just like the title says-ive found alot of diamond plate boxes locally but i want a black one. how easy/hard if possible at all is it to paint an aluminum toolbox?

 

so no one knows how i can paint a aluminum tool box? im assuming a scuffing,primer,and paint...am i missing something?

 

give it a good scuffing. you will probably have to do it all by hand because of the diamond plate. you dont want to miss anything because the paint wont stick. some adhesion promoter wouldnt be a bad idea either

 

ok thanks.im going with a black and red theme so a shinny chrome aluminum wont work so its good to know it can be done

 

Sandblast it first, then blow off all dust and sand as you can wash it off as well. It's aluminum so it won't rust, then follow with a metal etching primer then paint as usual.


I'm a painter so this will work, I doubt you can sand it well by hand.



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hmm ok..cause my dad has a sand blaster but i don't want to have to wait till the next time i go home. i think ill just try to do a really good job sanding and then get some of the primer you said and try it...it doesn't have to be perfect, its not exactly a show truck. thanks for the help

 

you'll be fine doing it by hand. just be thorough

 

look around for an anodizer, have them do it in black

for the effort to sand, prime, paint, etc it will probably be cheaper to anodize it, and you can get some really nice colors... not to mention metal protection.

Short of that you might check out powder coating, they will media blast it, then apply the powder and then bake it.

 

When I bought my King Ranch in '02, I took my old box to the Ford bady shop that I had used before to see if they would/could paint it to match the Chestnut color of my truck. They said they could, but they would not guarantee it for a week since it couldn't be scuffed up enough for the paint to adhere. That was four years ago, so maybe technology has come along to allow them to be painted. Mine is not a "shiny" diamond plate box though, it is a DeeZee Black Chrome, (more of a pewter color).

Good luck, hope it turns out for you

 

alternatively you "could" use some wesleys bleach white or another high powered wheel cleaner and let it sit a little longer than reccomended then clean things up with some aircraft remover. Most of those wheel cleaners have a mild acid in them which is why you dont let the product sit on your wheels for long. but if you are just gonna paint the product...

 

careful with anodizing it, if aluminum is welded with any other wire then 5356 the welds wont look so good

but powder coating would be your best bet, it will withstand alot more then paint would, could even get creative and do a bed liner on it.....

 

some etching primer/and depending on color you want,you could use marine paint,same stuff the use on lower units,or props...i cant remember the name of it...but up here they sit in salt water and hold up great...

 

I recommend powder coating. That stuff is pretty good. Find a local shop and check out some of their work. and, color matching/ mixing can be interesting! make that truck unique. Have'nt seen to many hammer tone tool boxes. Also, like one of the previous posts, maybee get a bedliner sprayed inside to stop crap from slidin around and makin noise!

 

or you could buy a black one

 

i found a aluminum box for $70. not the best quality but exactly what i was looking for. i sanded/scuffed it up, sprayed some primer on, and then sprayed on duplicolor's truck bed coating. about 5 or 6 coats. its nice and thick, little texture to it,and great protection. its sticking fine so well see how it is in the long run. ill post pics in my gallery tommorow.