urvtecs2slo

i plan on painting my bumpers myself. however, ive never done it before. id just like some tips, or possibly a step by step on the best way to go about prepping/painting. more specifically, techniques on spraying, sanding, bodywork, etc.


thanks in advance.

snozepp147

i painted my side skirts and they look pretty good, not as shiny as the rest but a few more layers of clearcoat could fix that..

the bumpers are a little bigger tho and its gonna be harder to make the paint even. you might want to buy something to spray the paint better than just using the can.

first you want to sand the old paint off thoroughly using different grit sandpaper. start with course first and then go finer. dry sand then wet sand with every grit of sandpaper you use. once all the paint is off you can start using 400 and 600 grit sandpaper to make it smooth.

I got my paint at autozone. you can find almost any color there just type in your color code. basically you need primer, the color spray, and clearcoat. first apply a layer of primer, be careful not to let it run. then wait 10-20 minutes for it to dry and then dry and wet sand it with 200 or 300 grit sandpaper. Then apply 1-2 more coats of primer dry and wet sanding inbetween coats until its all evenly covered and you cant see the plastic underneath.

Then dry and wet sand the primer and let dry then apply the colored paint just like the primer in thin even layers. dry and wet sand in between with 400 then 600 grit sandpaper. you may want to do about 3-6 coats of paint so buy alot if u want it to look good. on the last paint layer dry and wet sand with 400 and 600 until its very smooth.

Then let dry and apply 2-5 coats of clearcoat depending on how shiny/dull you want it to be. the more coats=the shinier the paint will be. in between clearcoats, dry and wet sand lightly with 600 (or the finest sandpaper you can find) on the last clearcoat sand with the finest sandpaper you have until its smooth. then let dry overnight and it should be done.

HatefulMechanic

bulldog is your friend.



seriously...its called Bulldog adhesion promotor. wash, sand, wash again, sand again, wash, then wipe down with rubbing alcohol a few times, spray light coats of bulldog, allow it to tack up and be a good surface, and then do light coats of paint, building up to one good layer.


you can use regular auto paint on bumpers and such, it all depends on prep work. and flex agent....

if ya are gonna do the bumpers, i highly reccomend using a spray gun and have it mixed with flex agent, cause if you use touch up paint from the auto store on a bumper, it will crack with the slightest pressure on the bumper.

side skirts are a stiffer plastic, and dont need flex mixed with the paint, but bumpers do.

urvtecs2slo

im using colormatched paint from sherwin.


i WILL NOT be using spray paint...im not stupid.


thanks for the suggestions/tips. keep them coming. i REALLY want to hear from dxplicitone and MORE IMPATIENT...

HatefulMechanic

new bumpers or painting the old ones? it makes a difference on prep is the reason i ask.


new ones have alot of release agent on them, and takes different cleaning procedures. if you have bare plastic, you need to use some form of adhesion promoter. hell, i had to sand mine down with 220, shoot with bulldog, and use two coats of fillprime to get paint to stick. i tried every trick i and my bodyman knew....that was the only way to get it to stick.

and are you using single stage or base/clear? or is your honda the red that is a three stage? (base, tinted clear, clear?)

urvtecs2slo

my honda is silver. ill be using a base/clear. the bumpers are the originals being repainted.

HatefulMechanic

as long as the paint is in good condition, you just need to scuff the paint that is there now, and any bare spots will need primer. as long as the paint isnt cracked off that is.

if it is...ya need to sand down to bare plastic.

urvtecs2slo

the paint itself is in great condition. one of the previous owners must have just scraped up a bunch of shit because its got one of those "i made a turn too wide and scraped another car" scratches. the rear is a little weird too. but yeah, no cracking.

MORE IMPATIENT

absolutely agree. bulldog is definitely your homey when it comes to spraying bumpers and/or just about any plastic or urethane.......



if you say the bumpers are in good condition with no cracked paint, do what fc735 said, scuff them up, i like to wetsand with 600 or use a grey scotch brite pad to prep bumpers, i always make sure there is no shine left on the bumper, make sure to feather out any rough spots.(work your way up from course to fine paper, i do a 6 stage sanding, starting with 80, then 180, 320, 600,1000, 1500), then make sure its smooth, i always clean with an agent called First Kleen, wipe it on, it brings the dirt to the surface and wipe off, dont let it dry or you have to do it over again, its kind of like karate kid, wax on wax off, only its wipe on wipe off, dont touch the bumper with your bare hands after you have cleaned the surface cause the oil from you hands can cause bubbling, spraying techniques come with time and experience, the more you paint the better you will get, your gonna be sloppy the first time, but you will get better, the clear coat is when you have to be careful, you cant go to heavy at one time or its gonna run, make sure you always have the correct pressure coming through your gun as well or your risk of running or fucking up the consistency of the paint is tripled, and here is my biggest tip for you, make sure your spray pattern coming out of your gun isnt to sharp, i like to use a wide fan spray just to make sure i dont concentrate more paint on to one spot then another, keep your gun an equal distance away from the surface when your move down the bumper to spray it, cause if you dont you can get dark or light spots in your paint and it wil be noticeable, theres much more that i could say but your gonna learn it when you spray, so good luck...oh, and make sure to wear a good respirator........

urvtecs2slo

is there any special place to purchase bulldog, or any other of the not-so-common materials youve just mentioned?