Cheap Guy

iTrader: (3)

Since I'm too cheap to buy a SLP grille, I decided to paint the stocker gloss black and use body color (pewter) inlays. Gotta say that it was a little more trouble than I though 'cause I had no idea of what I was doing. I used Krylon Fusion but didn't do a good job smoothing out the grille before paint, tried to fix it by priming over the Fusion and ended up needing to sand all the paint off and start over again.

Anyway, I think it looks "okay" and I'm not really looking for show quality, but I'd like the last coat to be a little smoother before the clearcoat. I used 400 grit paper on the last coat but it still has a few swirls and isn't as smooth as I would like.

Should I go with a higher grit paper or can I just use some type of compound to smooth it out some more before the clear?

Swiat34

iTrader: (9)

Looks not so "okay" to me. Shoulda sprayed with a filler primer FIRST and sanded THAT to be nice and smooth. Then cover with with a sealer primer, REAL automotive black base coat, paint the letters then clear. I'd offer to take on the project for you but you're clearly trying to save money. It'd be well worth starting over...again. I know that advice might suck but truth is, you'll get what you put into it. My Grandpa always told me,"Better off to do nothing if you're not gonna do it right."

Swiat34

iTrader: (9)

I forgot to add that I like the project idea! The best way to learn this stuff is to ask advice and get hands-on time. So you're at a start!

squee

iTrader: (16)

My advise...Don't be so damn cheap and just buy the SLP grill if thats what you want...Just my opinion though.

But hey, if your so set on doing it, I got one laying around I'll sell, or if you want, I can even sand it down and prime it for ya. I think I even got some base/clear black. I would do it for ya pretty cheap. Only thing you'd have to do is get the Pewter vinyl inserts and stick em on, or you could send them to me, and I could put em on and clear over em.

Cheap Guy

iTrader: (3)

I've done minor painting projects before but for some reason this one didn't come out right. I actually primed it first and sanded but the "texture" of the grille still came through when I put on the Fusion. One thing about Fusion is that once it's on, it's on, unless you do a helluva lot of sanding so if you mess up, it's a bitch to fix.

Fortunately I have a spare grille laying around to give it another try. In the long run I probably could have taken it to a professional painter and it would have probably cost me the same and a helluva lot better, but it's winter time, I'm bored and I like experimenting with stuff.

Swiat34 - Thanks for the advice. So use filler primer, sealer primer and then the base coat? I thought it was better to use Fusion on plastic parts?

Swiat34

iTrader: (9)

Fusion is good on plastic, but an automotive base is better over a primer. Also kinda sounds like you had a curing issue with your primer ie it wasn't fully cured when you sanded so it continued to cure and settled. Spray the filler primer and let it sit a couple days or even a week with this cold weather. Then sand it. And I usually only go as course as 800. It takes a while but I wouldn't want sanding marks to show through. If you sand through the filler primer, apply another coat when you're done sanding, then sand that smooth carefully with 1000. Any of that plastic that you sand down to may show a texture in the paint later. I sand wet just because it keeps the paper from gumming up and keeps the dust down. So keep a towel handy so you can wipe the piece and see if it's flat and smooth.

Cheap Guy

iTrader: (3)

Swiat34 - Thanks for the tips and advice. My first inclination was to use auto primer and paint, but I was told with plastic, any paint I use would need some type of "flexing agent" like what's used on bumpers. I actually used several coat of primer and sanding before I did the Fusion, but the sanding marks were too deep. One other bad piece of advice that I was given was to try to sand down the grille to get rid of some of the texture. Like you said, all it did was leave sanding marks. And like you said and like I found out, I was definitely using too coarse a grit (100, 150, 200, 400) between the coats.

Question: Do you think I can use filler primer over the Fusion and go from there? Striping isn't an option with Fusion - I tried when it didn't come out right the first time. I want to semi-start over rather than using my extra grille.

Swiat34

iTrader: (9)

First, "flexing agents" eventually cure out and leave a hard paint anyway. I know you've seen spider cracks on bumpers. The agent is supposed to keep the paint flexible for assembly of larger items like bumpers, so it's not needed if you're careful. How long has it been since you applied that coating? You'll want it to fully cure before you put anything over it. While you wait, spray some fusion on a piece of scrap, let it dry and spray the filler primer over it. If it doesn't wrinkle, let it dry. Once all dry, try and scratch the primer off. This is all to test the compatibility and adhesion of em. If the primer flakes, no go. If you just gouge it and make a normal scratch, it's a go.

Cheap Guy

iTrader: (3)

Swiat34 - Once again, thanks for the advice. I'm really in no rush since it's winter and I'm not driving the car anyway, so I'll let it cure about a week before going at it again. Plus I can always just stick the spare grille on - I'm not a fan of the no grille look.

BTW, your avatar is killing me!!!

Swiat34

iTrader: (9)

If only I had a dollar for every comment on my avatar...! Every time I go to change it...I just can't make myself click the button! lol