Project YJ Gets Rhino Lined

Unlimited Applications

Marine Boat Surfaces Cargo Holds Docks Loading Ramps Buoys

Industrial Containment Areas Heavy Equipment   & Machinery Cement & Fertilizer   Hoppers Sand & Salt   Spreaders Grain Elevators

Commercial Vans, Trailers & RVs Workbenches &   & Countertops Wheelchair Ramps Playground Equipment Heavy Equipment   & Machinery Cement & Fertilizer   Hoppers Sand & Salt   Spreaders Grain Elevators

With Rhino Liner, I can load anything from greasy auto parts to firewood to shedding dogs without shuddering at the thought of clean-up afterwards. To clean out the Jeep I just pull the drain plugs and hose it out. These benefits apply to pickup trucks as well. You get a super durable liner, which doesn't crack, distort, or bang around like the plastic inserts. Rhino Liner also protects the metal from corrosion unlike the inserts, which actually rub paint off.

Getting Rhino Liner applied to my Jeep wasn't a simple process but like most valuable things, the effort was well worth it. Prior to delivering my Jeep to Superior Linings in North Vancouver, I spent a very full evening removing everything I didn't want covered with the liner. The carpets, seats, console, seat belts, roll bar, transmission hump cover, and other odds and ends were all removed. The inventor of the Torx head bolt was cursed thoroughly and frequently that evening. Then I used a lot of soap, water and a Scotch-brite pad to get rid of the dirt and dog hair that had accumulated under the carpets and in the nooks and crannies over the years.

Rhino Advantages

Air & Water Tight Permanently seals out mildew, rust and corrosion.

Tough Resists scratches, dings and gouges.

Durable Will not break down when exposed to fertilizers & corrosive chemicals.

Skid Resistant Eliminates damage caused by load slippage.

A Perfect Fit Sprays on to the contour of a truck bed, easily molding around 5th wheel hitches, tie-downs and utility boxes.

Versatile Bonds permanently to virtually any surface, including steel, wood, aluminum, concrete and fiberglass.

Flexible Tolerates extreme temperatures without cracking or warping.

Quiet Ride Forms a protective cushion between cargo and the truck bed, reducing noise.

Environmentally Safe 100% solvent-free polyurethane.

Maintenance Free No waxing, repainting or retightening required.

Immediate Results Ultimate protection for your vehicle in just a few hours.

The next morning, with just the roll bar and driver's side seat belt and seat in place, I drove to Superior Lining's shop in North Vancouver. The owner/operators, Darin Calderwood and Steve Graffi were waiting for me. We rolled the Jeep into their shop and removed the seat, belt and roll bar. Then they removed my tire carrier and tried to unbolt the tailgate. Unfortunately, my past adventures with the tailgate had left one of the Torx (there's that name again!!) bolts' heads stripped. I suggested to Steve that he try spraying with the tailgate in place but he was determined to avoid that option. He said that the tailgate would hinder his ability to spray an even coat inside the Jeep. So, despite my eagerness to begin the job with the tailgate on and suffer the consequences, they decided to take the hard route and find a way to remove the Torx bolt. That route ended up being a Dremel tool with a cut-off wheel. Darin used the wheel to cut a slot into the bolt, allowing it to be removed with a large slot-head screwdriver.

With the tailgate out of the way, there were no more surprises. The tub was swabbed down with a solvent to remove any grease or oil and then roughed up with a wire wheel grinder. Hard to reach places were sanded by hand. The dust was vacuumed and then the time consuming task of plugging the holes and masking the tub began. Any holes which I did not want to be filled with the liner had to be plugged with rolled-up masking tape. This included all the threaded holes and some of the smaller non-threaded holes. Large, non-threaded holes like the drains were left as is since the Rhino Liner wouldn't cover them over.

Rhino Liner sets within a few minutes of it being sprayed on so Steve has to work fast when spraying. Proper and thorough masking is necessary because he doesn't have the luxury of slowing down. The entire Jeep was masked, leaving only the interior of the tub exposed for spraying. Areas where the liner would be trimmed afterwards were masked using a special tape containing a thin wire filament on one edge. Steve used this for masking areas around the tailgate. Once the liner was applied, he could pull up the wire which neatly sliced the liner, cutting it so that it traced the edges of the tailgate opening for a very professional look.

Pick a colour, any colour. You won't find this kind of selection with drop-in bed liners.

With the Jeep fully prepped, it was rolled into the spray booth. Steve prepared the liner chemicals and ran a test flow to sample the ratio between the chemicals. After checking the ratio of the samples' weights, he donned his spray suit and respirator and stepped into the booth. He walked around the Jeep a few times to plan his route. Like I said before, he has to work quickly so planning ahead was very important. Once he started spraying, it took only 15 minutes to complete.

As soon as he put the sprayer away, Steve pulled the masking wire to trim the liner around the tailgate opening. The material was still setting so pulling the wire as soon as possible made it easier to cut. I was amazed and how fast the Rhino Liner hardened.

We rolled the Jeep out of the booth and removed the masking paper and tape. The next step was to clear the holes, which we had plugged with masking tape. Because Rhino Liner is so tough, it took considerable effort to remove the liner and trim the openings for the holes. Steve and Darin had considerable practice at this, as evidenced by the speed with which they handled this task. I tried clearing a few of the holes and the difficulty involved made me a firm believer in the strength and resilience of the product.

Want More Info?

Contact Superior Linings at: http://www.superior-linings.com/superiorlinings/index.htm   Visit the Rhino Lining site at: http://www.rhinolinings.com

Because Rhino Liner's thickness typically ranges between 1/8 and 1/4 inches, knowledge of the locations of the various tub fittings was critical. Spraying the entire tub with a 1/4" thick liner would severely alter the interior dimensions and cause a real problem when we re-installed the door strikers, roll bar and other fittings. Fortunately, Superior Linings had done many Jeeps before this and were aware of their particular requirements.

The only modification I had to make during re-assembly of the interior was to notch four of the roll bar mounting flanges' holes. Other than that, everything re-installed without a hitch. If you're going to get the interior of your vehicle Rhino Lined, I strongly recommend dealing with an installer who has done vehicle interiors before. There are added complications, which are not common to pickup truck beds.

I guess it's pretty obvious that I am extremely pleased with the results. This past weekend, I woke up with the horrible realization that it was pouring rain and my Jeep didn't have the top on. Then I remembered that the interior was Rhino Lined and I had waterproof seat covers; no more soggy carpets to worry about. I went back to sleep. The interior of my Jeep has finally been ruggedized to match the vehicle's go anywhere, anytime personality. Clean up will now be a breeze, so driving to work after a weekend of offroading will no longer be an ordeal of dirt, leaves and bark swirling around inside the Jeep.

Thanks to Darin and Steve of Superior Linings for doing such a great job!

...lars