I am going to be painting my side moldings silver to match the color of my car and would like to know what grit to sand with and what to degrease it and anything else that I will need to know. Thanks.

 

bump to the top

 

can I just remove them, sand them with like 400, primer them, then paint them with some autozone touch up spray paint, then clear coat it?Should this work?The only problem is How do I degrease them so the paint sticks better)Thanks.

 

i say take them to a body shop cuz i did my integra ones and cleared them, after a while it just pieled out. i didnt care cuz i sold the car to some guy.

 

here's what you do:

-Degrease with plastics prep, found at your local autobody supply shop.
-If it is bare plastic, you can sand with 320 then move up to 600 grit the best you can.
-Use the plastic prep again just before you start painting.
-spray on a product called "Bulldog", also found at the supply shop,,,,this is an adhesion promoter that is available in spray cans
-then go ahead and spray your color/clear. I never recommend using spray cans, but in this case, it should be fine and might last you up to a good year before it starts to fade. But thats what happens with spray canned paints!

-make sure you read all instructions on your products!
-practice spraying the paints on something and develope a good spray technique. Paints work best when they are sprayed on in medium wet coats with a consistant spray distance. Make sure you let each coat dry for about 15-30 minutes before adding another coat. Following these guidlines, you can make this job look professional and last even longer.

-goodluck, and post pics when you're done!!! and share the info on this tech...too many people out there trying to rattle can their cars-but this is the best way to do it even though I recommend Professional Paints and Jobs.

 

Thanks so much Tnbigdawg. I saved this in word for tomorrow That was very helpfull. I willl post the results this weekend or earlier depending on when I can the roll developed. Thanks again!!
Sorry, a couple more quick questions. It said that spray cans don't really last that long, what should I get then?Should I try and use that paint touch up paint that comes with a tiny brush for scratches?And should I remove the sidemoldings and sideskirts, or can I leave them on and just mask around them?Thanks.


[Modified by slvrcivic97, 4:29 AM 12/18/2002]


[Modified by slvrcivic97, 4:31 AM 12/18/2002]

 

I meant that spray can paints dont last as long as OEM or Professional paints such as: PPG, Dupont...etc...

You'll be fine with the spray can paints, it's just the moldings.

Touch up brushes?-yeah right lol, Don't even try it!

Goodluck!


[Modified by tnbigdawg, 8:48 PM 12/17/2002]

 

Thanks Sorry one more question and that's it-Would you recommend taking the sidemoldings and sideskirts off or just masking around them real good?Thanks again.

 

all you need is some scotch brite. use the pad to scuff it up. and have the body shop paint it. thats what they do.

 

Take them off to paint them. you'll be more satisfied with the results.

and the reason I recommend sanding it instead of just scotchbrite, is because you want to get the texture down so it doesnt show up in your paint.

 

Thanks guys.

 

Well, your help paid off!! I got them all painted the correct way. I will post pics up very soon. Oh yeah, I even got around to painting my mugen grille It looks so much better painted silver than it did black. Thanks again.!!