I was offroading last night. i went into a hole and apparently something was in it that cut the right rear tire and scratched the lower portions of the passenger doors really bad. it cant be buffed out. so I was seeing what everyones thoughts were, i was thinking of flat black the whole truck below the rub rail, but I want it to still look nice, not crappy. so suggestions welcome!

 

heres a pic

 

Leave it unless you want to get it repainted. Down there you may be able to get away with masking off that lower panel spraying a filling primer sanding it and spraying it with the closest match you can find. The panel is aluminum so it's not like it is going to rust and if you offroad you will get rashes like that.

 

That is a battle scar, you can brag about it to your buddies at work.
Like it was already mentioned the only steel body panel on a DI is the roof, so it wont rust.
You can use a touch up paint, the brush on kind that you can find at Wal-Mart.

 

I like the idea of leaving it as a battle scar, I have a few myself. Or flat black below the trim all the way round could look cool.

 

That door panel is metal and prone to rusting so you will need to cover up those scratches with a couple cans of primer, sanding and paint or go see a body shop.

Spike, if you have a magnet, go test one of your doors, I recently carried a 97 front door that was gutted and it sure weighed out like it was also metal like the D2's are.
Let me know if you can check.
Thanks

 

Ok, just to set the record straight I just made a video to prove once and for all that a 1997 DI is all aluminum EXCEPT for the roof.
Give me a few to get it posted on youtube and then I will post the link in here.

 

Don't need to go to those extremes, I was just curious, maybe I am getting tooooo old to carry aluminum doors also.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h1xsf8V6i-k

No extremes taken Mike, this is good for everyone who ask's.

 

OK, i am a believer, boy that door I carried for a friend last week, felt like an anchor.
So, only D2's have metal at all the doors and roof, not on the hood or any side panels.
You take care, I am going to go watch the Bronco's loose.