Painting

1. How do u paint ur lowers? regular paint then clear? or should u sand first
2) How do u repair paint ... sand paint then clear or use those little dixer tools to fill in gaps

Maintenance

other than a clear bra ... what else can u use

Finally

cleaning supplies, what cleaner, waxer and all kinds of sh*t do u guys use on your car

 

Painting:

I'm in the middle of the process, as we type. I'll tell you exactly what I know...but I am no professional. Plan on the process taking a week. It's all in the prepwork and if you want it to look good, take your time. It's not a simple process and you should do some thorough research beofre diving in.

1. Scuff all the paintable surface with 400 grit sandpaper. Clean well.

2. Use Bulldog adhesion promoter in a spray can. It digs into the fine etches and helps the primer stick.

3. Prime 2 medium wet coats, using an automotive primer with flex additive. Let dry 1 hour.

4. Sand using 600 grit. Clean well

5. Fill scratches, holes, etc. with glazing compound (bondo in a tube). Sand again till flush.

6. Prime again. Sand smooth with 600, then 800. You want this one to be really nice and smooth, cause the paint will follow the surface. Clean.

7. Paint 2 medium wet coats with a god quality auto laquer (I recommend PPG or DuPont) Let dry overnight

8. Sand using 1000 grit. Clean.

9. Paint another coat of Base. DO NOT SAND. Let dry overnight.

10. 2 wet coats of clear (same brand as base is best). Let dry overnight

11. Wet sand with 1000 grit.

12. 2 more wet coats clear. Let dry a couple days and use rubbing compound to maximize glossy finish. Do not wax for 30 days. Done.


I recommend wearing gloves the entire time and a mask. You will literally get sick if you breathe these fumes. Don't forget all the taping and cover the entire car with plastic or dropcloth. Good paint is not cheap. DuPont or PPG paint can run $60/pint and clear $30/pint. If they are in a non-spray can, you might have to mix with laquer thinner. Oh, I guess auto-laquer may be illegal in CA??? Check into it. Again, I am no expert or professional...I have just used this process with decent results.

 

hey plowman - im not painting a whole piece - there's 3 scratches on my car (from some keying ***) and im trying to cover that

ur saying i should sand the whol thing?

im getting paint from Audi - cuz my car is ming pearl blue

 

You can get one of those pens and fill in the scratch. Other than that... no clue.

As for painting lowers, you do know there are DIY threads right?

 

Oh wow...if you're touching up scratches, DO NOT sand the whole thing. Only sand what you are going to paint. Usually, when someone refers to "painting lowers", they are talking about painting all/most of the lower trim that is black plastic from the factory. Use a paint pen from www.paintscratch.com for touchups. They work pretty well.

 

I agree with going to paintscratch.com. I've used their pens (they even have a clear pen). Then follow the instructions below:

Thoroughly clean area to be repaired with dish soap (Joy, Dawn etc.) and water. Then dry completely. The use of prep solvent and a clean lint free towel assures the best clean surface free of wax, grease, and other oil based surface contaminates. For better results do not apply in direct sunlight.

Loading The Tip With Paint

Shake the paint pen tightly capped until the ball rattles freely. Remove the cap and press the spring loaded tip of the paint pen on a flat surface until the paint flows through. You may need to press the tip in a few times for some colors. Paint should be tested on a test surface before using on your vehicle. This process may need to be repeated in between coats.

Primer

Apply touch up primer over bare metal or plastic 2-3 coats 10-15 minutes in between coats.

Paint Touch Up Application

Thoroughly shake the base coat color before applying. Apply as many coats necessary to cover the area leaving 10-15 min. minimum between light coats. Do not wet sand or use prep solvent in between coats of paint or clearcoat.

Please allow 1 hour to overnight after base coat color has been applied to apply clearcoat. Apply clearcoat 2-3 coats using a dabbing motion waiting 15-20 minutes in between coats. Be gentle using a light dabbing motion with the tip because you do not want to disturb the undercoats. Use a light dabbing motion.

Clear coat should be dry to the touch in 1-2 hours, but will completely dry over night. Clearcoat can be compounded after fully dry to bring optimum shine. Clearcoat can also be wet sanded lightly with 1500 and than polished to remove dirt. Not exactly the easiest task for a beginner to remove wet sand scratches by hand compounding. Do not wax the fresh paint for one month.

 

my question is how do I repair the plastic myself and then paint - that would require snading right? is it even worth it? cuz i was gonna get a new bumper anyway

also ... i have ming pearl blue - do they have that pen color

 

nevermind they have my color

here's my remaining qustions -

(my dad is doign this and he's a mechanic and construction contractor opening up his own shop so its a learning exp for him too)

1) Should i use putty to replace missing pieces of the plastic (small piece of bumper is missing (about 1/10 of inch)
2) Should I use pen for scrapes on the fenders as well or would that need to be sprayed

 

Finally

should I just do all the work myself or touch it up till its acceptable then wait 2 years till im out of college to get the entire car detailed and resprayed where necessary then 3m clear bra the hood and stuff? or should i just do that now then bra it