DIY: painting car parts (front lip)

[b939625]

.......I didn’t understand how much one needs to go through to get a good paint job.

Here is what I did; If you want better work, then pay a shop or get a good paint sprayer and buffing kit. I used Spray paint from AutoZone (Dupli-Color). WARNING, this will take more time than you think.



Step one: Make a shopping list. You will need adhesive promoter, primer, your desired color or colors, cleaner of some type (make sure it won’t eat the plastic), clear coat spray, a lot of sand paper (220-400 to start, 1000 after that, and 2000 for finish), car tape (greenish), rubbing compound, anti swirl remover (very light compound), wax and pads/micro cloths.



We, my friend and I, started off by setting up a good base so our work wouldn’t shift around while painting and sanding. We continued by taping off and covering the areas we didn’t want to mess up.



We started with a relatively low grit to get the clear coat off. We used a 400 which made the sanding take a little longer, but we were also sitting around waiting for Formula One to start anyway. Take your time and try to make it as even as possible. Our patience wore thin so we stopped when the majority of the bumper showed the primer and/or the original plastic. Then we sanded with the 1000 grit to get a nice even surface.



<!> At this point in time make sure every bit of your car is covered. You don’t want any over spray from any of the following steps. <!>



<!>Read the labels on all the cans. Follow their directions as close as possible. Do this in a well ventilated area, with low humidity and the proper temperature (I live in the South so we set up a de-humidifier in my basement). <!>



1. The Adhesive Promoter is a very, VERY important step. Follow the directions on the can. You should only need one or two light layers.



2. Primer Time. Again, follow the directions on the can and make sure it is a paintable primer. Start with a nice thin coat (do this for the actual paint and clear coat process as well). I think we only did 3 coats ourselves. !Make sure the primer is the same color as your paint!



3. Sand the area with 1000 grit sand paper. Make sure not to sand too hard or rough. Now you can paint the actual color on the car. We started with regular black gloss and used black sparkle paint for the last two thin coats (matches the sparkle in the original Fiji Blue paint). Again, start with a thin first coat and follow the directions on the can. !Make sure not to do too many coats (it won’t dry correctly and will be more likely to flake off later in life)!



4. Clear Coat. This is the part that will mess up a lot of people. Apply too little and you don’t get a good even coat, but too much will cause drips, and you have to sand it down again and start over. Give it a nice light sanding (we used the 1000 grit). Wet is better than dry. Again, make sure to do a light coat first, and then you can put on thicker coats afterward. We put on a good number of coats due to being paranoid about screwing up, but a good even thick coat is better than a million light ones. We didn’t sand in between each and every coat but from talking to friends you probably should.



< ! > You have to take the tape off at some point!!!! We used a razor and followed the tape line to ensure a good line when taking off the tape. We messed up a little on this part but being careful will help.< ! >



4.-continued—here’s the part that may confuse you. The clear coat wasn’t all that shiny for me, plus it had an ODD texture, similar to the skin of an orange. Don’t worry; this is where all the fun rubbing compounds come into play. First step is to give it a good sanding with the 2000 grit WET sandpaper. Take you time with this, don’t rush. If you see any pigment on your sandpaper, you’ve gone through the clear coat and will have to start over. Very lightly sand the clear coat (!!!!! wet sanding is the best !!!!!). A good consistent sanding is the key. Your clear coat won’t have that "shine" yet, but it should be a billion times smoother.



5. Rubbing Compounds (found with the paint products). You can pick these up at any auto parts store. I found special rubbing compound kits for cars online, but that’s more for professional use (it’s like liquid sandpaper more than anything). Again, just follow the directions on the bottle and remember to take your time. By this time your shine should be showing up pretty well but not well enough. Use the Anti Swirl Remover (I love this stuff. I buffed a lot of scratches off my car just using this stuff) to finish the surface. By now, your paintjob should have a nice smooth “wet” look.



6. NOW WAX THE SON OF A *****!!! I used Meguiars car wax/cleaner (it’s a wax that has a little bit of the Anti swirl in it, I think). I am sure any GOOD wax will work.


FINISHED!!!!!!!! Now to installation!!!!!



p.s. It helps to have some artistic skills

[lovecheese]

Do It Yourself Articles - 8th Generation Honda Civic Forum

since ya forgot to look in the right area

[b939625]

.........

[lovecheese]

That requires a sub? I found it and posted it for ya. Lemme log out and try

[b939625]

I didn’t understand how much one needs to go through to get a good paint job.

Here is what I did.

If you want better work, then pay a shop or get a good paint sprayer and buffing kit. I used Spray paint from AutoZone (Dupli-Color). WARNING, this will take more time than you think.



Step one: Make a shopping list. You will need adhesive promoter, primer, your desired color or colors, cleaner of some type (make sure it won’t eat the plastic), clear coat spray, a lot of sand paper (220-400 to start, 1000 after that, and 2000 for finish), car tape (greenish), rubbing compound, anti swirl remover (very light compound), wax and pads/micro cloths.



We, my friend and I, started off by setting up a good base so our work wouldn’t shift around while painting and sanding. We continued by taping off and covering the areas we didn’t want to mess up.



We started with a relatively low grit to get the clear coat off. We used a 400 which made the sanding take a little longer, but we were also sitting around waiting for Formula One to start anyway. Take your time and try to make it as even as possible. Our patience wore thin so we stopped when the majority of the bumper showed the primer and/or the original plastic. Then we sanded with the 1000 grit to get a nice even surface.



<!> At this point in time make sure every bit of your car is covered. You don’t want any over spray from any of the following steps. <!>



<!>Read the labels on all the cans. Follow their directions as close as possible. Do this in a well ventilated area, with low humidity and the proper temperature (I live in the South so we set up a de-humidifier in my basement). <!>



1. The Adhesive Promoter is a very, VERY important step. Follow the directions on the can. You should only need one or two light layers.



2. Primer Time. Again, follow the directions on the can and make sure it is a paintable primer. Start with a nice thin coat (do this for the actual paint and clear coat process as well). I think we only did 3 coats ourselves. !Make sure the primer is the same color as your paint!



3. Sand the area with 1000 grit sand paper. Make sure not to sand too hard or rough. Now you can paint the actual color on the car. We started with regular black gloss and used black sparkle paint for the last two thin coats (matches the sparkle in the original Fiji Blue paint). Again, start with a thin first coat and follow the directions on the can. !Make sure not to do too many coats (it won’t dry correctly and will be more likely to flake off later in life)!



4. Clear Coat. This is the part that will mess up a lot of people. Apply too little and you don’t get a good even coat, but too much will cause drips, and you have to sand it down again and start over. Give it a nice light sanding (we used the 1000 grit). Wet is better than dry. Again, make sure to do a light coat first, and then you can put on thicker coats afterward. We put on a good number of coats due to being paranoid about screwing up, but a good even thick coat is better than a million light ones. We didn’t sand in between each and every coat but from talking to friends you probably should.



< ! > You have to take the tape off at some point!!!! We used a razor and followed the tape line to ensure a good line when taking off the tape. We messed up a little on this part but being careful will help.< ! >



4.-continued—here’s the part that may confuse you. The clear coat wasn’t all that shiny for me, plus it had an ODD texture, similar to the skin of an orange. Don’t worry; this is where all the fun rubbing compounds come into play. First step is to give it a good sanding with the 2000 grit WET sandpaper. Take you time with this, don’t rush. If you see any pigment on your sandpaper, you’ve gone through the clear coat and will have to start over. Very lightly sand the clear coat (!!!!! wet sanding is the best !!!!!). A good consistent sanding is the key. Your clear coat won’t have that "shine" yet, but it should be a billion times smoother.



5. Rubbing Compounds (found with the paint products). You can pick these up at any auto parts store. I found special rubbing compound kits for cars online, but that’s more for professional use (it’s like liquid sandpaper more than anything). Again, just follow the directions on the bottle and remember to take your time. By this time your shine should be showing up pretty well but not well enough. Use the Anti Swirl Remover (I love this stuff. I buffed a lot of scratches off my car just using this stuff) to finish the surface. By now, your paintjob should have a nice smooth “wet” look.



6. NOW WAX THE SON OF A *****!!! I used Meguiars car wax/cleaner (it’s a wax that has a little bit of the Anti swirl in it, I think). I am sure any GOOD wax will work.



FINISHED!!!!!!!! Now to installation!!!!!







p.s. It helps to have some artistic skills

[lovecheese]

Check my link, you can get into it without being a sub. Atleast I did when I logged out and tried going into it.

[lovecheese]

Good paint job? God you have no idea bro! My car has been in the shop 4 times for an accumlitive 26 days due to paint issues...

Now the 5th time is going to put it over 30 days because the ENTIRE car needs repainting. Lemon law FTW.

[b939625]

Actually, I know exactly what goes into painting cars,,, like I stated at the start of the article,,, if you want a good paint job get in done professionally!!!!! Because there is a lot of small detail work that takes a good while to do, there are ……... this is a DIY for small paint jobs, like the one I did....not a way to paint your entire car. Especially because I don’t think many people have paint booths at there house!!!!! Or knows about all the different kinds of rubbing compounds needed and the amount of time it takes to polish the clear coat……but I didnt think I needed to get into that because I am not painting my entire car, just a small area of the front lip black…… Oh, and read the last statement , helps to have some artistic skill. ( I am a artist so this kind of stuff isn’t difficult for me) plus your paint people are f-ing you over with taking that long to paint the car, And yes I got a very good paint job this way!!!!!

[lovecheese]

I aint bashing you I'm bashing Honda in general... I could do a better paint job on my car than honda did!!! But... since it's under warranty, THey are repainting it.

[ichheibeangel]

subsd.