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I swear, whenver I try to paint something I fail.




I bought the Mopar paint at the dealership. I cleaned up the bezels up with alchol prep pads. Shook the can vigioursly for 2 minutes. Heated the bezels up with a hairdryer. It was windy outside so I went in a corner near the house and I layed them flat on some wood and started to spray coats. Paint started to dribble away, its like there was water in the can.

How the hell do you guys paint stuff without it turning out crappy. I hear people doing them without sanding them down or using clearcoat and they came out fine. Was it because I had the can pointed down?

I am not happy at all with the results.

What was the temperature outside? It looks like it went on too thick.

you should have run some 600 grit on it... then primered it... the painted it... painting is a hard thing to get good at... you just gotta take your time... thats the biggest thing if its running then your way to close with the can... paint should never run... the bubbling looks like you painted over the first coat before it could dry

Does it need to be up. I think it went on think because I was pointing the can down at it. I was a good foot away from it.

62 degrees out.

So when it all dries up how can I try again? Sand it all off?

um i dunno i just painted my front grill peices and i just crouched down pointed the can at them and sprayed away... they are def not ruined go get some sand paper sand them down clean them with 409 and then try again. lol ill try and help if i can... let me get a picture of my grill

Hmmmm.. a little warmer would of been perferred. Under 70 leads to long drying and curing times. Check the bottle. And yeah give spraying it straight on a shot. I would use 320 grit to get that paint off then work up to about 600 to get it purrrrrrfect. Also, a can of primer from walmart would work wonders.

Try try again. I will wait til it warms up. The surface to be painted it says to be over 65. So thats why I heated up the bezels. How far away do you spray? Go realy slow from left to right. I suck when it comes to painting! I plan on painting my wheels this summer too, and I will blow a gasket if they came out crappy.

So having the can pointed down at the object doesn't matter?

the can should be angled... heres the bezle 0 \ the line is the can...lol but i dont think temp matters as much i painted mine at 10 at night in maryland like 2 days ago
it was like 40 outside... i think primer would really help you man... and just take your time... i painted my stuff one by one and then brought it inside right after paint so it would dry.

Sanding and primering should be mandatory to paint, you really need a good base for the paint to stick to.

Also try hangin the parts up with a coat hanger or something so you're sure to get the right amount of paint out of the can.

I rattle canned my entire front bumper in my garage and it came out DAMN good.......here's a pic of it two days after the paint was dry......

Blurry, but the gloss is there......

Thats not a front bumper

haha, oops

I need to re-do my front bumper badly. You can really just rattle can the whole thing?? That would be tight.

lambostealth wrote:Sanding and primering should be mandatory to paint, you really need a good base for the paint to stick to.

Also try hangin the parts up with a coat hanger or something so you're sure to get the right amount of paint out of the can.
I rattle canned my entire front bumper in my garage and it came out DAMN good.......here's a pic of it two days after the paint was dry......

Blurry, but the gloss is there......

Yes thats what I want to do! When I get some time I will go to the hardware store and get some grits. What do you guys recommend for grits? To get paint off then to sand it down before I primer it. Also a good primer...

320 to get paint off then 600? Work your way up from 320 with different grits? Example?

IU started about at 400, working up to 1000, or 1500, then sprayed it lightly, let it flash 10 minutes, then sprayed thicker, then flash 10 min, then a final thick even coat, then let that dry over night in my garage, the next morning, I wet sanded with 800, then with 1500, then shot three coats of clear over it, but I got my clear from a local automotive paint store pre mixed with the hardeners, the can is only good for about 6 hours, but if you plan to use it right away, it's the only way to get that type of nice hard, glossy wet looking clear coat.

lambostealth wrote:IU started about at 400, working up to 1000, or 1500, then sprayed it lightly, let it flash 10 minutes, then sprayed thicker, then flash 10 min, then a final thick even coat, then let that dry over night in my garage, the next morning, I wet sanded with 800, then with 1500, then shot three coats of clear over it, but I got my clear from a local automotive paint store pre mixed with the hardeners, the can is only good for about 6 hours, but if you plan to use it right away, it's the only way to get that type of nice hard, glossy wet looking clear coat.

Oh damn. That's a lot of work

Thats overkill lambo IMO.

I just want it to go on there without any runs or blotches.

its alot of work yes,but it sure beats the hell outta paying a body shop 50 bucks an hour or more to do it for ya.i have done quite a few things with a rattle can and once you get the how to down its great,just need to take it in steps and do it the same way everytime.90% of painting is prep,5% skill and the rest is talent.
the probs i see from many people when they try to do it is coverage,smooth even strokes,dont rush ANYTHING! take some time and do it just after u have had dinner or a beer and when your mind is clear and focused.use a tack cloth or air to clean dust off the part after using a cleaner,i like dish soap on plastic parts and a cleaner degreaser on all others.as for sand paper use like a 150 grit to remove paint and work your way down to bare surface.you may be tempted to use a heaver grit but dont,it will just cause you more work it the end work up to a 220 and then 320 finish with around a 600 grit paper,dont realy want to too much finer cause you will lose the "tooth" for the paint to stick to,clean the part,tack rag,primer,let it dry then another sand with 600 grit,tack rag,more primer,inspect your work for flaws,if your okay then top coat,smooth even strokes wait the proper amount of time as per the paint you are using for recoats and finish with some good automotive clear and wetsand down to a 2500 grit and rubbing compound and you will have a perfect finish for a whole lot less

DAMN thanks for the info!

Alot of that info blew over me. Whats tack rag?

Like I stated earlier, I just want the damn paint to stick and not come out crappy. Do I really have to follow that entire process?

All the materials seem like it would cost an arm and a leg.

I know ByVampDesign does em for $55.

it realy doesnt cost all that much,the sandpaper is the most at prolly like twelve bucks or so,a tack rag is a micro fibre towle with tiny baffles that hold dust and such,i get mine in the paint section of walmart for 4 bucks,wash it and reuse as many times as you want as long as you take care of it,i dont think you have to go through all of what i wrote to get a good finish,it was just how i do mine.use some mild sand paper and take that crappy coat of paint off and sand down to like a 600 grit like i said and then clean,and i mean clean that sucker with some dawn dish soap let it dry,use some dupli color high fill primer and primer it,check your work,if it needs touch up do it and recoat,top coat,respray till its like you want it and clear it.you can wetsand if you want or not, if you like it go for it,and keep in mind what ever you buy for this project you will prolly use again on another project so its not too bad for like 20/25 bucks,if you have any questions feel free to ask and if anyone else can give some more advice i for one would love to hear it

Thanks so much! I will get back at it with a vengenance!

Once this weather warms up of course, and post pict0rs.

yellowpatrol wrote: Oh damn. That's a lot of work

YES it is a lot of work !! This is why I hate doing bodywork .......

-Nick

Well I put them on the car, because without them on the car looks like crap.

You know what. Its not really noticeable at all....

I guess after they all dried and all, they turned out a tiny bit better.

I will redo them though once it stays in the 70's.

Well.. After having them on my car for around 3 months the paint started to come off in little dots from sand, road debris etc. So now there are little black dots. I then went to the car wash to spray the car down and I was trying to get some dead bugs off of the bezels and a big chunk of paint came off. so now there is a huge black spot.

They are long over-do to be repainted and I will do it right this time hopefully.

dude...PRIMER, you will need it any time you paint

Sounds like seriously improper surface prep. If you used an alcohol prep pad, thats fine and dandy. But you need to wait long enough for the vapors coming off of it to dissipate before you attempt to paint it. If you don't wait, the paint will bubble and peel as the vapors coming off the plastic rise.

You really do need to sand the surface before cleaning it. Start with 400, anything else is too coarse, then finish off with 600 grit. After that, clean the part with regular soap that has no silicone, or wax, tar and grease remover. Pick up some BullDog Adhesion Promoter, since the fog light bezels aren't smooth, its tough to get inside the small bumps to sand it properly. Spray two coats of this exactly as directed then spray your silver followed by your clear. Thats how I always spray textured plastic parts. Works everytime.

Putting a clear on it will help protect the paint as well. When you're spraying, make sure you don't start your strokes with the nozzle shooting the part. Start off to the side for each one and sweep across the part. That'll prevent some of you runs.

actually, you can use a sandpaper thats heavier than 400... i used 180 on my grille peices and they came out beautifully, just dont press hard.....

if you use a heavier grit sandpaper, use a high build primer, it will quickly fill any scratches you might have from the sandpaper...just dont go using like 80grit, lol

MyNeonSaysHi wrote:DAMN thanks for the info!

Alot of that info blew over me. Whats tack rag?

Like I stated earlier, I just want the damn paint to stick and not come out crappy. Do I really have to follow that entire process?

All the materials seem like it would cost an arm and a leg.

I know ByVampDesign does em for $55.

Asking a question like that, is why your paint is coming out like crap. Yes you should go through that entire process if you want it to look good and hold up over time. I sprayed by side skirts with a rattle can and they came out great. Bulldog products are great, especially the primer. I just wish it was sold in stores near me so I didnt have to order it.

NiteHawk wrote:actually, you can use a sandpaper thats heavier than 400... i used 180 on my grille peices and they came out beautifully, just dont press hard.....

if you use a heavier grit sandpaper, use a high build primer, it will quickly fill any scratches you might have from the sandpaper...just dont go using like 80grit, lol

If you read any refinishers manual you are not supposed to go any harsher than 320 grit unless you are sanding filler. 400 is preferable to paint a bare substrate. The reason is because it becomes very difficult to hide the scratches. I'm not shooting you down, just telling you what I learned in school w/PPG. I am a certified body person and I go by what I was taught. I painted my entire car and when I sanded it I started with 400 and went to 600. Came out great, two years later its still great. I don't recommend harsh sandpapers anymore than I recommend dry sanding.

Start with 320 grit or harsher and don't finish properly, you end up with this, look closely and you'll see it:

when your all better, come paint my car!

ok, at least help me paint my car?






ok...i'll just keep dreaming then.....


honestly if i had the time and a place to spray it, i could do it myself...

here's a shot i took of a 3000gt i was painting...

after the clear dried, we started wetsanding it to a mirror...fender was done for the most part in this pic...