prepping bumper

[mpk_3]

hey guys. im going to respray my new facelift front bumper (silver to maroon) and i have started on prep work. this is my first time and i used an orbital sander with 180 grit sandpaper to remove the existing paint and sanded all the way down to the plastic. i googled around and found out that stripping all of the paint off is unnecessary!
did i completely mess up this job? cheers!

[simonnowis]

it doesnt make a big difference whether you stripped all the paint off or sanded down to base or primer, as either case you would have to reprimer. the most important thing is to make sure the painting surface is smooth and no imperfections exist otherwise these will show up in the final result. prepping is key to a good paint job.

[mpk_3]

thanks simonnowis! im planning keep on sanding to remove all paint using the orbital sander then move up to 400 and 600 grit. then i can start priming.

[simbadda54]

I dont think u really need to remove all the paint man

[simonnowis]

you dont need to completely remove, its just more work. i would only sand down to plastic if you feel there will be too many layers of paint or the paint is flaking/chipping off. if you havent painted before, i would suggest to test paint on something as you need to discover a technique to which gives you best results.

[mpk_3]

yea i regret sanding down to the plastic. i wish i have done more research before starting. anyway i gotta sand everything down to plastic to keep it uniform.

i think ill start painting on the sideskirts first to get a feel for it. btw, whats the best brand of spray can paint?

[simonnowis]

ahhh your using spray cans? getting a good finish with spray cans is near impossible. I find that the cans dont have enough paint so you would need alot of cans, they leave spray marks where too much paint vs not enough paint applied mainly because it cant get a continous even spray.
bottom line is that you will never get a pro finish with cans.
For me when i use cans, i have to get it custom mixed up as they dont have it in my colour.

My tips are: dont forget to use plastic primer, paint the smaller areas like sides first then main surface, spray from a distance to give light sprays and gradually build up, try not to let the spray end while process of applying paint or you will get drips/dots on your work.

[mpk_3]

thanks a lot for all the helpful tips! much appreciated! :thumbsup:

[euromandeluxe]

btw, whats the best brand of spray can paint?

spraycans will probably give you a crap finish for large panels like bumpers, unless you're REALLY careful.

if you ARE going to use spraycans however, make sure that:

1) warm up the can before you use it. the best way to do this is to get a small bucket and fill it with relatively warm water (NOT water that's too hot to touch, you don't want exploding cans). the can should be warm to touch when you're taking it out for shaking/spraying.
this'll help a LOT with getting an even spray from an aerosol. probably the best tip ever

2) shake the can for 10 billion mins before you spray

3) follow the cans instructions for clearing the nozzle of paint after each pass. they actually work lol

4) if using old cans, make sure the spray tip is clear. you can leave the tip to soak in metho spirits overnight, and then use a bit of wire from a bread tie to clear the old paint out. gotta hate annoying blobs of paint!

5) dont spray with a near empty can. it'll give you a crap finish!

just a few quick tips you can get from a few google searches. they really helped with some small spray jobs i've done.

good luck :) pics when its done!

[mpk_3]

how much would it cost approximately to buy a spray gun and compressor? and where can i get 2pak paints? do 2pak paints come in spray cans that you can get at Autobarn and Supercheap?

[RobEG]

i just bought a 2.5hp air compressor from supercheap for $199, got a spray pack too for $60. but i've been hearing that a gravity fed spray gun gives the best results, so im waiting for a special on them.

[simonnowis]

you can get spray guns for pretty cheap, and yeh a gravity is better than a suction fed, where a suction fed may not be able to use up all the paint in the container.

[mpk_3]

gravity fed is the one where the paint container is upside down right?

[simonnowis]

yup the one where the paint container is on top,

[mpk_3]

ah cool. where can i buy 2 pak paints from? i heard you have to have the right face mask when spraying using 2 pak. is that true?

[simonnowis]

2pak is more harmful than acrylic, but you should wear protection mask, clothing for both. iv only used acrylic paint which i got mixed at autobarn or other autoshops that do paint mixing if you have a paint code.

[jezza10]

hey, how did this paint job go with the spray cans?

[mpk_3]

not as smooth as i would've liked.. it was my first try. i got the cans mixed at an auto paint centre along princes hway. i think i've used 6 large cans in total to paint the front bumper and 2 sideskirts plus 2 cans of clear. colours matched but the finish was sort of rough. here's the result

13372

[euromandeluxe]

not as smooth as i would've liked.. it was my first try. i got the cans mixed at an auto paint centre along princes hway. i think i've used 6 large cans in total to paint the front bumper and 2 sideskirts plus 2 cans of clear. colours matched but the finish was sort of rough. here's the result

13372

..doesnt look like the colours match to me.

but from the picture you have the finish is ok for spraycans. good job :)

[mpk_3]

thanks! now i need to get myself facelift headlights lol

[V73C]

When you finished did you cut and polish it at all ??? just food for thought as it'll make it shiny cos spray cans give a dull and crappy finish.

[WATAJK]

When you finished did you cut and polish it at all ??? just food for thought as it'll make it shiny cos spray cans give a dull and crappy finish.

+1 and it'll remove any excess paint that you've sprayed on and it should also help the colours blend in abit better with each as theres abit of mismatching but seems like you did alright mate..

[mpk_3]

yup i used armor all cut and polish. too bad i dont have a buffer but it gave it a sort of a shiny finish. cheers!