Guide to painting plastic body sections

doofygy1987 · Post by **doofygy1987** » 26 Jun 2012, 22:19

I am trying to make my 200k s70 look more like it did at 100k. The paint on the metal all seems good (a few scratches here and there but nothing terrible.

The problem comes with the plastic portions (bumper covers side molding etc..) they all have started to bubble and peel.'

I am going to order some spray from express paint (unless someone here advises against it), but I am not sure what the correct process is for painting over plastic. My chief concern is with sanding (what grit to use) and prime coating.

If someone has a guide or experience I would appreciate it.

SimLyons · Post by **SimLyons** » 27 Jun 2012, 00:41

I'm just finishing up doing the same jobs on my '97 850. No real problems as most primers today are good on wood, metal, plastics, etc. But I went through some really cruddy paints in my trials and errors. Some dripped, some spat, some ran. Finally I wen to my local automotive paint shop (PPG) and they set me up with all my paints, from primer, base coat and clear coat. The primer and clear coat is made for cars/plastic panels and is great! It has a catalyst (clear coat) the you have to bang a protruding button on the bottom of the can to release into the primer base. Shke it reallllllly well and go to town. It covers really well and since it has a catalyst it dries fast. 10-15 minutes between coats. You can wet sand it between coats if needed. As for the primer, it works the same way but is an epoxy paint, mixes with the catalyst the same way. Shake and paint, and shake more. As for prep work I started with 220 wet/dry, on my orbital sander and worked up to 800-1200, until it looked and felt good. Then on to the next coat. The base coat was the 2nd easiest....if you have excellent lighting it will help avoid runs and ripples. I read a piece here where a guy in the UK does his with a normal first coat of base....50-50 paint and reducer. Next is about 40% paint and if a 3rd coast is wanted he goes about 75% reducer to 25% base paint. Let dry completely, maybe overnight, and hand sand with maybe 400-800 grit, wet/dry. When it is really smooth to look and feel, go to the clear coat. I used 2-3 coats. It sparkles and looks great! And the colors match the original just fine.

I'm going to takcle the hood next. The stone chips are bad on the front edges so I intend to use heavy epoxy primer and take my time with the coats. Luckily I live where the temps and humidity are near perfect for this project, so things dry much faster than average. The best advice I had was get the best gun I can afford! I only spent $75, but it sprays such a fine and smooth pattern the now I use my older Harbor Freight gun for painting deck furniture!

Good luck!

Post by **MoVolvos** » 27 Jun 2012, 00:56

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These two combined should be applicable and helpful

Blessings,
BKM
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SimLyons · Post by **SimLyons** » 28 Jun 2012, 01:02

It'd be really great to have a shop with all the right stuff and the know how. Unfortunately I just have to do the best I can with what I can afford. It comes out OK and if you aren't standing next to it looking for flaws it looks even more than OK, but not like the pros! I'm resolved to have the car painted professionally when it reaches 20. Only 5 more years. That assumes I'm still here. Got to find new front seat skins first.

phidoe2000 · Post by **phidoe2000** » 28 Jun 2012, 04:50

I recently painted the front end of an Eddie Bauer Expedition using paint, clear coat, and primer from auto paint touch-up.com. The paint comes by manufacturer codes and in an aerosol can. I also ordered the pistol grip add-on for the can which made spraying very comfortable. Clear coat was a separate can. I don't have a paint both nor a spray gun to do this job like the pros do. The paint came out great....in fact, I sold the car to Car Max some time later, and they couldn't tell. Good luck, this is definately a good do-it-yourself project. Just use good green 3M masking tape and some basic painting skills and for less than $60 you can redo a bumper nearly perfectly. The number one advise I can give is to hold the can about 8-12 inches from the work, use long even strokes, maintaining the distance around bends, etc, and when you are utilizing a back and forth motion, always let off the trigger at the point you change directions. That split second point when you reverse is a prime time for drips to occur if you continue spraying. Ken

alicetom222 · Post by **alicetom222** » 15 Jul 2012, 04:02

i have very basic knowledge about it... but i wil surely reply u after getting some important info.. hope we will get it soon.. thank you and have a great day...
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