DIY: Painted R18 Engine Cover

[gg_civ615]

This is my first DIY, so cut me some slack



To paint your cover you're going to need a few things, most notably PATIENCE which I really don't have

• 
• 800 grit sandpaper, up to you its just what I had laying around
• Painters tape
• Razor blade or exact-o knife
• A large flat head screwdriver
• Pencil or Fine tip sharpie

Removal/Prep

I started out by removing the cover which was really easy, just turn the little screws a quarter turn and it pops right off.
* I wish all the tabs in the engine bay worked like this =\



Now that you have the cover off, you're gonna want to sand it and clean that sucker up real good. Engine contaminants and dust can lead to bad contact with the paint, and make your cover look spotty in some places. So please CLEAN IT before proceeding.

Now what I did, and what you may decide to do may differ. I opted not to sand my cover after cleaning it thoroughly, and looking back on it, I probably should have. The Krylon Fusion paint states that its not necessary, but I'm going to sand mine back down to plastic and redo it. Sorry no pics of sanding =\, you just want to roughen up the plastic a little bit, no big grooves, just enough for the paint to bond well with.

There may be better ways to block off the lettering, but at the time I hadn't fully thought it through and just used blue painters tape.
I'm going to experiment with melted wax possibly on my friends cover, I think it should work. Depending on those results, I'll add that procedure to this later on.

The Tape Method

You want to lay the tape over the HONDA lettering, and applying pressure over the letters. This allowed the HONDA to be seen relatively easily. You then want to either trace out the letters on the back of the tape then cut it out, or cut it with an exact-o knife or razor blade right on the plastic. I again, was in a rush and chose option 2, I recommend option 1 though

Should come out looking like this


Here is the R18 I used, if anyone's interested

To make a decal with the painters tape with the printed text, make sure you trace the lettering on the non-sticky side of the tape upside down.
so it should look like this on the back of the tape



Wax method
This is a work in progress, though you may decide to try it. I plan on melting wax over the HONDA lettering and then carefully carving away the excess so that it leaves me with said lettering embossed with wax. That way, hopefully, spray paint won't adhere to where its not meant to.

Heres a sketch



If anyone has a better way, feel free to share it with us.
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Painting

To attain the different colors, you're not going to want to put the painters tape letters you cut out onto the cover yet, instead go ahead and paint the whole thing white. It will bring out the other color very well compared to just being painted on black plastic.

You want to take this very slowly, spraying evenly across the engine cover.
Take your time and do a few thin coats, waiting about 30 seconds to a minute between coats.


Granted I didn't do that, here is a picture of what it should roughly look like.

This was after I put 3 heavy coats on, because I was in a hurry and didn't prep my plastic very well. I wasn't satisfied with the finish until the third coat. I don't recommend heavy coats needless to say.

When you're satisfied with the color, let it all dry for about 10-15 minutes or so to allow the paint to bond with the plastic.

Once its all done drying, go ahead and put the HONDA tape letters you cut out over the newly painted white HONDA.
Again this is just what I did, I really don't know if its the best approach, but it worked for me.

You can also at this time put the R18 letters you cut out on, if you desire.
Make sure all of the tape is pressed down firm and secure, as you don't want your second color to intrude on your first one.

unpainted example-


When you feel like there is no way the paint could get under the tape, go ahead and start painting with your second color.
Again use multiple thin coats for the best result.

After you're done coating it, allow it about 10-15 minutes to dry.

Now the hard part...

well somewhat hard

You may have noticed that the paint, red in my case, has covered the blue painters tape completely, leaving you no where to remove the tape.
This is where a razor blade or exact-o knife comes in handy.
To get the tape off, you want to very carefully, and I mean VERY carefully slice the paint around the edges of where the tape is. This will allow for a clean removal of the tape. You may want to go over where you've cut a few times with the blade, just to make sure you can cleanly remove it.

After all of that is said and done you should have something that resembles this.


After you've removed the tape lettering, its time to apply the clear coat.
Not only with this make the paint appear glossy, it will also provide some protection. The picture above is after the clear coat has been applied.

Allow the clear coat about half an hour or so to dry.

Once its dry, go ahead and install it back onto your engine and enjoy!

If you have any questions please ask, and do realize that results may vary from person to person.

[krazy2o6]

Can you name those 3 canisters please =].

[gg_civ615]

"Krylon Fusion for plastic" are the red and white cans
and the 3rd one is just a generic clear coat.
i think thats what you're asking?

[Adlh29]

Looks good.

[Duce2k]

Great DIY

[falkon57]

Looks really good, how much were all 3 cans and where did you purchase them?

[krazy2o6]

what's the difference between the red and white? The satin finish?

[krazy2o6]

sorry I just want to make this clear. First you put the sticker on (R18) then you applied the white paint, then you put the HONDA sticker on, then the color then the gloss. Am i correct?

[Si Speed 317]

Great job! The red might be a little too bright, but still a job well done.


BTW! Instead of using masking take etc. you can use petroleum jelly

then wipe off when paint dries. Just watch where it goes and only put it on what you want. It's an old painting trick

[gg_civ615]

Originally Posted by falkon57

Looks really good, how much were all 3 cans and where did you purchase them?

got them at walmart, the two fusion paints were about 5$ a peice, and the clearcoat was 96cents

Originally Posted by krazy2o6

what's the difference between the red and white? The satin finish?

yeah, the whites just a satin finish, only one they had though

Originally Posted by krazy2o6

sorry I just want to make this clear. First you put the sticker on (R18) then you applied the white paint, then you put the HONDA sticker on, then the color then the gloss. Am i correct?

yes, sorry i didnt specify that =P

r18 sticker
white coats
drying
honda sticker
red coats
drying
removal of stickers
clearcoat

Originally Posted by Si Speed 317

BTW! Instead of using masking take etc. you can use petroleum jelly

thanks i'll have to try that when i redo mine

[jrMartinez24]

awesome DIY

[ciprich211]

That is awesome! I will definately do that sometime. Any suggestions on getting the aluminum on the engine clean? Mine is pretty crappy looking, and it looks to be an impossible task without actually removing the engine lol.

[gg_civ615]

i suggest just spot wiping it, with a moist towel or something, thats what i do.
someone else may have a better suggestion though, it takes a while lol all those little tight spots...

[IceWindius]

Hmmm, very nice. I may skimp the R18 part but i'm thinking of a blue and white scheme for mine.

[IceWindius]

Originally Posted by ciprich211

That is awesome! I will definately do that sometime. Any suggestions on getting the aluminum on the engine clean? Mine is pretty crappy looking, and it looks to be an impossible task without actually removing the engine lol.

Engine degreaser/cleaner