Santacruzslick

iTrader: (12)

I had been thinking about painting these for a while and the idea finally popped into my head to use model car paint. This is probably the easiest visual mod I have done. (except for the door edge on the grille). Below is a step-by-step tutorial of how I did this and what I used.

What you will need:
1 can of primer $4
2* cans of Testors model paint for the covers (I used blue-1210) $6
2*cans of Testors model paint for the trim parts(I used gray-1233)$6
1 can of acrylic clear coat sealer(gloss or matte depending on your preference)I used gloss $4

Total cost- About $20
* you can probably get away with one can of each color but I got 2 just to be safe. They are only $3 each.

Other useful items:
Sawhorses and a piece of ply-wood or a table you don't mind painting.
Denatured alcohol to clean the parts before painting

Tips:
Do this in a very well ventilated area!
When using more than one color be sure finished pieces are far away so as not to get overspray on them.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

1. Remove the pieces by taking off the covers and removing the surrounding pieces. The surrounding pieces are attatched with plastic rivets that can be easily removed with a flat head screw driver. There are 5 on each one.

2. Remove the rubber weather stripping from those pieces. Also remove the small piece of foam. Don't worry, the foam will stick back on when you are done without any new adhesive being used as long as you take it off slowly.

3. Clean all your parts with denatured alcohol. This is not mandatory but cleans well and does not need to be dried off.

4. Lay out all of your parts and spray them with the primer. Buy the quick dry type and this will be very easy. I applied 2 coats right after one another. If you want to do the bottom of your parts be sure to do them first. I did the bottoms in primer but not color. Bring the parts inside your garage to dry so stuff doesn't blow and get stuck to your parts.

5. After allowing the primer to dry(about 30-45 minutes should do it) apply your first coat of paint to the parts. I did the trim pieces first then let them dry while I was doing the lids. Then put a second coat on the trim pieces, followed by the lids. I did a 3rd coat but that is not needed. The more coats the more dimension you will get. Do not do more than 4 or 5 coats though because the paint will start to build up in the dimples. Make sure when spraying one color the pieces of the other color are far away so as not to get overspray on them.

6. After allowing the paint to dry for about 2-3 hours apply a coat of clear coat. I believe I did about 4 coats of clear acrylic to make sure it was covered REALLY good.

7. Leave these pieces to dry overnight or for at least 4-5 hours to make sure EVERYTHING is FULLY dried.

8. Re-apply the rubber weather stripping and the foam carefully. Place the trim pieces back into their locations and re-insert the rivets. Insert the covers and VIOLA!! You're done and have a brand new look in your engine compartment.


If you now feel comfortable with the process you can go on to do your engine cover. That's my project for next weekend!

MikeW

iTrader: (2)

Good tutorial...thanks!

Santacruzslick

iTrader: (12)

Ok well, I couldn't wait and decided to paint the engine cover today. I'm still waiting for it to dry so I'll put it back on tonight and take some pics. of it. I painted it the same blue as the covers.

Santacruzslick

iTrader: (12)

Ok, I had some trouble with the paint on the engine cover and removed it all. Don't paint the engine cover with this method. I'm glad the paint job got messed up because the heat of the engine may have been able to gum up the paint. The battery cover and fluid cover are fine to do this with though. I have driven with them for about 30 miles straight with no problems at all. That area does not get hot really. I'm probably gonna order a CF engine cover. Anyone know where to get one for a good price?

zand02max

iTrader: (22)

UH oh. Why a lighter blue?

Santacruzslick

iTrader: (12)

Lighter blue so it's more of an accent. If it was the same blue as the outside it would look too "factory" which I didn't want. That and for some reason I absolutly love those two colors together.

Yea, had a problem with the engine cover. It freaked out on me. I probably put too thick of clear coat on at one time and because the part is not flat it started running. I'm probably gonna go for a CF one.