While I had to spend time In Reno Friday for doctor appointments, etc, I decided to see about powder coating or whatever. I asked about the Line-X and they agreed that it would be much more durable. So, that's what I got. Thanks for the suggestion, Tom.
In hindsight, I should have listened to GunnerSchenck and at least checked into Raptor Liner. The Line-X is a more aggressive finish than I like. The Line-X looks okay though, so it'll work. If I ever decide to change, it won't be difficult. Seems the Line-X doesn't adhere to the metal like I thought it would - or should.
I picked the parts up and did a test fit in their office. I had explained what the purpose of the parts were for and pointed out where the threads had to be protected and where the ends of the pipes were going to be inserted. They said no problem... BIG problem. The Line-X is thick. The coating on the pipe and inside the clamp made the fit too tight. It wasn't possible to fit the pipe into the clamp even a tiny bit or even with as much brute force as I could muster.
This morning I took a knife to the clamps. I really thought it was going to be a chore to remove the Line-X from inside the clamp where the pipe fit in. I scored around the circumference of the hole at both ends so it wouldn't damage the parts that would show. Then I prepared to use a lot of energy to cut away the material. The shit just peeled off like an inside-out orange. That stuff didn't stick to the galvanizing at all - couple stains, but the Line-X just came right off it.
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As was mentioned in the how-to, I added some eighth-inch rubber gasket material to the inside. I adhered it with super glue and cut it to shape so it would show as little as possible (I couldn't find black anything that thick in this hick town).
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Instead of cork, I used some plastic caps used for cheap furniture legs. It will prevent any whistling noises and keep dirt and water from getting into the tubes and then slowly dripping out all muddy onto a freshly washed KJ. You can also see in the above pic where I had to file and sand the Line-X finsh so the pipe would fit inside the clamp. Even with the Line-X removed from the inside of the clamp, the pipe wouldn't slide in until I filed and sanded the ends. It was still a really tough fit.
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The KJ rails aren't really round, so the pipe clamp's retainer screw doesn't hit the rail in a part of it that helps hold the clamp down. So, unfortunately, you can lift up on the ends and the crossbars will tilt upward until the long bolt of the clamp comes in contact with the bottom of the rail. It's a snug fit, but definitely not a tight fit. If I do this over, I will find a different kind of clamp.
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Just as I started mounting the front crossbar, it began to rain. It drizzled a little before, but now it's raining. Of course, I'm too stupid to come in out of the rain, so I finish the job.
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My neighbor is even dumber though. He leaves his bike and sidecar out in the rain. He's trying to sell it, so he doesn't want to miss out on any looki-lews.
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All in all, I'm happy with the crossbars. I hope to be able to get the Rola basket next month. I want to take a road trip, which I don't normally do, but I haven't seen my brother in well over a decade. He's been battling ALS and it may be he doesn't have much time left. He lives in the Santa Barbara area, which is about 530 miles from me. The basket could hold a suitcase and other stuff so I can still carry my Segway inside.
Powder coating works really well with galvanized metals without any pre-treatment.
