ok so i'm getting a new fender bumper cover and eventually an SS hood the fender and bumper are gonna be bare plastic but the hood will be fiberglass w/ white gel coat.

i've painted with a gun before but it was on farm equipment and stuff that really didn't matter what the finish looked like as long as it didn't rust.

i really want to do this myself b/c i just hate not being able to do stuff

here's my questions:

Is it better to paint the parts on or off of the car?

What should i expect to pay for a body shop to paint them? (if i realize i'm way over my head on this)

 

id charge about $300 to do it but im in florida dont knowhow it is in kansas.put the parts on the car if you painted farm equipment and it wasnt dry or runny you should be ok.

 

you should be ok on the color match with black as far as painting them off the car and not having to blend, plus its a hell of alot easier off the car cause you dont have anything to tape....ive painted a few fenders and a black door for people and when they put it on it was a perfect match, just make sure you take your paint code to a good paint supplier and they should be able to fix you up. also be careful not to put it on to heavy because when it dries it will look foggy....i was told that its because the outer part of the coat will dry before the inner and it traps the reducer in a "shell" after it dries giving you the white "fog". just PM me if you have anymore questions or if you run into any trouble.....

 

I would paint them off the car, that way you do not have to jam them in first and there will not be a paint line. Fenders and bumpers are easy to put on without scratching them. also black is super easy to match.

 

Definitely off the car, what do you plan on doing to prep the panels, your using base clear right?
Quick word of advice, don't try to get complete coverage on your first pass, it will run or fish eye, rookie mistake that I and many others have made. But you will do just fine, take your time and you might want to practice on something to get your gun setup right.

 

Paint the jams of the fender off of the car. Then hang the fender and paint the outside of it on the car. The bumper cover i would paint off of the car as well!

 

well since the fender and bumper cover are plastic i assume i'll need to wash it, use some kinda adhesion promoter then seal, base, and clear.

the hood might need some filler cuz it's fiberglass idk, i'm not familiar with gel coat but i assume it'll need some sanding, seal, base, and clear.

 

Your going to want to scuff it first on the plastic we use "scuff-it" and a scotch bright pad and a lot of water, in a pinch you can use comet instead of scuff-it. Either way just make sure to wash it off real good, dry it and wipe it down with wax and grease remover as well before you hit with adhesion promoter.

 

k will do that, didn't know i had to scuff it i thought the adhesion promoter took care of it...that would have been a bad day

 

Unless they are aftermarket parts the black you see is probably primer. Shouldnt have to use a promoter.

 

yea you got to scuff it up good so the paint adheries. could use scuff n clean on it too, stuff works great. painting the fender off the car is still the best idea to me even if others say different, no tape lines so people don't know its been repainted and it saves time as well, thats how the shop that I work at does it.

 

No you don't have to use it but when you scuff it up you will undoubtedly burn through any primer (if there is any) on the edges. So my advice is to use it, it's cheap insurance and a very easy thing to do to ensure you don't have to do it all over again down the road.

 

If it was me, and it happens to be as I am getting a new front clip this week, I'd give it to a pro. I love doing things myself, I painted my scoop (2 colors 3x each before it passed my inspection), but large items that will affect the overall look of my ride will get the professional's touch.

When I factor in my materials, paint (priced it yet? yikes), prep time, tool/sprayer clean-up, spray time, wet sanding, etc, hating it, striping it, re-prepping it, repeat, and then getting to acceptable, it is a bargain to pay a pro. I was quoted $125 for my scoop, and guaranty I am very close to that figure in my costs of doing it myself. I could have just dropped it off ugly and picked it up looking like new. That said, I am still going to paint my under-hood soon as it doesn't have to have the quality edge.

 

how much paint do you guys think i will need?

 

7 oz per panel - per pass/coat .i think 2 good coats will cover it.

 

so it'll probably take just a little more than a quart? cuz the quart is 32 fl.oz.

if i buy a gallon and only use 1 1/2 quarts of it does the stuff have a decent shelf life?