How to paint plastic (Fender Flares) the right way.

[Lhemi]

We have all got tons of plastic stuff on our trucks. For me I wish it was all color matched.
This is how I painted my plastic fender flares.

 

[Lhemi]

Materials

I bought all my stuff from Automotive Touch Up . Com
First and foremost is the prepping solvent.
A great paint job isn't from the best clear coat, it's from the work put in before you lay any color or clear.
Always make sure everything is clean and dry before you start.

 

[Lhemi]

Materials

Adhesion promoter

 

[Lhemi]

Materials

Primer, for stuff that's not going to flex at all use acrylic lacquer primer because it gets very hard.
For this I am using a easy sanding automotive primer.

 

[Lhemi]

Materials

Body matched paint

 

[Lhemi]

Materials

2k urethane clear coat. Urethane is flexible. You will want to where a mask when shooting this stuff or you'll be chasing imaginary butter flys into something highly illegal, don't be chasing imaginary butterfly's into something highly illegal.

 

[Lhemi]

Scuff and prep

I scuffed my flares with a gray and then red scuff pad. After I wiped everything down with the solvent.

 

[Lhemi]

How it should look

Everything should be dull with no shinny spots. Shinny at this point is a sign of trouble to come.
Shinny=Bad

 

[Lhemi]

Adhesion

Promoter is next, 2 coats about 5 minutes apart. If you get a run at this point Do Not sand it just let it dry.

 

[Lhemi]

Primer

I like 2 nice coats of primer, after a very light tack coat.

 

[Lhemi]

Color

My first coat of color I use as a guide to find the highs and lows. I hit it with 1000 grit wet and sand the whole thing down. This gives me a very flat nice finish.
Also you always want to paint anything that's going to "hang" on the body in just about the same position as it's going to be installed. It doesn't seem like it but colors will be slightly off if it was painted flat and then installed up and down.

 

[Lhemi]

Second coat of clear

This is my first time using this product and system. I'm impressed! I got the plastic triggers that go on top of the cans.
The product has a very nice fan, great coverage. It's pretty forgiving, and a perfect match to my color, mineral gray.
Generally this is where I would pop a top and watch paint dry. This being a new product and system to me, and that it's going on the outside of my truck, I will save the adult beverages until after the clear coat.

 

[Lhemi]

Second

Coat

 

[2012ramHEMI]

Great write up, i think ill be trying this on the set my buddy gave me off his 2500 when he switched to bushwackers

 

[jsl6v8]

Wow that looks fantastic, make me want to try this.

 

[Lhemi]

I've got 125 in materials, and the satisfaction of painting my own stuff. I'm no pro, I couldn't tell you the front end of a paint gun.
I today's world there are systems like this for people like me. They want a quality job and they want to paint them your selves.

 

[2012ramHEMI]

125$ isnt bad at all i got quoted 300$ to get the flares done at a local shop, how many cans of primer, base, clear did it take to do the flares?

 

[Lhemi]

3 coats of color

And no clear, just wanted to show the color and how smooth it is before I shoot the clear

 

[Lhemi]

Just

Another shot

 

[Stangshcky12]

Eastwood makes a 2k clear coat that about the same as spraymax 2k
I've used both, use a respirator and an open well ventilated area