Anyone have experience with Line-X in cargo area (not truck bed)

[DesertRose]

Hello,

I've been recommended Line-X as an alternative to carpet in the cargo area of my FJ60 (the conservation vehicle project for Overland Journal). I had found carpet kits from Australia (I hear via China . . . hmph) but they are $600 and word is that the kits are not up to high-quality standards.

I'm thinking floor and sides and tailgate. I'm not going to add any permanent drawers or inserts at this point; I'll add a slide-lock for the Engel, and custom side panel and tailgate storage. I want to retain the rear seats, too.

I found a thread about Line-X use in truck beds - but wondered if anyone has direct experience using in a cargo area (that is not new, so it will have lots of wear and tear on the floor).

I want to investigate Line-X brand specifically - that's what TLC is using, so I'm assuming it's good quality.

 

[ujoint]

The first upgrade I made to my van was the Line-X. It's great, cleans up very well. Here's a pic:

 

[Alaska Mike]

I have it on the floors and interior sides of my Jeep. Might I offer the following observations:

• I wish I hadn't done the sides. As the body has flexed the Rhino Lining has slightly pulled away at the joints, which was a pocket for water. My tub is rusting from the inside out, and the only thing I can do is try to get the lining off and attack the rust that has formed in an already difficult to address spot. You might not notice the problem in a desert environment, but it only took a year of Florida rain and salt air to show me where I had gone wrong. The floor (horizontal surfaces) take the most abuse, so limit it to that area.
• Preparation is key. The more you can remove and clean, the better. Wax, peeling/chipped paint, oli- get it out of there. You should ask the installer about what to clean and how to prep. You should also have them go over the vehicle as well, assuming nothing. You have one shot at this, so get it right the first time.

 

[madizell]

Mike has a valid point about the sides, particularly in an older vehicle, or one where the panels don't join solidly. The CJ-5 has spot welded pinch welds at floor/wheel box joints which are relatively open. As the years pass, those open joint lines collect dirt and water, and will corrode. If they are already starting to corrode, covering with Line-X, Rhino, or any of the other similar products won't stop the rust. Neither will paint. You simply have to invade the seam with a corrosive product, then neutralize, then paint, then seal. Then you can use a liner product, and you will still have to seal the seam from the outside to keep water and dirt from infiltrating the seam from the bottom up.

However, if the joints are clean and rust free, you can paint the joints inside and out first to seal the joint line more or less, then spray the lining on the inside. You will still need to seal the joints from the other side just to be sure. Butyl caulk works for this, and is pretty much what the OEM seams are sealed with.

Also Mike is right about the one-shot deal. Once applied, it is a first class pain to remove poly lining, so you want to be certain you want to do this before proceeding.

Silly as it seems perhaps, I have used Dupli-Color rattle can truck bed liner spray in both Jeeps (not the rubberized undercoat stuff, which is far softer, but the Truck Bed Liner), with limited good results. It does not last forever, but will last 2 to 4 years or more depending on abuse level, plus it can be removed, generally as easily as ordinary spray paint if not easier, because it does not resist aggressive solvents. Metal preparation is the same as any paint. Touch up is easy, just clean and respray, and it is way cheaper than Line-X, which will likely cost you most of the $600 just to spray the inside floor and tailgate of your FJ (of course, price is up to the installer).

First sprayed with Dupli-Color TBL in 2001, the floor of the CJ-7 has been redone once in the driver and passenger foot wells due to general wear level, touched up once or twice in the same areas largely due to incipient rust in the floor panels, redone behind the seats once only because I patched and welded floor in that area which cooked off everything, and never redone in the cargo area. This vehicle has been through 2 Outback Challenge races, submerged in 4 feet of water more times than I can recall, and has been otherwise beaten and abused in Alaska for years. That's not really all that bad as far as durability goes.

I used it when rebuilding the floors in the '68 CJ-5, and so far it has held up very well. The final finish can be controlled to a point by your spray technique (smooth or textured). You can also get the same product in a gallon can and spray or roll it on.

Just a thought as an alternative.

 

[ntsqd]

Are you looking to this as a replacement to carpet or rubber mat, or more for sound/heat insulation? Sounds like that former, but I'm not sure.

 

[DesertRose]

Thanks everyone for the great observations and ideas - Mike, sounds like very good information, sorry you're facing rust problems! Yes, I'm mostly in desert, but in the not-too-distant future we'll ship this truck to Europe and drive south and then down Africa . . . or east to Mongolia (or both!). So it's got to be ready for all weather.

This is in place of new carpet or mats in the cargo area. Don't want/need carpet there. But also want to control sound, so I'll have to take that into consideration.

Looks like I'll be looking at custom carpet for the front and middle.

 

[Mike S]

Rose

When I has tarting up my 60 I was able to find some very good replacement carpets used. They cost a lot less money, and were 'original'.

Mike

 

[Desertdude]

I used Hurculiner when we resto'ed the FJ40 it really made a nice finish inside the complete tub inner sides as well as the front cab floors.

Not much sound control with these products, but you do get a solid finish.

As was mentioned above total prep is the key - I got down to the level of acetone cleaning before application.

The Line-X product is a bit smoother then the Hurculiner after its application.

There is also Durabak in many fine colors

 

[ntsqd]

While dense and certainly better than bare steel, I wasn't too impressed with the Rhyno sprayed into the YJ from Hell. At least not as any sort of insulator. We had a local automotive upholstery shop make foot well carpet mats for the YJ. That was surprisingly effective and economical. Local to one of the exhaust tubes the floor gets warm enough to soften the liner, so that needs to be considered. In this case the tube is in a tight area and about 2" away from the bottom of the floor.

I've pondered laying one of the various dynamat type products down first, then going with the liner. For it to be successful I think you'd need to create "Rosette Weld" type holes in the mat so that the spanned bond gap of the liner isn't too great. That would only address noise. For heat I think a reflective finish or shields on the underside adjacent to the source(s) may be the best bet.

 

[overlander]

I coated the full interior tub of my CJ7 (in my pre-Land Rover days) with Herculiner, and it is still tough as nails. I actually added paint supply silica sand to give the entire interior that No-Slip grip, since from what I've seen, all the liners are quite slipper when wet. If you add silica, you definitely won't ever slip in mud or rain.

I'll probably do my 110 in herculiner with the silica as well, once I complete my sound proofing treatment of SoundKiller dynamat and firewall paste. the firewall past will protect ALL the at risk rust areas with a heat, corrosion and sound protection.

 

[pevrs114]

I have Line-X brand in the bed of my Tacoma, and I have Herculiner brand in the cargo area of my CJ7.

I have only had the Herculiner in the jeep now for a few months, and I'm already worried about its durability. I dragged a heavy chest across the back cargo area, and it scratched the lining easily. I prepped very well, doing more work than the instructions called for. I then laid down 3 coats in the cargo floor, 3 coats in the driver/passenger floorboards, and 2 coats up the sides. Also, brake fluid will eat right through it. I had some leak down from the master cylinder, through the firewall and down into the driver's floorboard. I fixed the fluid leak, but the fluid instantly ate through the Herculiner. With regard to grippi-ness, I added the silica insert as well, and the stuff is great. It's very grippy and stuff doesn't slide easily across it.

I haven't had many problems with the Line-X in the pickup. It's certainly thicker, has more 'give' to it, and seems to withstand abuse better. The cost is significantly more, though. The bed was already Line-X'd when I bought it, but I've heard quotes in the neighborhood of $500 to do the same job. I have just under $150 in the Herculiner, and that includes preparation supplies.

I've got a writeup on doing the Herculiner to the CJ-7 over on ARFCOM, I'll find it and post a link here. All in all, when you balance the cost with the results, I've been very happy with the Herculiner in the CJ-7, and I think I'd be MUCH happier with true Line-X in the same area.

 

[overlander]

Good feedback for me before I go and do my 110. thanks

 

[NorCalBronco]

My bronco has had the entire interior line-x. Its great for when you hop in with muddy shoes and I can literally hose it out, and offers a tiny bit of noise reduction and insulation. Unfortunately its peeling off on some places where it was prepped poorly I figure. Also its a royal pita when trying to mess with anything that is underneath it. I have over the years added things like different seat belts, roll cage, center console, taken the seat in and out, etc. I hated having the line-x there when doing any of that. So.. make sure you have everything configured the way you want it and it is prepped well!

 

[Alaska Mike]

That was also a good point about the brake fluid. I had a master cylinder seal fail, and it ate the paint beneath the Rhino Lining behind the pedals. The first indication I got was when the Rhino Lining started making a pouch that I could have stored maps in. The only solution was to cut the loose material away and re-paint before it rusted.

Don't get me wrong, I do like the lining, but only in certain areas of the vehicle. For sound insulation, the only effect will be gravel hits on the sheetmetal will sound like a "tonk" instead of a "tink".

Carpet has its own set of issues, but at least it can be removed. Certain carpet kits will wear away paint and carpet certainly retains water, but it also reduces sound and insulates to a degree. I'm probably going to with carpet in the Series III, mainly because the body is aluminum.

 

[burl40]

I am thinking of doing the same thine to my 60.We use it in our trailers sometimes and I like It alot.
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