Had to Repost, painting tomorrow!!!!!

[Steven Zagaris]

Ok, so ive read all the posts on painting the cladding and bumpers and i've decided to do it myself. It seems that most people just tape off the front bumper. I have a few questions.



(1) Where do you get the material to "tape off"? And could you also tape rear end off so as not to remove the back bumper?



(2) How should i suspend the pieces i remove so that when i spray i can hit all areas?



(3) Does the Dupli-color paint work well on the side step bars since they are metal and not plastic?



(4) How long should you wait inbetween coats of paint?



(5) As for the step pads on the side bars and back bumper, do you remove those before painting, tape them off, or paint them?



Sorry to repost again



Thanks for your help guys

 

[Tracn Black]

reply to question # 4.... as long as it takes to drink a 6 pack:lol:

 

[Paul H]

i left reverything on the truck and just taped of the whole truck

took me a good part of 8 hours to tape and paint the cladding

DONT forget that you need to clean the cladding VERY well otherwise your wasting your time

i used a wax remover and simple green in a spray bottle. and rinsed off with water and let dry after real well

i used blue painters tape...can get that from home depot or any hardware store or walmart

i painted right over my step pads and as far as the step bars go the dupli colr should be fine

i waited about 1-2 minutes between each coat, but mind you i used very thin coats so it dried faster

also this is very important... you need to use an ADHESION PROMOTER on the plastics and it wouldnt hurt on the side steps. this is used as a primer so the paint will stick to the plastic.

i got my adhesion promoter from pep boys but you can probably get it at any auto store. i think its called bulldog adhesion promoter. i also used a high gloss finish and it took many coats to get it almost smooth and also about 8 cans of paint. so good luck and sorry for the long answer hope it helps

paul p.s. i thought you were selling the trac?????????

 

[Tracn Black]

and don't forget the "keg" of beer... soubds like you will be at it for awhile!!!!!!!:lol:

 

[mookie]

The link below is to a project about painting the cladding. In it is a link to how to remove the side cladding and rear bumper cover. You decide if you want to remove them or not.



I would take the step pads off and leave them unpainted so that the paint won't come off if they are stepped on.



As far as suspending the parts, use straightened-out hangers, wire or even string hanging from your garage door, between a wall and a ladder or whatever (use what you have available).



Masking paper is made, but newspaper works, too. Make sure you use more than one thickness of newspaper though, because paint will soak through.



Good for you to try it yourself and good luck! Keep asking questions and you'll be able to do it!

 

[Eldon Webb]

I did everything like paul. I removed the step bars and splash guards only. I used Krylon "Fusion" paint which is made to stick to plastic without any adhesion promoter and had good results, even on the metal parts. I did 2 coats (waiting 30 minutes between) as I like the rough texture of the origional gray finish. I did not paint the fender flairs though and I think they blend in well.

[Broken External Image]:

 

[Jeff C]

Ya know, I'm not really a fan of those fender flares with the bolt indentions, but that looks REALLY good. Looks like it's supposed to be that way. I think a black hood scoop would really set the whole front end off...