I have a Smittybilt XRC-8 and its started to rust/fade over the past 2 years.

I have the entire thing dissembled and masked off but I am not totally certain where to go from here.

I sanded any rust spots and I green scotchbrite padded the rest. (most of the paint is pretty good adhesion wise, its just faded grey, from black)


So my questions are:

Should I coat the entire thing in primer even though the majority of the paint is ok?

Should I just use any type of metal primer or should I use an etching primer?

What kind of paint should I be using on it?

Should I clearcoat it after?

 

Subscribed... mine is fading a bit as well.

 

Powder coating would be best.

Anyway... If you have a lot of bare metal exposed, you will need to prime it. (self etching) If the existing paint is just faded with a few exposed areas, any primer should work. If the winch is just faded, you will need to scuff the paint up with scotch brite or sandpaper, clean thoroughly, and respray with enamel. Enamel is hard and should hold up better to the elements. Clear coat is a good idea, and the best clear coats which will be the strongest and last the longest are two-part.

For clear coat, check out SprayMax 2K. Runs around $20 a can, but much better than what you'd get off the shelf at home depot. Just make sure you're ready to use it when you pull the tab, as you'll only have a few hours to work with it.

With the right technique and patience, a rattle can paint job can look just as good as a pro job. Don't rush, and make sure you prep very well (smooth and even surfaces before starting, clean thoroughly, light and even coats, proper dry time, wet sanding, etc.)

 

I've had different results with my smitty winches....their cheap-o coating (powderpuff coat?) flakes off after a couple of years. I'm to the point where I don't touch it unless I've got a little bit of touchup paint ready to go. The body is a cast metal (iirc) and their paint doesn't hold well at all.

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Did you ever try repainting the entire thing to see if it held up better? thats what I am attempting.



Their paint/coating is awful whatever it is made of I have no idea. I actually had it out with them over the phone almost 2 years ago to the point that they replaced my entire winch, of course this one faded too.

The ridiculous part is that the internals don't really seem that cheap. They pretty much look like a copy of what WARN has inside their winches. Why can't they use a better product to paint them is beyond me.

 

I never bothered with painting because it was too much of a pain to pull the winch out of the bumper. I'm ready to put the cover on it and hide it. Honestly.....if I didn't like the 'peace of mind' of a 10k winch on the jeep, I would go without it because of the terrible paint.

Seems I had similar results with the internals being decent. I had my old one submerged in water for.....5 mins MANY times one season and it ended up dying the next season (but it was used, so I can't complain), the new one hasn't seen that type of water but still seems hella solid when I pull.

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