Painting flatbed

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Well been doing aluminum flatbeds lately finally have enough money to set my truck up. However I think I will do steel due to all the mobile welding on dumps and excavators I have been doing and how rough it is. I am terrified of building a nice bed and having it rust away in two years since I live on Maui . SO how do I do this. sandblasting is really expensive here. I was thinking just painting everything with por15 or master series silver then raptor lining everything. Or painting with a enamel tractor paint. I am worried about the tops of the c channel where the plate covers it and how to paint that area without screwing up the welds and do I need to take 100% of the black off the steel before I primer? That is a ton of sanding and a pain with the c channel. I am using C3 and C4 for frame and cross members and 1/8 diamond plate for the deck. also I want to paint it a bright color. I need all the advertising I can get. Everyone here knows one excavation company since there trucks are black and neon green. Any suggestions are appreciated.Aloha!
Reply:do you have any options to powder coat?It was cheaper then I expected when I did mine. Id buy a good undercoating for the bottom, maybe some seam sealer around the floor joints for rust prevention.... Not sure about the paint on the top... Im sure others have better suggestions.- Christian M.C3 Welding & Fabrication - CNC Plasma Cutting-Mobile Welding-Custom welding and fabwww.c3welding.com
Reply:Everything I own is fire red, has been since 1985. When I get a new vehicle people don't skip a beat, they see the color, and know it's me. They wave on the highway like I've had it for years. I'm in VT where rust is a fact. I would hold out for aluminum. It weight 1/3, go twice as thick as steel, it'll be tough! If you paint it, it'll hold up looking good longer than steel, and won't require sandblasting before repaint. I get everything oil undercoated annually. WillieLast edited by Willie B; 05-10-2016 at 08:05 PM.An optimist is usually wrong, and when the unexpected happens is unprepared. A pessimist is usually right, when wrong, is delighted, and well prepared.
Reply:willie how do you mount a small jib crane o aluminum? I guess I could build a steel slide out to work on. IDK its a tough choice when money is so tight and I am starting out on my own.