Anyone pull their roof tracks?

[kythri]

The paint on mine is all flaked off. Nothing rusty, but down to bare-ish metal over most of it.

I'd like to pull them and have them repainted or powder coated, whatever is cheap/easy to re-black them.

Curious if anyone has done this, and how much of a pain it was...

The actual rails/racks are fine, these are the tracks that are riveted (I assume) to the roof.

 

[BAD RONALD]

Rails are aluminum. Could be the tracks are as well. Ford refuses to admit it doesn't know squat about painting aluminum.

If you can get them off without damage prep the tracks to bare metal with scotch brite pads, clean with rubbing alcohol and repaint.

Put silicone sealant in the mounting screws before replacing or you could wind up with a wet headliner.

 

[AbbadonTD]

I actually taped down plastic ON THE ROOF, and sanded and painted it without removing it. I just wanted the bare patches gone, the connectors were okay, it was the cross rails. Its not like anyone stares at my roof rack, but you notice if its bad.

No one can paint Aluminum well. It actually requires quite a process, thats why old house siding had to COME in the color from the manufacturer. Your best bet is Wheel/Rim paint. You need to be dry, and the hard part in July, it needs to be cool. (course, you are in OR, so Cool, easy, Dry, not so much, I have the opposite problem here in CO)

 

[BAD RONALD]

I used black pickup truck bedliner on my cross rails. It has held up against all abrasion after more than a few years. Looks good too.

When I was buying the spray bedliner I ran into an old timer in the parts store who used to paint aircraft aluminum at Sikorsky Helicopters. He was strict about aluminum prep, no sandpaper at all could be used. He suggested scotch brite pads. In my experience this was great advice.

The bedliner builds up greatly so it would not be a good choice for the tracks. I agree that the wheel and rim paint would be the better option.

 

[AbbadonTD]

I didnt really "sand", I used a wire brush to remove the pieces that were falling off. I realized I should point that out when I read above.

 

[Flexpedition]

Ford refuses to admit it doesn't know squat about painting aluminum.

I'm a fan of irony, so I'm drawn to this statement. I somewhat understand what you are saying as the aluminum hatch of my own Expedition had a bubbly corrosion area behind the license plate.

In the 1920's a zinc-rich chromate primer was developed. It was and still is by and far the best way to protect aluminum and other metals from corrosion. Typically you'll see it in a pale yellow or Army olive drab green color. Present on nearly every commercial, military or general aviation aircraft that contains aluminum. Ditto for 100's of thousands of miles of pipeline criss-crossing the globe, tens of thousands of ships, and iron buildings, bridges and piers. Although in the last 10-15 or so years big pharma has proven it to be cancer causing, but you can still get zinc chromate primer in an aerosol can at any aviation supply store and most commercial paint stores. Aircraft Spruce & Supply is a good source of PTI brand zinc chromate and zinc oxide primers. About $12-$13 for a rattle can.


The company the industrial world can thank for zinc chromate primer IS ...... Ford.

 

[BAD RONALD]

I'm a fan of irony, so I'm drawn to this ...
The company the industrial world can thank for zinc chromate primer IS ...... Ford.

Didn't know this. Interesting.

No irony then, that FOMOCO refused to recall all hood and rear hatch aluminum coating failure on our Expeditions.

Only corporate greed standing in the way of the right thing to do.

 

[BAD RONALD]

I didnt really "sand", I used a wire brush to remove the pieces that were falling off. I realized I should point that out when I read above.

Just looked up the advice from the Sikorsky tech... he said to use steel wool or scotch brite pads to clean to bare metal.

Wire brush stripping is consistent with this. Good job with the follow up.

 

[AbbadonTD]

Well, I try.

I just took a huge bucket of "Zinc Primer" to the HazMat site this morning [25 years old, from his garage]. Now I know what it is.