Painting dash (help)

[audio_uphoria]

Hey everyone, I'm a new proud owner of an 02 galant. I've been trying to not do any mods but the bug bit me again so here we go. :D So far I've just did some cheap stuff such as remove/relocate badges, ram intake, and cut off my muffler. Right now I'm taking on the task of painting all the gray plastics on my dash, so this morning as soon as I woke up I went outside with a screwdriver and came back with about ten pieces. My problem is, the primer I bought isn't sticking, in fact its coming right off. So I was wondering if the guys who have painted their dash before could tell me exactly what they did and how well is the paint holding up after a long period of time. Well thanks for looking.

[SkylineG1]

did you use adhesion promoter?

[audio_uphoria]

No, I asked the guys at the auto store about that and they had no idea what I was talking about.

[Jeffylou87]

Did you sand the pieces first?

[audio_uphoria]

Yeah, I'm pretty familiar with the whole process. I've been modding computer towers for a while now. First I'll wet sand with 550 grit and work my way up to 1000. Then I apply primer. It seems like I fixed the problem, I think before I bought the car the lot detailed it so I had to work a little harder to get all the waxy residue off. Still curious what methods, paint, equipment other people used though and how its holding up to daily use.

[Stewi]

I would use any type of adhesion promoter made for plastics. Duplicolor some and for higher end projects I would us Bulldog which is more expensive and I think that bulldog can only be srayed from a HVLP gun, I have never seen it in rattle cans.

[boochieboy]

Bulldog comes in rattle cans....about $10-$12 per can i think.

[Stewi]

Bulldog comes in rattle cans....about $10-$12 per can i think.

there you good...thats good to know.

[qnz]

yep, i used bulldog from a can. Its great, There were a few times i accidently scratched my painted pieces with something and i thoguht "oh shit. my paint" but nothing chipped off.

[boochieboy]

Side note: you can pick up the Bulldog in a spray can at Wal-Mart.

[audio_uphoria]

Well whatever you use just want to let everyone know duplicolor really sucks.

[RAZ_76]

Well whatever you use just want to let everyone know duplicolor really sucks.


It's the user not the paint. I've used Duplicolor plenty of times, years, with no issues. Prep is most important.

[Censee]

u cut off your muffler?

[RAZ_76]

u cut off your muffler?

That' what he said..:lol:

[boochieboy]

:shock:

[JDMFTW]

TAKEN FROM 89Mirageman from 4G61T.org


First things first remove the piece or pieces that you intend on painting. If you can't handle this part yourself sell the car .

Blue door panel:
http://i190.photobucket.com/albums/z285/89Mirageman/Picture031.jpg



Now you need to clean the part and I mean really clean it. You have to get all of the dirt and buildup off so that the paint will stick. Paint does not like armorall. Here is what I used, warm water with dish detergent, some degreaser (test a small place first), comet and some SOS pads:

http://i190.photobucket.com/albums/z285/89Mirageman/Picture028.jpg


Lay the panel down and wet it, then spray it down with degreaser. Be sure to cover every inch of it. Then sprinkle on some comet and take the SOS pad and scrub it very well. Rinse the panel off and let it dry in the sun for a few hours.


http://i190.photobucket.com/albums/z285/89Mirageman/Picture032.jpg
http://i190.photobucket.com/albums/z285/89Mirageman/Picture035.jpg

Once its dry then you need to wipe it down with wax and grease remover, then come back and wipe it down again with a clean dry cloth.


http://i190.photobucket.com/albums/z285/89Mirageman/Picture038.jpg

Give it a few minutes for the left over wax and grease remover to evaporate or blow it dry with an air hose if you're in a hurry. Now you need to mask off anything you do not want painted. I chose to mask off the little weather strip piece because I didn't want to break it trying to take it off.

http://i190.photobucket.com/albums/z285/89Mirageman/Picture036.jpg


Now you're finally ready to paint the panels. I use SEM products but I believe Dupli-Color makes interior paint as well. SEM also sells a product to help the adhesion on plastics. I used this on mine, its called sand free. I also chose to change my interior to black but they have a ton of other colors in case you just want to make it look new again and keep the same color.

http://i190.photobucket.com/albums/z285/89Mirageman/Picture039.jpg

Spray down one coat of the sand free, you want a good solid coat but not too much so that it runs. While this stuff is still wet you spray down a very light coat of paint. You barely want to cover the panel, you're not trying to cover it in one coat. Once this coat is tacky (3 to 5 minutes) go ahead and apply a second coat. You can put a heavier coat on this time as the first coat will help it to bond. Wait another 3-5 minutes and apply your last coat. Be sure to cover the panel this time and that its all even. Make sure that you are happy with it before the paint cures. I wouldn't use more than 3 coats of paint, that should be plenty. You can handle the part in about an hour but I usually give the parts at least a few days to cure before trying to reinstall them in the car.

Finished panel:





http://i190.photobucket.com/albums/z285/89Mirageman/Picture043.jpg
http://i190.photobucket.com/albums/z285/89Mirageman/Picture044.jpg
http://i190.photobucket.com/albums/z285/89Mirageman/Picture047.jpg




As you can see it looks like a black OEM panel. If you take your time and do it correctly you'll be very happy with the results. It is alot of work for sure but in my opinion its well worth it in the end. Now I just have to finish the other parts and get it all back in the car. Once its fully cured you can armorall this just like you do any other interior trim. I got the paint and the wax and grease remover from Napa, the other stuff can be found almost anywhere.


http://i190.photobucket.com/albums/z285/89Mirageman/Picture1101.jpg
http://i190.photobucket.com/albums/z285/89Mirageman/Picture074.jpg
http://i190.photobucket.com/albums/z285/89Mirageman/Picture071.jpg

[RAZ_76]

^^ nice work.

[therev]

Looks Sick, planning to do mine once i get black seats and carpet! :)~
~Gabe

[audio_uphoria]

Yeah I did cut off the muffler, it sounds good too along with the ram air.