Hey I know there must be guys out there with Weatherguard box's on there trucks.

My saddle box has the clear coat coming off the lid. The diamond plate aluminum is oxidizing. Now before you start to suggest Never Dull or polishing I've tried it. I am wondering if there is anything that will take the clear coat off the aluminum so I can paint the lid. Is there a solvent for clearcoat? If I wire brush it will scratch the aluminum.

Any ideas,,,,thanks

 

If you want to try to restore the luster of the diamond plate, try to use Zep-A-Lume from Zep products to clean and brighten the aluminum. If you are dead set on painting or powder coating, be sure to use a good chemical cleaner and etcher like Alumiprep 33. The cleaner and etcher will clean and remove any oxidization or contaminants before coating which is essential to getting the new coating to stick. Trailer manufacturer supply stores should have the Zep-A-Lume and you should be able to get the Alumiprep 33 from anyone that supplies products for aluminum coatings or anodization.

 

Hey thanks for the info. What I would really like is to restore the aluminum to the original condition. The problem is that I can't do a thing with the oxidation so far. Man that stuff is tough. I really don't want to paint the lid. The thing is the original clear coat is pealing off exposing the bare aluminum and it has like a crusty coating that I just can't remove. Nothing I have tried even begins to touch it.

 

Not sure about how this would work, but the other day I saw on a restoration show to use easy off oven cleaner to get rid of oxidation. They sprayed it on, let it set for 10 minutes and then wiped it off. Did make a pretty big difference on some old aluminum trim pieces.

 

The problem that you are having is that the oxidation is under the thick clearcoat. If you figure out a way to remove the clearcoat without further oxidizing the aluminum with harsh chemicals let me know. I have 2 side boxes with the same problem.