Ummm, none is probably preferable.
Water always gets past sealant and gets trapped and rots it out.
Something like POR 15 is good if you already are covering up rust, otherwise a clear drainage path over paint is the best in my mind.
Mike
KEN wrote:
> What kind of sealant should I use when installing diamond plate?
i was being a little sarcastic before, but if i were putting on corner panels i probably would indeed tig them to the body. of course, this isnt an option if youre using aluminum or stainless plate.
A big area like a chunk of diamond plate will experience different thermal expansion from the sheet metal it is covering, because of different thickness and composition. Eventually, the forces generated will cause any sealant to pull loose from the plate or from the sheet metal. For this reason I agree with Mike. If you use a flexible sealer like silicon you may prolong the time until this happens, but it will eventually pull lose from either the sheet metal or the plate.
You could try running a bead of sealer along the top edge of the plate to keep water out, and squirt some in the pop rivet holes before you install the rivets. This will keep (most) water from getting behind the plate, and it should let any that does get in to drain out.
Earle
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