who knows the process of bodypaint?

cheesie · 10-04-2010, 12:38 AM

i saw a nice modified I2 on the web that had the grill ( all what is usually gray on all I2's) painted black...looked really nice
some guy told me i should do it then he mentioned the sandin, primin, and painting, ect process
but idk how to do it....
do you guys know the process?
should i just go to a hobby shop to get the paint or should i get it from the dealer?

**Jayemtee** · 10-04-2010, 07:29 AM

There are several reasons to let a pro do it for you. The grill takes a lot of abuse from sand, bugs, rain, and rocks while you drive. A lower quality paint job will literally get sand blasted and look bad real quick. I doubt if you have quality paint guns or a paint booth. And you probably don't know how to properly sand and prep the grill for paint.

You could do it. I'd suggest 3 stages of wet sanding. I don't know what that grill is made of which could be important in selecting a primer. Where you buy the paint is probably the least of your worries. If you're gonna do it, just get Krylon at the hardware store. 3 coats, sand, and clear coat. It would probably last a year or two if you did a good job.

Cobb · 10-04-2010, 10:06 PM

The more work you put in it, the better it will look. Sure you can buy some paint from the hardware store that will stick to anything, but it will echo the surface below.

Now body paint and cheerleaders is another story.....

cheesie · 10-05-2010, 12:42 AM

yeah ill have to get it done by a professional i guess haha

it might look like the lancer...kinda
even the I2 thats all the way on the top of the site ( with the led headlights) has tht painted blak!!

itwo · 10-08-2010, 04:20 AM

I just painted my grille to match my car's color. Looks 100x better in my opinion. I painted mine with a professional spray gun and blended it with the bumper so the color difference wouldn't be noticeable.

To paint, you don't need to wetsand your grille. You want to sand it with around 600-800 grit to scratch it up and take out small imperfections. Then clean it down with a tack cloth and spray on some primer. Once the primer dries, sand it down with some 800 and then wetsand with 1500. (If you're gunna blend it with the bumper, take some 1000 grit to the surrounding areas). Once that process is done, your grille should have no imperfections. If there are any, respray and resand. You do not want these to show up when you spray your base coat. Clean the grille thoroughly with a tack cloth. Spray your first base lightly and your second coat a little thicker. Your third coat should be the thickest but not heavy that it causes runs. You should be done with 3 coats unless you're using a cheap gun. Let it dry to the point where it can be handled. Then spray it with clear. 2 coats of clear will be fine. Make sure your first coat is light and your second coat is a bit heavier. If you get any orange peal or runs because you rushed, you can use 1000-1500 grit sandpaper to wetsand the problem areas and then buff them clean with some compound. Take your time and it'll look great. Make sure you let the clear coat dry for at least 3-5 days before you take it out onto the freeway. These grilles take a lot of abuse from dirt/rocks/bugs/etc. GL!

RahTX · 10-08-2010, 01:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by itwo

I just painted my grille to match my car's color. Looks 100x better in my opinion. I painted mine with a professional spray gun and blended it with the bumper so the color difference wouldn't be noticeable

Do you have pictures? Not that it's something I'd ever attempt myself, but I have a growing "wish list" of things I'd like to do to my car, and this sounds like it would be cool.

cheesie · 10-09-2010, 06:05 AM

yeah i wannna see pics too!

i got a wing n they charge 300 bucks just to paint it ( anywhere i go )

maybe i could try and work on that and if i mess up ill jst take it to the shop n get it fixed

ill look for a kit on ebay but i wanna get the original red color spraypaint from the dealer ( i think thts expensive thou )

Cobb · 10-09-2010, 10:58 PM

Can you post a photo of the wing?

I want to paint my gray piece between the head lamps black, then smoke the front head lamps myself and turn signals to match.

cheesie · 10-10-2010, 10:37 PM

since its the wing i wanna try n do it myself

how much do you guys think the paint is at the dealer?

Cobb · 10-11-2010, 10:43 PM

Hey, that looks like the mugen wing from ebay. Congrads.... Since our cars are the same color how about you send it me and I will paint it for free and test it out for you?

My first thought is black. Ive seen a lot of black wings on Hondas and other cars. You can get some paint that will stick to any surface and hold up well in the primary colors. Ive used the metal spec paint from pepboys. I need to find the can. Its only at pepboys and is a close match.