I spoke to Calmini and they informed me that at this time their bumpers and sliders are not available in Black. Just wondering how much interest there would be in there bumpers if they were to give you the option of either the standard grey or Black? I'm hoping if and when I'm ready for bumpers that I can convince them that there is enough of a demand for their stuff in Black. I still like the look of the Calmini bumper over Shrock but the Black color may be a deciding factor for me.

Getcha a can or two of Rustoleum...

or tremclad that works to

Try this stuff durable as hell but a bit pricey. You don't need much for a bumper.
Clicky
Use either Blackcoat or Chassis coat

You guys are missing the point, Calmini doesn't offer them in Black and I forgot to mention bare metal, so if I wanted them in Black I would have to strip the powdercoat and repaint them in Black, adding time, and cost. IMO more than its worth, instead I think at that point I would just choose the Shrock bumpers.

So I ask again how many more would be interested if Calmini offered their bumpers in Black or bare metal?

I don't think an open forum on "how many people want" will persuade Calmini to change the way they do business. Just suck it up and spend the money it takes, just as everyone else here does.

The Blackcoat and/or Chassiscoat can be applied over the powder coat if you scuff it with 600 grit.

So buffalo
that is the only reason that you would choose for a front bumper black or grey. Surely there is something else on the Calmini bumper that would make it worth your while. Design perhaps?

absolutley there are other factors, design, functionality, previous experience, customer service, price, shipping vs. local pickup etc, etc. I have a mental picture of how I want my X which includes Black aftermarket bumpers.

i would have to agree with you. if you cant get something the way you want it, get it somewhere else.

I would love it if they offered bare metal.

Maybe it is just because their powder coater is not thinking about people who live up north but every Calmini part I have has rust on it due to the powder coat flaking off. Even parts that have not been scratched by rocks.

They are still great products don't get me wrong but I don't have the flaking problem with my ARB bumper which had been scraped to hell from rocks.

So I would vote for bare metal myself.

Here... Herculine it and be done with it!!

I do find it strange that they don't offer their products in bare metal.

I say, if you wany the Camini bumper and you want it black, do what Alpine said, Herculine it. I love the stuff.

I really need to become a Herculiner spokesmodel.

I like the grey CALMINI color; look nicer than black on the most of the colors. For a white or black truck black goes better IMO.

I prefer to get my stuff bare metal and paint or rattle can…. cheaper, looks just as nice, and much easier to touch up.

One of the reasons I’ve been told that bare metal isn’t offered by some is rust and the lag times between getting everything made….basically some of the stuff sits around for a while, is stored, shipped, etc and surface rust starts….vendors don’t like to ship rusting stuff out. For smaller vendors with quicker turn around this normally isn’t a problem.

Powder coating quality/longevity seems to vary widely….my ARB front bumper is fading really bad, I’ve seem others chip, while others the same age look just fine, same goes with the CALMINI stuff.

The bed liner stuff…herc, rhino, line-x, etc looks nice are 1st but I found it difficult to match/touch up and a bitch to keep clean because dirt gets trapped in the nooks and crannies. The stuff I herc'd like a bumper and sliders turned out to me a lot more work than regular paint or even powdercoating to maintain.

I just use the scrub brush at the DIY car wash places. Cleans up pretty well. I have not tried to touch up yet, so we'll see how that goes.

As for the rust. Most places coat their bare metal products in oil to prevent rust. It makes it a pain to prep once you get it, but it usually prevents the rust. With stuff like Por-15, I wish stuff came pre-rusted though.

Well, I finally broke down and my Calmini bumper is in the shop right now being painted black. It will match the safari rack I bought and also the Shrock rear bumper when I get around to ordering that. It is not the thrifty way to go but I plan on having this truck for a few more years. The powder coating was messed up when I received it and it's been flaking off little by little over the last year or so. I'll post some pics when I get it back. I took it to 4 different places for estimates. All agreed it's a beefy bumper but could not believe that someone would ship a bumper that was so messed up. They all felt that it had not been preped properly and that the powder coating had been applied too thick causing little waves where it should have been smooth.

It cost me $398 but I like it. It matches the sliders and the roof rack and it will match the Shrock rear bumper when I get it. It will also be easier to match up with the rattle can and I don't have to worry about the flaking anymore. Warn 9000i winch is next.

looks good man

why didn't you paint the front skid plate?

My exact thought when I saw the bumper... DOH! I said paint the bumper and that's exactly what they did. I'll just get out the rattle can and match it up this weekend.

Thats what I'm talking about, hopefully Calmini is listening. 4 bills is steep after paying 700+ for the bumper.. not to mention I want to paint both bumpers and the sliders. It will get expensive real quick!

CALMINI ARE YOU LISTENING?

Hence buying herculiner or some other similar product and doing it yourself.

IMHO a black bumper on a Night Armour X is gonna look like complete shit.

the beauty of Night armour is the paint matches the color of the plastic... and the Calmini Bumper

I e-mailed Calmini and they will accept pre-orders for bumpers and sliders if you want them in bare metal before they go to the powdercoating but they do not offer any money savings. I guess they pay a lot amount for powdercoating and not per piece. I'm still on the fence on what to do.

Jason, Have you looked at a 05 Knight armor up close, the plastic doesn't match the KA color. I think a 2 tone Black/Knight armor would look great if done correctly. I plan on eventually changing everything that is not knight armor to black, roof rack, door molding, etc

The idea that Calmini might be paying a lot for their colorforming, uh, powdercoating, is scary.



Their stuff is great except for that though, so maybe its worth it to just get their stuff shipped bare, to save having to scrape off what ever remains of their factory paint, as long as it's all going to need to be re-painted anyway.