Painting tips?
- Thread starter Serina
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Mine just got out of the shop. I did a base coat/clear coat. Now just waiting to drop in the reman engine
About how much did that paint job set you back? Looks great.
I took it to Maaco and got their premium paint that would get me close to factory quality. 1500.00 for the paint and 1500.00 for labor so it came to 3300.00 after tax. These guys at Maaco in my area did a superb job. Oh it comes with 5 years warranty cracks, fades, and workmanship.
Yes. What kind of paint are talking about, rattle-can common stuff, or 2k urethane?
With the exception of some recent single-stage metallics (which I haven't heard particularly good things about), all metallics require a clearcoat.
How are you prepping the plastic? It can be difficult to get good adhesion on plastic.
inkpot
SILVER Star
I prefer the gentle lateral brush strokes provided by natural vegetable material bristles (Arizona Pucker-brush) applied intermittently at various speeds and attitudes/altitudes. It always results in a satiny finish with just a smidge of earthy textures. I think it will ultimately transition into Desert Camo ! 
You'll probably be fine, but you might want an adhesion promoter in the future. You can find them in spray cans. I think even places like AutoZone carry them.
Definitely clearcoat. Put on several coats, following the can directions exactly, then give it *plenty* of time before sanding and polishing, as in weeks to months.
The biggest problems I had back when I did rattle-can painting were from contamination or interaction with the surface below, or from trying to sand and polish too soon.
Rattle-can stuff never gets really hard and it will probably oxidize, fade, and fail within a few years, but you can definitely make it look good and extend its life with proper care.
inkpot
SILVER Star
Actually, I have had good luck with using a really heavy application of paint ( 4 or 5 coats) and then sanding it down with 200, 400, 800, even 1000 Wer n Dry. I suppose you could add a overcoat of super glossy clear if needed.
Did the shop just tape everything up, or did they remove any badges, emblems or gaskets?
They remove most including my roof rack but some they taped.
I prefer the gentle lateral brush strokes provided by natural vegetable material bristles (Arizona Pucker-brush) applied intermittently at various speeds and attitudes/altitudes. It always results in a satiny finish with just a smidge of earthy textures. I think it will ultimately transition into Desert Camo !
Nahh we use them nefangle roller's it lays the latex out the fastist
- Thread starter
- #15
Nahh we use them nefangle roller's it lays the latex out the fastist
Come on guys I am a lady looking for answers not childish jokes
Which plastic pieces are you painting?
I've had pretty good luck with a good cleaning and light scuff, paint 4-5 coats, sanding, and a few coats of clear on plastic parts in the past.
I've had pretty good luck with a good cleaning and light scuff, paint 4-5 coats, sanding, and a few coats of clear on plastic parts in the past.
Lots of jokes here, but it is all in good fun and a great community. Second to none imho. If you are painting metallic, that is your real challenge, especially with spray cans but it can be done. Most paints will have enough flex for plastic parts and if you are painting over old paint it doesn't need adhesion promoter. You should do a base/clear approach. Metallics look pretty crappy in single stage. If you sand parts, try to get pretty fine- like 280 grit+ because metallic lays in the sand scratch and will reflect light. Don't worry about gloss on your base color. What you are after is EVEN, without "stripes". Put down a couple of base coats to get coverage, then wait ten minutes and lay one more coat on keeping the spray far away to make an even layer. If it looks stripey, do that step again. From there, go medium wet coats (2 or 3) of clear after about 20 minutes. Take your time, being hasty makes runs. If it is too long, you can pile the clear on to "burn" it in, but be careful. You can make things look great on the cheap if you can give up the time. Good luck!
I just painted my daughter's 80 today. I still have a couple of days of putting it back together ahead. I spent about $600 on above average materials and a very long weekend. It is far from perfect but looks great. It would be 3-4 grand in a shop so it is all about what you can get yourself to do vs. pay up and relax. Your parts will be great and you have the value of knowledge coming your way.
- Thread starter
- #20
@dogfishlake thanks! I painted the parts on Saturday and they have 4 coats of base metallic. Do I need to sand them again with the base coat on? Or just hit them with 2-3 coats of clear?
