mlariviere
New Member
I recently painted the lip on my EJ8, and yielded awesome results. Here's the step by step.
Materials:
Wax/Grease remover
Primer (did not use plastic primer, just automotive. seems to work just as well.)
Paint (had color matched at local automotive store)
Various grits of wet/dry sand paper (worked my way up to 2000)
3M Rubbing compound
1. wash the lip, using normal dishsoap. NOT car wash because this will leave wax on the lip.
2. using a rag, apply wax and grease remover to the whole lip. Allow it to evaporate.
3. Spray 3 coats of primer. start light, and make the last coat a little bit heavier, not to the point that you're making runs in the primer. allow 10-15 minutes between coats.
4. Apply paint. Start very light and build up to 100% coverage in 3 or 4 coats. again, allow 10-15 minutes between.
5. Apply clear. I'd recommend 3-5 coats of clear, this way it will be easier to sand and buff later, and it will be better protected once it is on the car. The last coats of clear should be quite heavy.
6. Allow at least 24 hours for the clear to cure.
The following is what it looked like the morning after I sprayed clear.
7. starting with the lowest grit wet sandpaper, dip it in soapy water and sand the clear coat. continuously wipe off the water and gauge the process. You should not see any glossy paint, the whole thing should look dull. Gradually work your way up the grits of sandpaper until you reach 2000. At this point, you should be seeing some shine in the paint again.
8.Start to buff the paint. Use a buffing pad attachment with a drill, and put a small bead of rubbing compound (I used 3M) and work it onto the lip. Once most of the shine is restored to the paint, wipe of the remaining residue from the rubbing compound. Thats it! the paint on your lip should be just as good as the paint on the rest of the car!
Heres the finished result:
Materials:
Wax/Grease remover
Primer (did not use plastic primer, just automotive. seems to work just as well.)
Paint (had color matched at local automotive store)
Various grits of wet/dry sand paper (worked my way up to 2000)
3M Rubbing compound
1. wash the lip, using normal dishsoap. NOT car wash because this will leave wax on the lip.
2. using a rag, apply wax and grease remover to the whole lip. Allow it to evaporate.
3. Spray 3 coats of primer. start light, and make the last coat a little bit heavier, not to the point that you're making runs in the primer. allow 10-15 minutes between coats.
4. Apply paint. Start very light and build up to 100% coverage in 3 or 4 coats. again, allow 10-15 minutes between.
5. Apply clear. I'd recommend 3-5 coats of clear, this way it will be easier to sand and buff later, and it will be better protected once it is on the car. The last coats of clear should be quite heavy.
6. Allow at least 24 hours for the clear to cure.
The following is what it looked like the morning after I sprayed clear.
7. starting with the lowest grit wet sandpaper, dip it in soapy water and sand the clear coat. continuously wipe off the water and gauge the process. You should not see any glossy paint, the whole thing should look dull. Gradually work your way up the grits of sandpaper until you reach 2000. At this point, you should be seeing some shine in the paint again.
8.Start to buff the paint. Use a buffing pad attachment with a drill, and put a small bead of rubbing compound (I used 3M) and work it onto the lip. Once most of the shine is restored to the paint, wipe of the remaining residue from the rubbing compound. Thats it! the paint on your lip should be just as good as the paint on the rest of the car!
Heres the finished result:
