I keep getting PM's about how to do this so i figure this would help everyone... (thanks to Special ed for showing me this a few years ago)

Painting lower legs with epoxy paint...

-First remove tires and caliper(s)...
-i then sand down with 220 grit sand paper... you need to get through the clear coat that is on most lowers (aircraft stripper will do that as well) then get a good profile on it with 400 grit....
-after you have a nice profile, use 1 light coat and give it 5 min to tack up... then hit another coat, keep this process up to give it as many light coats as you can within a 1/2 hour... AFTER A 1/2 (30 MIN) you have to stop! or else the paint will bubble, orange peel, and never give you the strength and quality you want... this is no JOKE
- wait 24 hrs to handle the item
- wait a MIN of 1 week (7 days) for any re coat or sanding and re coat

paint used: rustoleum appliance epoxy

*clear coat is NOT needed nor is a primer...

sanded down


paint on


unwrapped


close up


other legs done in it


pics of the legs 3 years later w/o re coat and 30k miles (you will notice that they are almost a SPOT ON MATCH to wet black powder coat)

 

I personally have found that sanding with 220 will provide a tougher finish. Great write up.

 

How's the powder holding up on your exhaust? Would like to do my Big Shots but my powder guy says the powder wont hold, and I would have to do a flat black like Jet Hot 2000 on the exhaust?

 

then your powder guy sucks at prep work... those pipes where done about 2 years ago... i do them all the time... even now wiht the advances that high temp powder has taken (and this is not high temp) you can get gloss black powder that will acutally cure harder the hotter it gets... PBTP sells a high temp that is said to take from 800-1200 (i have not laid it yet but i have LOVED everything else i shoot from them)

rounder... IT IS 220! thanks for catching that!!! i will change it up now... my bad my bad!

 

To all of those who have used this paint, how has it held up over a long period of time? I am not trying to discount this, I just don't want to touch up the rock chips every month if you know what I mean.
CB

 

the last pic in my post was 3 years later without another coat... they look great! unless you drive behind a gravel truck you are going to be fine

 

You're the man Joe - thanks for this. One question:

Since this paint is so tuff and seemingly easy to apply can I use it instead of powder for things like my fender strut covers, forward control mounts etc?.....I've been saving up a few items to take to powder coating but if this stuff will do the trick and hold up over time then I'm thinking I'll just rattle can them instead......

 

i powdered all that on mine, mainly cause i do powder... but i would not recomend the paint on stuff like that as it does not take to wear like powder will... i did a brake pedal in it and after about 3 weeks the contact point where my foot hit is it was down to bare metal again... on f controls and struts i would powder them so when you are using your sissy bar or have bags they dont rub down or where your feet hit they will rub down as well ... but it is your call bud

 

thanks for the info.......I dont use saddle bags often (or ever really) so the wear isn't prolly an issue for the struts but I take your point on the controls....may as well get it all powdered ('cept the fork sliders; I'm painting those!!!)

 

you can epoxy bars and risers with good effect. My risers are epoxied and perfect like the powder coat. I also epoxied the headlight trim ring and it still looks brand new as well. Licence plate bracket too.