individual bars a light sanding/scuffing then wipe it down with a good solvent before rattle can spray paint. I too prefer a light grey(I think I used cadillac grey on at least two cages). I did brush paint the RX-3 years ago but so many of the joints and angles were unreachable with a rattle can. The spec miata was the easiest since all I had to do was tape off the exterior panels since the dash and other interior panels had been removed so overspray was not an issue.

Can You Paint a Roll Cage After It Is Installed

Source: https://grassrootsmotorsports.com/forum/off-topic-discussion/learn-me-painting-new-roll-cage/79065/page1/

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