Ok, im planning on painting my engine covers this weekend, but first i have a couple of quick questions, ive read most threads i can find but.... here it goes

1. i should sand the plastic down with 2000grit paper(wetsanding)<what exactly is wet sanding, just spraying a litle soap and water then sanding?>
2. apply some Bulldog to help the paint stick a little better
3. apply a primer, sand, primer until smooth as can be<what time of primer duplicolor?>
4. apply a basecoat, sand, another coat until smooth<again, duplicolor?>
5.apply a clearcoat<brand??>

sorry for all the questions, juss want to do the best job i can, thanks for all the help in advance

 

1. That plastic is textured. If you want a smooth finish use at least 600 grit. Unless you are using feather fill primer.
2. What is Bulldog?
3. Painting is not that easy. You need to add a flex additive to your paint or it will chip off..

I am stopping here because I gather that you want to use spray can paint.

I advise against this. You will get an orange peel texture and you will have no chemical resistance.. If the finished job doesent look like ***** , it will about a week down the road.

If you must do this , then go to an auto store and find the spray paint that is made for plastic bumpers. This has a flex additive and it will at least last. They make these in primer too.

Better to just pay a proffesional to do this. Think about it... HAve you ever seen someone do a nice job on their car using spray can paint??

PAy Earl Sheibe to do it. You could probably get it done for $50 bucks. They arent the best, but it will look decent. They will use the proper additives in the paint and orange peel will be minimal.

 

Have Rob "ZPRESENCE" do them. He does a fantastic job.

 

+1...his work is flawless.

 

If you want to attempt it yourself I would suggest getting paint with flex added.

I ordered from:
http://www.paintscratch.com/

they sell paint by the spray can and pint depending how you want to spray. They even match the factory color based on VIN #

 

yeah i did mine with paintscratch.com paint, it was only about 45$ for basecoat with flex and clearcoat. i wet sanded first, then applied the paint. came out nice, heres the result:

 

oops sorry forgot to resize the pic

 

I used KRYLON "Fusion" spray paint.

Other than masking, I did no surface preparation. You shouldn't have to because of the flex in the plastic paint.
I put on two coats.

Total cost = $13.00

Time spent masking head cover = 1 hour

 

Another Pic:

 

Bill d... how long have had your engine covers painted? just wondering about the longevity of the paint

 

It has been 4 months.
At this point no signs of fading, chipping or cracking.

 

Ok, there are tons of ways to do this yourself, many of them good. What someone giving you advice will first need to know is how are you planning to go about this?

Here is a DIY I wrote up that describes the way I did it. If you are planning to go another route tell me your supplies and location you are doing this and I can help out better.

http://www.sc-side02.com/350z/diy.htm

 

Do they sell that fusion paint in silver?

 

I don't know.

KRYLON: http://www.utilitysafeguard.com/s.nl...tegory.2600/.f

 

im pretty sure they do.

 

Just to give you an idea

my bay