I just purchased a S&W 8pt Moly Roll bar for my 92. I want the finished product to be painted . What is the best way to make sure the unit fits like I need it to then have it painted? How much of the ends where you weld should be masked off with tape during the painting process? Should I use automotive paint and a clear coat or a gloss powder coat? I want it to look like it belongs in the trailor queen that it's going in. Any suggestions are appreciated.

 

i just sanded all the rust, etc off the bars before installing them in the car, used a die grinder for the rust, then after welding everything in used some 1.79 cans of krylon on my camaro, I used a dark charcoal with silver metallic flake and it came out really well. When scratches get on the paint from climbing in and out, I just touch them up with some more paint. I tried the clear coat, but in spray cans, it didn't do much. As for powedercoating, never seen anyone do that since the tubes get really hot after welding/grinding on them to make them fit etc. Don't think that paint would match the powdercoat anyways.

 

Wow! this seems to be a real problem. I really don't want to go the
"Shaker Can" route. I'm not saying it's a bad thing for the daily driver/weekend warrior. But for a car that has close to 80K dumped into it, you don't want to see krylon on the Roll Bar.

I have seen plenty of really nice painted roll bar installs on this site, either
3rd Gen or other cars. Could somebody please chime in on this topic.

Thanks.

 

Well, to do the install right without fear of buring things, your entire interior is going to be stripped...or it should be anyways IMO so there are no "what if's" After you get it all fitted and welded solid the 2 options you listed are going to be the best, only problem with power coating is it often needs long time sitting in a HOT oven, so you can see the problem finding an oven that large to fit a whole car, and then the problem of literally melting the car down unless you strip down all the meltables off the car which is kind of goofy IMO. So the next best/realistic method is a nice base/clear that any body shop can do-or you could even do, but just be warned painting bars is tough since it's easy to miss spots and easy to get too much clear and gets runs which will require lots of sanding to fix.


Doing a base clear will be a super nice/tough finsih that is easily repairable in the future should something happen. I know what your saying about a show finish, but I was really impressed on my cage using ceramic engine paint...application is kind of like a 1 step paint job, you spray the first few coats lightly to get your coverage, and then the last coat is pretty heavy-on the verge of running and this produces a gloss that mimics a clear coat and is as tough to boot. I had 3 years of my door bar getting constant abuse with my harness hitting it when I tossed it off my lap and down to the rocker area to get out and just recently started showing wear. Not saying it's a replacement for a base/clear finish, but is a cost effective alternative that will suprise you with the results left behind when your done.

 

Thanks for the insight. I really appreciate it. Would a 3 stage paint with like a House of Kolor or a Dupont maybe even a PPG paint adhere enough to be considerd strudy enough for the constant climbing over the door bars. My car is blue in the front and tares to black in the back, and I was thinking of maybe doing a gloss black base with a splatter paint of the same blue that is on the front of the car. I know that at times splatter paint designs can add a little texture to what would normally be a smooth surface. I am just a little aprehensive about car paint and chipping.

 

after its installed while the interior is out, tape off the roof and dash and glass and spray epoxy primer, base coat, then clear coat. Use a Detail gun, might miss a spot or two on the main hoop at the top, but no one will ever see it, If you have a headliner tape that off with plastic too.

 

You have a great car. Dont mess it up. Does it really need a cage?

Don't Laugh...

I would take out the entire interior including the head liner, dash and sterring column and shifter. Remove the doors and rear hatch and perhaps windshield.

Put the cage in and test fit and tack weld it, but not to the floor or uniboby.
Carefullt see if you can get the cage or tacked sections of the cage out the door. The lack of dash and steering column, shifter hatch etc do help.

Any section that you can get out while still tack welded go ahead and fully weld outside of car carefully as not to warp it. After welding clean the cages with acid (metal conditioner) and prime with a real primer I used Dupont NASONS and paint with a good poly single stage. You could also powder coat with a color that you could match. Paint store may be able to uses a spectometer to help in this endever.

You could also fab some good brackets (read round with hole in middlel to slip tubbing through like a big washer with 5 bolt holes evenly spaced which you would bolt together with the correct length button head allen bolts and jet nuts for flush fit) and bolt the cage together rather than weld certain sections.

Put the painted pieces or powder coated pieces back in the car with any areas that need to be welded already preped for weld. Make sure you can get the dash and steering back: Before final weld!!

Weld the remaing sections and touch up with an air brush.

I have snaked sections of cage out the doors and hatch to get good 360 degree welds on main hoop and halo and down bars. It can be done especially if the cage is not a tight fit against unibody.

For the amount of effort that you have in the car already, this would not be a monumental task. Would also be good to document with pictures for car show.

My car is not a show car, but the cabin is very well painted. No interior period , no dash, all seam sealer and dum dum removed all sharpe edges ground down and unused brackets removed. I sanded, treated bare metal with conditioner primed with NASONS and used a poly single stage to paint it all. It was a bitch, but looks good now. IT IS VERY HARD TO GET COMPLETE COVERAGE OF THE BARS WHEN PAINTED INSIDE THE CAR. After the paint cured I sanded some areas with scotch brite and repainted twice to get full coverage.

I did not paint my cage outside the car as I suggest to you. I just point out that it could have been done.

Good luck on you great car and be careful that you remain proud of your work. I would rather not see a cage in a fine car such as yours that an ugly one.

 

You have a great car. Dont mess it up. Does it really need a cage?

Don't Laugh...

I would take out the entire interior including the head liner, dash and sterring column and shifter. Remove the doors and rear hatch and perhaps windshield.

Put the cage in and test fit and tack weld it, but not to the floor or uniboby.
Carefullt see if you can get the cage or tacked sections of the cage out the door. The lack of dash and steering column, shifter hatch etc do help.

Any section that you can get out while still tack welded go ahead and fully weld outside of car carefully as not to warp it. After welding clean the cages with acid (metal conditioner) and prime with a real primer I used Dupont NASONS and paint with a good poly single stage. You could also powder coat with a color that you could match. Paint store may be able to uses a spectometer to help in this endever.

You could also fab some good brackets (read round with hole in middlel to slip tubbing through like a big washer with 5 bolt holes evenly spaced which you would bolt together with the correct length button head allen bolts and jet nuts for flush fit) and bolt the cage together rather than weld certain sections.

Put the painted pieces or powder coated pieces back in the car with any areas that need to be welded already preped for weld. Make sure you can get the dash and steering back: Before final weld!!

Weld the remaing sections and touch up with an air brush.

I have snaked sections of cage out the doors and hatch to get good 360 degree welds on main hoop and halo and down bars. It can be done especially if the cage is not a tight fit against unibody.

For the amount of effort that you have in the car already, this would not be a monumental task. Would also be good to document with pictures for car show.

My car is not a show car, but the cabin is very well painted. No interior period , no dash, all seam sealer and dum dum removed all sharpe edges ground down and unused brackets removed. I sanded, treated bare metal with conditioner primed with NASONS and used a poly single stage to paint it all. It was a bitch, but looks good now. IT IS VERY HARD TO GET COMPLETE COVERAGE OF THE BARS WHEN PAINTED INSIDE THE CAR. After the paint cured I sanded some areas with scotch brite and repainted twice to get full coverage.

I did not paint my cage outside the car as I suggest to you. I just point out that it could have been done.

Good luck on you great car and be careful that you remain proud of your work. I would rather not see a cage in a fine car such as yours that an ugly one.

 

Yes and no. The car makes close to 800hp and that I'm sure could get me in trouble in no time flat. I would like to take the car to the track at least once to see what she can do. But then it is more show and weekend crusier so the use of the roll bar will be limited.

Thanks for all the info and the kind words SDIF!

 

Por-15 with a black topcoat,its tuff as hell, you can brush it on, it will dry to a smooth glossy finish.

This is what im going to be using on the cage in my 88 Iroc vert.

I have used this stuff on a couple projects, and it has never let me down.

There are also similar products that im sure someone here will chime in about. Ive not used them, but i hear they are just as good.

Matt