Spray painting the front grills...

[RS197]

Planning spray painting the front grill gloss black on my days off, any tips? I have never spray painted anything in my life, I had a quick look on YouTube but couldn’t really find anything.

So where is the best place to buy the paint and what do I need? Do I need primer?

Also what’s the best method? 2 coats 3?

And advice would be greatly appreciated.

If it goes well I might even give the rear diffuser a go.

I know this has been covered before but is it just a case of pulling the grills from the bottom to get them off?

Cheers

 

[richandgem]

first find some primer thats suitable for plastics (not all primers are).
and spray on several thin layers dont try and do each coat in one go, do maybe 3-4 coats in each stage.

Always a good idea to sand the primer with some 1200 grit wet and dry (using water aswell) as it will smooth the surface out, if your primer coat is rubbish all the others will be

 

[Foxspeed]

i would say preperation is the key -

make sure the grilles are cleaned/washed - you dont want any polish/silicones on the
plastic
make sure you use a quality plastic primer - take your time and read the instructions
do in doors/garage with a heat lamp on if possible as this will help to cure the paint faster
use as many coats (many thin ones than one thick one) to achieve the required finish as
there is no "ideal" amount on something like this as different paints cover at different rates

remember take your time

 

[Adrian]

going to be mighty tricky getting into all those squares !

 

[richandgem]

do in doors/garage with a heat lamp on if possible as this will help to cure the paint faster

you have to be careful using a heater on air drying paints, they can cause the bonding agents to set differently which will cause the paint to flake very quickly. I would say do it in a warm environment and make sure the parts aren't cold. If your using proper bodyshop paints then use a heater on them or stick them in the oven on a very low heat

 

[RS197]

Cheers for the info guys, it will really help

 

[Foxspeed]

you have to be careful using a heater on air drying paints, they can cause the bonding agents to set differently which will cause the paint to flake very quickly. I would say do it in a warm environment and make sure the parts aren't cold. If your using proper bodyshop paints then use a heater on them or stick them in the oven on a very low heat

the ones i have used recommend a heat source to help the curing process