Background:
I chose to brush-on the bed liner because I have zero experience with a paint gun and because the price for having a professional sprayed-on liner versus the do-it-yourself Herculiner did not justify the cost to benefit factor. I went with the red liner because I wanted to semi-match the exterior paint color of the EB and the black liner just isn't pretty, according to my wife. Also, I have a 68 sport with the bulkhead still in place.
Herculiner Kit:
I looked at the local auto parts stores and found the black liner kit for roughly $86.00, however as luck would have it, red liners are only available through the factory at the low, low price of $139.99 + 12.95 shipping & handling… this is a hazardous material, hence the extravagant shipping costs. Herculiner is offering a $20.00 rebate if you purchase before October and I picked up a rebate form at Auto Zone.
Contents:
The kit includes:
(1) gallon of Herculiner, red
(2) foam brush rolls
(1) roller
(1) sanding pad
(1) small can of drying-time enhance chemical
(1) 2" paint brush.
Also Purchase:
(1) Qt. MEK, $6.00
(1) 2" paint brush, $1.50
(2) roll-on style paint trays, sturdy, $5.00
(1) pair of thick rubber gloves, $1.00
(1) wire brush for electric drill, $3.00
(1) paint mixer for electric drill, $3.00
(1) roll of 2" masking tape, $2.00
(1) can of TSP cleaning solution, $0.00
(?) shop rags
(10) golf tees.
Preparation:
- Strip your entire truck down to the bare bones… including seats & seat belts, gear shifter boot, center console, trash, etc.
- Blow all loose dust & debris with a leaf blower.
- Wash all surfaces to be coated thoroughly. I only used soap and water although a thorough wash with TSP is recommended. This is strictly a judgment call, however if you are in doubt, go ahead and use the chemical.
- Let everything dry.
- Next use the wire brush & drill to sand over all surfaces including the bed rails, tailgate, bulkhead etc. My first pass with the sander was roughly 2 hours long.
- Take the MEK and pour it in the cab portion first. Let it soak for roughly 5 minutes and wipe off any excess paint that may have bubbled up. Then repeat this step for the bed and tailgate portions.
- Get out the wire brush again and go over the entire rig again. Make sure that you really hit the areas where paint may be chipped or otherwise.
- I then went back with the MEK and did a thorough wipe down of the entire area.
- Use the sand pad provided to rough up any glossy areas that you missed in the previous steps.
- Rinse down the truck to get rid of any remaining loose chips or dust.
- Let everything dry.
- Use your leaf blower one last time to get any remaining dust or debris.
- Now take those golf tees and insert them into any holes that you don't want to cover with liner.
- Use the masking tape to tape off any areas that you don't want liner to cover. (I covered the tops of the rockers at the inner door up to the first door hinge—on door post-- with bed liner. On the door striker side I covered roughly 3-4" up.)
Bed Liner Application:
- At this time you should pour the small can of drying agent chemical into the gallon of liner and mix thoroughly. I recommend mixing the gallon of liner every 10 minutes thereafter to keep the rubber particulates in suspension.
- Start with the 2" paint brush and dab the liner onto the seams and hard to reach areas. I dabbed directly from the can and applied a liberal coat. The instructions say "go lightly" but mine turned out fine. I started with the cab section first.
- Next pour a decent amount of liner into the roller pan and roll all of the flat surfaces being sure to cover all of the metal. Too much liner will clump in pan.
- After the cab was completed I moved to the front of the bed and dabbed on liner where the bulkhead meets the floor, on the corrugated section of the bulkhead and all the way up the rails. I then dabbed the seams around the wheel wells including the corrugated sections on top of the wheel wells and behind the wells towards the front of the truck (this is a hard to cover section, so I completely dabbed the liner here).
- I then went back and rolled the liner completely across the rear of the bulkhead.
- Then I would dab the corrugated section in 2.5' sections of the floor across the width of the bed.
- Go back and roll-on the top portions of the corrugated bed.
- Repeat steps 6 & 7 until you reach the tailgate.
- At the tailgate I dabbed all the small seams and the FORD letter impressions. Then went back with the roller and covered the remaining flat metal on the tailgate.
- Now is a good time to go back over any metal exposed areas that you missed, ie. Double check all seams and around all bolt heads.
- Dispose of your brush, foam roll and pan properly.
- I gave the first coating roughly 3 hours to cure before repeating the entire application process again.
Curing Process:
- The liner will be slightly tacky when you begin the second coating.
- Black liners will be ready for normal use after 96 hours. Red and Grey take slightly longer. Light use after 10 hrs. but don't push it…
- Remove the golf tees after you apply the second coat if possible. If not, wait until the liner has cured and drill them out.
- If you used masking tape to mask any areas during the coating process, make certain that the tape is removed immediately after applying the second coat. Use an exacto knife to carefully remove any stubborn tape.
Don't:
- Don't roll on the first coat too thick or it will crack.
- Don't allow the rubber particulates to clump together.
- Don't allow the liner to slump on vertical surfaces.
- Don't wait more than 24 hrs. between coatings or you will need to rough up the surface of the first coat with the sanding pad. I would recommend doing both coats on the same day.
- Don't get this stuff on your skin…it's hard to get it off.
- Don't wear nice clothes or shoes.
Conclusion:
I inspected the liner after 48 hrs. and discovered a handful or so tiny spots that I would like to hit again with the liner. In hindsight I wish I had some leftover liner to go back and apply a third coat in a couple areas where the sheet metal is casting a dark impression below the surface of the liner. Apparently these areas are not visible until the liner has nearly cured and is more prevalent with the (non-black) colored liners. If you have a bulkhead and plan on coating your bulkhead, I would strongly recommend purchasing an extra pint of liner from Herculiner.
I rate this project a 3.5 out of 10 in terms of difficulty and time consumption, however I give it a 10 out of 10 in the all important 'bang for the buck' category. Now if a do-it-yourself paint job was only this easy…
by Jeff Farris
