Anyone used black anodize for door and/or quarter panels?

[Oakland Bronco]

My rig currently has tan leather seats, with matching leather door and interior quarter panels. I'm going to "black out" the interior -- I'm switching to black, Corbeau Baja RS seats, and want to change out my door and quarter panels as well (dash, carpet, and soft top are already black). Has anyone seen or tried black anodized aluminum for the interior panels? If not, any idea what it might cost to have someone fab these up for me?

 

[Apogee]

I haven't seen anyone doing it, but keep in mind that anodizing utilizes a dye, and the colorfastness of the dye is what determines how well the color will hold over time. Black tends to "purple" over time with exposure to sunlight, so maybe a flat to semi-gloss powder would be a better choice.

Costs vary, however they typically charge by the square foot assuming their tanks are large enough to accommodate the part and you meet their minimum batch requirements.

 

[asinor]

What Apogee said. Anodized is clear aluminum oxied that is colored with a dye. Paint or Powedercoat will hold its color much longer when exposed to UV. Especially black.

 

[Oakland Bronco]

I didn't know about the dye. Good to know, thanks!

OK, so if I go the paint or powdercoat route, what material do you recommend for the panels, considering that both panels will be housing speakers?

 

[Doyle]

Why not dye the leather door and inner quarters to match the new seats?

 

[Apogee]

I didn't know about the dye. Good to know, thanks!

OK, so if I go the paint or powdercoat route, what material do you recommend for the panels, considering that both panels will be housing speakers?

If you go powder, talk to whoever is doing it since there are a million different varations in powder bases and types depending on the color and finish you're trying to achieve, some of which are rated for outdoor use and others which are not. I don't know what your Bronco is like inside, but mine is a lot like the outdoors, so I would plan accordingly, especially if you go topless.

 

[ChrisC74]

On the seats, I have the same ones but will tell you the black has sort of faded to a dark gray in less than a year and mine lives in the garage...


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

 

[Oakland Bronco]

Why not dye the leather door and inner quarters to match the new seats?

Hmmm...I hadn't thought about that, and I'll have to think it over some more. The one negative is that I was wanting to go with a sleek look, and the leather panels are textured. Dyeing the leather would definitely be a less expensive route, which is a plus.

Since the dash got damaged in the fire, that is going to be blasted and repainted. I'll be getting a family roll cage which will need to be painted as well. I guess if I go the powdercoat/paint route, I'll have the dash, cage, and panels all coated with the same powder/paint so that everything matches.

More thinking to do! Thanks, guys, keep the ideas coming!

 

[asinor]

For Panel Material:
DIY paintable:
Hardboard cut to shape and coated in epoxy resin
FG/MDF combination and make them speaker boxes
Preformed FG sheet
Plastic sheeting from some place like usplastics.com
Steel, aluminum, or SS shet from lowes, homedepot or onlinemetals

DIY Powdercoated
18ga or better Steel, aluminum, or SS sheet from lowes, homedepot or onlinemetals

Premade:
I think the Vendor Broncohut has preformed flat fiberglass paintable door panels and rear quarters.

 

[Oakland Bronco]

For Panel Material:
DIY paintable:
Hardboard cut to shape and coated in epoxy resin
FG/MDF combination and make them speaker boxes
Preformed FG sheet
Plastic sheeting from some place like usplastics.com
Steel, aluminum, or SS shet from lowes, homedepot or onlinemetals

DIY Powdercoated
18ga or better Steel, aluminum, or SS sheet from lowes, homedepot or onlinemetals

Premade:
I think the Vendor Broncohut has preformed flat fiberglass paintable door panels and rear quarters.

Thanks, Asinor. I don't have the tools or space to make the panels myself, so would have to have someone do that for me. However, the fiberglass panels from Broncohut look very promising. I've bookmarked the relevant Broncohut site page for future reference. Thanks again!