What is it with Line-X as exterior paint?

mlts22 · 05-08-2015, 09:14 PM

I've been noticing a few "B"s going around where the owner has taken the van and gotten the exterior paint stripped off, then the van sprayed with Line-X, Rhino Lining, Herculiner, or a truck bed style of covering. Is this just a passing fad, or something that is a long-term thing? I used to see an occassional black sprayed Jeep, but today, I saw a new ProMaster at a barbecue joint sporting white Line-X on all sides and roof. Previously, I've seen a red pickup that had Line-X on all sides and the bed.

Of course, assuming it doesn't crack/chip/flake off, going with bed liner as an exterior paint gets rid of the worry about scratches and perhaps door dings. It also is useful for keeping metal from tearing.

booster · 05-08-2015, 09:36 PM

I would think it would be pretty heavy if you put it on an entire van.

wincrasher · 05-09-2015, 11:21 PM

It can be a cool look. If you check out http://www.tosimplify.net you'll see he painted his vanagon entirely in the red rhino liner. Not only is it durable, but it's pretty inexpensive and you can easily DIY. A good choice if you go offroad alot.

Glenn did a great job with it - he prepped his van just like if you were doing a full paint job - removing trims and glass, etc. He goes thru the entire process in one of his old postings.

It will be interesting if Winnebago follows thru with offering some treatment of this type like they did on one of their recent show van. I can see the appeal to the younger set and the offroad enthusiasts.

eurovanman · 05-09-2015, 11:48 PM

Its also a valuable add on for us city van owners, because painted bumpers get f'd up in San Francisco due to people bumping each other parking. And it looks better than the unpainted plastic bumpers.

stanw909 · 05-10-2015, 07:55 AM

I heard that if it gets scratched you can just heat it up and smear it back in shape. Some Sportsmobile guys have done it but it's not cheap.

eurovanman · 05-10-2015, 08:34 AM

Here is a good informative article about it. Also a lot of youtube videos showing the DIY processs. http://www.gowesty.com/library_article.php?id=845

AK49er · 05-10-2015, 01:02 PM

I had an 8' truck bed sprayed with the Rhino lining and it added about 80 lbs of additional weight to the rig. I can't imagine the weight it would add if it was sprayed completely over the vehicle. I have noticed that the other brands ( Line-X, Sharkskin) seem to be a lot thinner of a product, so that may help the weight issue. I have tried the DIY bed liner stuff on a few small projects, not quite the same stuff! Will also say that the Rhino lining did cut down on road noise when sprayed in the truck bed, always thought it might work well in the front of the cab on the Queen B.

booster · 05-10-2015, 05:21 PM

I used the brush on Rhino liner on the exposed wheelwells and gas fill cover in the rear storage of our Roadtrek and it actually turned out better than I thought it would. It was an odd, ribbed, curved surface, so I used a brush to put it on and expected lots of brush marks, but it textured itself after two coats. It has held up very well to this point with no gouges at all yet.

I have seen some DIY truck beds that were done with a roller, and they did look a bit on the poor side.

oilman · 05-11-2015, 05:34 AM

The local Line-x dealer here on Long Island did a full Line-x paint job on a Jeep around about Sept 2014. I saw the vehicle today and it seemed to me the color had already faded and it no longer had the look like when it was first done. This vehicle has been for sale all this time.

To me its just a passing fad . If this stuff were ever damaged IMO it would be impossible to fix properly and color match.

Truck beds, Wheel Wells, Accessories, sure its great. The whole vehicle, no-way.

mlts22 · 05-11-2015, 08:31 PM

JMHO, I like the stuff for wheel wells, bumpers, skid plates, and trim accessories, just as mentioned above. That is where scrapes, dents, and other items will happen. With the wheel well, if a tire explodes, it will help mitigate the damage from that as well. I wouldn't want to spray that stuff at random underneath (because it may block weep holes and keep bolts from being removed), but the white ProMaster looked interesting with the stuff sprayed on, although if it behaves like some truck bed liners, if/when it starts cracking and flaking due to UV light damage, it may be impossible to fix or repaint.

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