Painting The Body Mount Support Bars To Get A Fully Blacked-Out Appearance For High Clearance and hybrid Bumpers

After we removed our factory bumper and installed the True North Fabrications front hybrid bumper, we were left with the factory white body mount support bars. I thought about leaving them alone but the more I looked at the bumper, the more I was distracted by those white bars.

Depending on the paint spec you have, you might want to black these out as well after installing a high clearance or hybrid front bumper. If you have black paint or any other dark color paint spec, then you probably won’t have to worry about it. But, for the red, grey, orange, and white paint specs out there, this post might be for you.

The process is fairly simple, just tape everything off so you don’t get any overspray on your paint and hit with your favorite black paint. I personally used STEEL-IT because it’s super durable, layers on thick, and lasts through extreme weather conditions. I’ve been using STEEL-IT on bare armor for years and I’m always amazed at how well it holds up.

Find it online

• STEEL-IT Black (one can): Check Price

Before

After

Step 1. Clean Support Bars

Get started by cleaning the support bars. I just hit them and the surrounding area with some exterior Adams cleaner and a microfiber.

Step 2.  Tape Body Paint

Start taping the body paint all the way around the bumper. I ended up taping quite a bit more than pictured here. I taped all the back to that bolt under the tape. That whole section got covered and the only thing exposed was the aluminum bracket and the white support bar. There were a few plastics that didn’t get taped along with the body mounts, but I am not worried about those getting hit as they’re already black. Just tape as much as you can for anything you don’t want to get hit with overspray. To each their own on this one.

Step 3. Tape Template for Bolts

I decided to leave one of the bolt heads unpainted so I made a template with the tape so that I could cut out a perfect circle.

Step 4. Cutout Tape Circle

Here is that tape positioned in place over the bolt and washer.

Step 5. Tape Radiator Port Switch

Tape up the red switch on the radiator port.

Step 6. Tape Body Mounts

You don’t want any paint on your body mount bushings so go ahead and tape up those as well.

Step 7. Tape Body Mounts

Once everything is taped up, start hitting the body mount support with your STEEL-IT until you’re happy with the end result. I also painted the underside, the top, and slighting behind the support bars as well just to cover any white that was exposed.

Final Thoughts

These look much better blacked out compared to the factory white paint. Painting this area is a very simple process that adds a lot of aesthetic value to the front end of the Bronco.