flyfish said:
Lizard Skin, Raptoliner, Most "A" Liner - all these marketing names that try to steer people to buying their product don't mean shit. Just because it sounds tough doesn't mean it will last. However, if someone has luck with one of these that's good-stick with it. No matter which product you use, it mostly boils down to prep work to determine if you are successful or not-unless their product sucks. I'll tell you this-I can beat the duplicolor I painted with a hammer and it will not chip BUT if I didn't do a solid job of prep work it probably would. Unless you are taking chances of following some manufacturer claim of "spray over anything and it will last forever" I'd rather put the effort into prep to ensure durability no matter which product what I'm using.
On another note: Lots of folks are against using bed liner all together due to rust that can pop up under the paint coat and they will say never to use it - again - prep. If you have proof a product works go with it, but for goodness sakes don't just pick a name because it sounds good (not accusing anyone here of that). If I'm honest with myself-I've fallen for these "catchy" product names for other stuff. It's like the casinos pumping the scent of money into the air while gambling...it's that little extra push to pull the handle or throw the dice one more time.
I understand what you are saying…Thats whats known as marketing hype. I know why I pick certain brands over others. If I share my reasons, understand that you take it with a grain of salt, because what works for me, may not work for you.
I have a pretty good grasp of what paints are designed to do and how well they hold up. No paint will last forever, but we do know that some will outlast others. For me, I want a bed liner material in place of the carpet. In my environment, I do a lot of mud bogging, and do a lot of water crossing. My interiors usually get wet or muddy just tracking in stuff on my boots, and normal carpets don't do well. After awhile they become permanently stained, or get moldy, and begin to stink. They can also promote rusting. I actually like rubber mats, but they are worse than carpet, in that if water gets under them rusting can occur. Paints are Ok, but they need to be extremely durable to survive constant abrasion that floors tend to experience. This leaves bed liner material. That material is designed to handle abrasion better than paints which is why I would use it.
As for corrosion protection, Most paints work pretty much the same. Basically a paint is supposed to be an inert material which seals the raw steel from the oxygen in the air. (The combination of both is rust) The thing about paints, is, they wear out over time. They can break down from UV radiation, wear off or develop microscopic cracks. That allows the oxygen to reach the steel and start the process of rusting. Once rust begins to form, it consumes everything in it's path, like fire consumes wood. And rust can travel under painted surfaces. This is why it's critical in rust repairs to remove all signs of rust from the repair area.
Bedliner material, like any paint will not stop rust once it forms. I've seen rust form under bed liner protected floors in trucks rented by Scuba divers in Caribbean countries and rotted beds on pool service trucks that carry pool salt, muriatic acid and chlorine. There is really no difference in rust prevention between bed liner material and paints. The only substance known to stop rust is oil.
The one thing about bed liner material is it's not designed to insulate the heat coming up thru the floor. From that perspective, carpet is hard to beat. Having looked up Eastwood's heat & sound insulating paint and Lizard Skin, I'm not sold on their ability to keep out as much heat as the carpet. According to Lizard Skin, and I quote
"With LizardSkin's spray-on ceramic thermal auto insulation, heat entering the interior is reduced by 30°F or more, making for a cooler, more comfortable ride."
30* maybe significant, but if my transmission is generating say 180* of heat, the "Skin" is only going to knock it down to 150*… I would be cooler if I was locked in my car, in a parking lot, with the windows up, on a hot summer day.
So as far as heat, I'm probably looking at other alternatives to insulate or block the heat. I've seen some stuff that looks like dynamat that is laid on the floors, but its intended to go under carpet and it's not what I'm looking for. It would end up becoming a moisture barrier, preventing the floors from drying out when they get wet. So I'm looking at some sort of heat shielding under the cab. Probably a radiant heat barrier that can be placed between the hottest components under the cab to
reflect heat away from the cab. Then I can roll on the bed liner material inside the cab, so it can easily be hosed out.
Personally I'm sold on Monstaliner. However I do like the Raptor liner a bit better and it's cheaper, but I want to pick my own color and Raptor liner has me confused on their tint-able stuff. I don't want to end up buying the wrong or an incompatible tint and ruin the paint. Monstaliner already has a color I like and they claim to be very UV stable, which for me, here in UV rich Florida, is very desirable.
I'm not sold on Duplicolor Bed armor stuff, simply because it only comes in black and as far as I know it can't be tinted to another color. I don't want another black interior. I'm also not sold on the rubberized stuff thats in the paint. Years ago I tried the Hurcurliner stuff that had big chunks of rubber in it and I wasn't all that impressed with it's performance. It also looked terrible and felt like 5 grit sand paper.
Ed