Put the bumpers, headlights and molding back on. Here's after and before for comparison. Hood seal isn't on yet, waiting on new OEM fasteners.
Great work coming along nice.Do you find if you paint plastic mouldings,bumpers or skirting it's very hard to match the paint compared to the steel body. I know cars over 10 years old so paint wont be exactly same ,but have found this using Golden pearl on my Lx plastics more difficult.
It's not possible to match with new paint period. In above picture under headlight molding (that I painted) looks like a match, it's not perfect. Aged factory painted Hoods are very hard to find, side molding is impossible, bumpers on the other hand aren't hard to find at all.
I've never painted bumper, but have had done under insurance claim on The King (my 01). New paint matched ok but it was only three years old. With Snowy I'll not be painting or doing anything unless I find (in time for my schedule) recycle bumper in same color. Only way to get color match is with age factory paint of recycled parts. Many people have bumpers setting in backyards after removing to armor up. It's a matter of finding, which takes time. I've one rear bumper in my back yard now, but which paint is in better condition is debatable. I'm waiting on a front bumper, but Mud member that promised to me is missing in action.
As far as side molding they all seem to lose color (especially silver's) in the center strip and end up a light color silver. Many school of though, which makes choice a personal preference:
Do nothing, it's a land cruiser.
Fade the center strip of side molding end to end, with urethane & clay bar. This yields it's own look.
Paint just center strip don't worry about perfect match, you can even change color to yield it's own unique look.
Paint entire molding, but bumpers will not match (nor body in mono color).
Paint bumper and molding, then all plastic matches, this means body shop time. Cost on this runs from $1K to $2K depending on shop.
Wrap can be substituted for paint, yield it's own look and is easy changeable to personalize time and time again.
Then their is the grille, these get pitted over time.
It's often painted black which seems most common, but colors matching (near match) to bumper or body is also cool, so is chrome color. So again a personal preference item but not a perfect match.
So many choices, which boils down to person preference. Perfect match to body color is not a choice and perfect match to all molding means coating all at same time.
With Snowy it's a matter of if a better bumpers & grille become available ans/or me re-coating grille & molding if time allows within my time frame. This is personal preference not structural issues or mechanical and so must take a low priority in what I do.
I've mechanical parts on the way and will be switch into that direction as they arrive. I've spent 45 days detailing which is much more than I budgeted for and I must move on. I'll come back to detail as time allows over next 45 days.
Before
