DIY diamond plating

[jlt115]

I am considering getting some diamond plating from my local surplus yard, either 1/8" aluminum or 1/4" steel to use on the YJ, primarily on the rocker panels to cover up some old bolt holes.

What is the best way to protect the paint/metal underneath from rust and such? I saw some tough guard gasket on quadratec.com that is supposed to go between the diamond plate and body, does anyone have experience with this? Are there better options?

Also, it would be silver, and I would prefer it to be black. Any suggestions on what works best, lasts longest? Thinking maybe spray paint, herculiner, or maybe even powder coating if it's cheap enough....

Thanks!

[sabastian]

i just added some rocker panels for my jeep so i may have some opinions on this.
first...are you actually going to be using the rockers? if you're not, then the 1/8" aluminum will be best. easy to work with, drill, and very light weight. DO NOT USE 1/4" steel. WAY too heavy.
if you are going to put the rockers to use, then i'd go with a 1/8" - 3/16" steel.
what i used on the body was the bondo brand bed liner. in my opinion, it looks the best and is very well scratch resistant. i also used the same bed liner on the rockers themselves. looks great. it gives a little testure. not too much though. i also used ALOT of black caulk in between the body and rockers and wiped any access off the body. if you want, i can post a pic on monday when i get back in town. i think powder coating is a bit pricey. with a gallon of the bondo stuff, you'll have plenty left over to paint anything else you may want. advanced auto is the only store i found that carries the stuff. $60 / gallon

[jlt115]

Ok so once I rethought it, it was not 1/4" steel I was looking at. Probably was 1/8". Which means the aluminum had to be about 1/16". For some reason I got 1/4" in my head, but it is definatly not.....

What exactly do you mean by use, like actually protecting it from rocks and such? As of now, my main concern is covering the holes up cause they look bad. I won't be doing any offroading for awhile, I figure if I do I will upgrade to some more heavy duty stuff. Would I be better served just to put on the steel now? And yes, a picture would be great, thanks!!!

[4plugz]

Go with what's cheapest, and most readily available.

I find the aluminum looks tacky.

I used 1/8 inch steel, and after drilling the holes, pasted them to the side of the tub with undercoating, then tightened everything up. I wiped off the excess with a rag, and once everything dried, I blasted the works with tremclad, then rockerguard.

[Knuckelhead]

X2. Don't use the aluminum pop rivets that sometimes come with the kit. I use stainless 1/4x20" button head Allen's...