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ACS
Linings Vortex Spray-in Tub Liner
With Bill Johnston
My Samurai is older than some but newer than most of what we see on the
road here in the United States, but after years of fun on the trails the
carpeting had lived long past its prime. Wear spots, tears and tufts of
ragged threading were everywhere. Knowing that a new carpet set would look
the same in a few years, I decided to go with something a bit more 'trail
resistant'. I decided a spray-in tub liner (like the spray-in bed liners
you see in pickup trucks) would not only clean up the ragged mess, but it
would be easier to clean out after an afternoon spent having fun. There
are a few 'Do It Yourself' kits out there, and some are very high quality,
but they are very messy, smelly and they are not 'clothing
friendly'.
I opted to go to a friend 'in the business' to check out what kind of a
job the Pros did. The rest is history!
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 The
only dirty work I had to do (and this is a money savings) was to pull out
anything I didn't want to have sprayed. Seats, seatbelts, shifter boots
and loose change - all had to go. The only tricky part was getting the
factory asphalt based insulation off of the floor and transmission tunnel.
I had heard there was a trick to this, but didn't realize how easy it was
until early one morning I went out to the Zook with a hammer... The
cold morning air had chilled the insulation enough to harden it. A few
whacks with the hammer and it came out in huge chunks! |
 The
Zook went to Clint Swearingen of ACS Linings, here in El Paso Texas. They
have a system called Vortex that creates an "incredibly durable
surface coating of extremely high impact resistance"... That's
what I needed - something I can't mess up very easily! When we got the
vehicle back it was just a matter of putting the parts back where they
went. |
 Here
you can see where Clint carried the spray across the door threshold to
form a non-skid step that blended into the rocker protection. He also
sprayed the lower part of the door to match for those time when we have to
keep the rain out. You can also see where he carried the spray up the roll
cage. Behind those diamond plate panels are a thick coating of liner to
keep the road noise a bit quieter. |
One
of the major problem spots for my Samurai was the inside of the tailgate
and the floor just inside. I had used some straps to across the tailgate
to make a place to store oil, brake fluid and other liquids when out on
the trail. These containers leaked when they were put in 'not-so-normal'
angles out on the trail. The spray-in liner gave the back area - as well
as the whole interior a great new look. |
 Clint
did a few 'extras' for me to show just how versitile the product was. On
the left you can see where he took my spare stock steering wheel and gave
it a coating from the sprayer. It is like a new steering wheel now! Not
only does it make it easier to grip, but it doesn't heat up like a stock
wheel out here in the desert southwest sunshine. And for simple cleanup,
you can't beat just popping out the drain plugs and hitting it with a shot
from the water hose. Check out the website below for a look at a few other
projects Clint has done. |
Source:
ACS Linings
El Paso, Texas
Phone: 915-373-2453
info@acsliningsvortex.com
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