radrob Posted December 21, 2009 Report Share Posted December 21, 2009 so on the jurney they have that black UGLY peace that surounds the fog lights and ,i was wandering if a person could paint that the origanal color of the car? and if so what do you need for materials? what kind of paint?or better yet can someone do a photoshop on one to see what it would look like? :rolleyes: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
04redmach1 Posted December 22, 2009 Report Share Posted December 22, 2009 The reason I have been holding off on a billet grill is those ugly fog light housings. I was hoping a company would make an "upgrade" rather it be billet or something. You can paint them, but paint + plastic = upkeep often. Paint just doesn't stick to plastic well, but may last 2 years before needing repainted. I also thought about cutting them up and giving a little design to them, they are just big, bulky, and hideous. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rozwell911 Posted December 22, 2009 Report Share Posted December 22, 2009 The reason I have been holding off on a billet grill is those ugly fog light housings. I was hoping a company would make an "upgrade" rather it be billet or something.You can paint them, but paint + plastic = upkeep often. Paint just doesn't stick to plastic well, but may last 2 years before needing repainted. I also thought about cutting them up and giving a little design to them, they are just big, bulky, and hideous. Not true, propper prepping and primer, prior to painting, will yield comparable results if not possibly better (if you take your time) than most OEM paint jobs. And they will last just as long. Painting is all in the prep work. Now if the plastic is textured and not smooth, you will get the texture showing through the paint job, unless you do multiple layers of light primer or use some kind of filler like bondo to smooth out the plastic. You would apply the bondo over the entire textured area, then sand by had to the appropriate thickness, thus smoothign out the bond, as it fills in the cracks between the textured areas. Int he end you have a smooth, even paintable surface that you can primer and paint, then clear coat. Its all in prep and how much time to take... Now the one problem you may have is finding your exact color premixed. Most dealer cannot get you more than a bottle of touch up paint. ANd the ones that can get up paint cans (BMW is one fo them) only offer base colors, which means you have to mix them in the appropriate color formula to get the color you need. Also to properly apply you would need an air gun....preferable an automotive quality spray gun, but i know some people that have use hobby shop spray guns (guns for models or pinstripe) that have painted small items like trim and small plastic pieces where you do not need the coverage distance of an automotive spray gun. Now to get the paint premixed you need your color code, and head to a body shop you trust and ask if they will premix this color and sell you a can.... ANds please, do not apply it with a brush to the part your painting, it will cause streaks and runs and will not be even. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
radrob Posted December 23, 2009 Author Report Share Posted December 23, 2009 thank's for the info ,sound like alot of prep work,what about chrome pieces for a color?you see the chrome spray bombs, how are they to work with? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rozwell911 Posted December 23, 2009 Report Share Posted December 23, 2009 thank's for the info ,sound like alot of prep work,what about chrome pieces for a color?you see the chrome spray bombs, how are they to work with? Never used the chrome sprays...if i wanted something chromed, i'd get it professionaly dipped. Most compaines that offer chrome dipping will prep the part for you and dip it so long as you take it off. The sprays are probably similar to automotive paint, so if you went the spray route, u would have to prep the part like you would for a paint job. It is a lot of work, which is why propper body shops (not like Maaco) take the time to prep and paint...you have a much more finished product and a happy customer that will not notice body work has been done. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
04redmach1 Posted December 29, 2009 Report Share Posted December 29, 2009 I have seen many paint jobs on plastic (like the avalanche and ford escape body armor) and the paint just doesn't last. Once you get a chip it flakes easy and cracks. Could be our climate, but in the southeast that is what we get. I had a Ford Explorer and the body armor was painted, nothing but issues and looked like crap Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rozwell911 Posted January 2, 2010 Report Share Posted January 2, 2010 I have seen many paint jobs on plastic (like the avalanche and ford escape body armor) and the paint just doesn't last. Once you get a chip it flakes easy and cracks. Could be our climate, but in the southeast that is what we get. I had a Ford Explorer and the body armor was painted, nothing but issues and looked like crap It has to be all in the prep work....Remember most if not all bumpers are the same ABS plastic that are used in the trim peices....If the paint can stay on the bumpers made of ABS plastics, why can't it stay on the trim peices that are propperly preped, primered and painted that are made of the exact same material on the bumpers? Now, most plastic trim pieces (not bumpers) are either textured or could have a coating protecting the plastic from weathering...Which if you do not sand lightly, clean and primer it, paint will just flake off. I never paint anything with out using a base coat of primer...primer will stick to most any surface. Paint will only stick properly to primers (Automotive paint that is). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
04redmach1 Posted January 2, 2010 Report Share Posted January 2, 2010 Our bumpers were urethane, but trims were plastic. If you know what you are doing maybe it will work, but I have seen it done around here with bad results. Could be shitty shops too. I'm just waiting on a billet accessory for it or cutting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rozwell911 Posted January 4, 2010 Report Share Posted January 4, 2010 Our bumpers were urethane, but trims were plastic. If you know what you are doing maybe it will work, but I have seen it done around here with bad results. Could be shitty shops too. I'm just waiting on a billet accessory for it or cutting. I tend to do all my work by hand when ever i can. I have not had any problems when i do the work. Some shops just don't want tot ake the time to prep a part. Here in California i have seen many a custom paint jobs for many shops with no problems afterwards to trim pieces. It could be your climate, do you get a lot of humidity? Humidity is a major problem for paint, if not done in a sealed spray both and not given extra time for the paint to dry. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
04redmach1 Posted January 5, 2010 Report Share Posted January 5, 2010 South Ga is the definition of humidity. That is what I was thinking tho. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
radrob Posted March 15, 2010 Author Report Share Posted March 15, 2010 South Ga is the definition of humidity. That is what I was thinking tho. anyway i just found grill inserts that actually have a piece that goes beside the fog lights and its all stainless steele,they look awsome,the grill inserts run about170+and thats for a 5pcs i'm going to check to see if that includes the fog light inserts? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
atreides Posted April 9, 2010 Report Share Posted April 9, 2010 anyway i just found grill inserts that actually have a piece that goes beside the fog lights and its all stainless steele,they look awsome,the grill inserts run about170+and thats for a 5pcs i'm going to check to see if that includes the fog light inserts? Hi, nice find any chance of a link or picture? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
radrob Posted May 14, 2010 Author Report Share Posted May 14, 2010 sorry for the late response,i'm going to check it out today and see what gives,i'm trying to line up some window vents to,ineed someone to walk me though in posting pics so that i can show you ALL MY MODS,CIA,MAJOR VYNLE,ECT Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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