Colour Coding Your Car

[m3ntAL_l2]

Disclaimer: The following is provided as a GUIDE ONLY, and neither myself nor Ozhonda take any responsibility for the outcomes of someone else doing the following. You follow these steps at your own risk!



Aim:

Colour code the car YOUR SELF~

Just to show what a can of paint can do.


Required:

- Sand papers, range from 60 – 150
- Plastic primer
- Customized paint, colour to suit your car
- Clear coat
- Buffer & wax

http://img707.imageshack.us/img707/2746/01062010474.jpg (http://img707.imageshack.us/i/01062010474.jpg/)

http://img189.imageshack.us/img189/1397/01062010475.jpg (http://img189.imageshack.us/i/01062010475.jpg/)


Steps:

1. Give the lip a quick wash and wipe, make sure to get rid of all the dirts, let it dry before sanding.

http://img96.imageshack.us/img96/1772/03052010412.jpg (http://img96.imageshack.us/i/03052010412.jpg/)


2. Start sanding with 60 grits to get rid of the original paint. Work your way through to 150 to smooth it out.

* Those are the grits I used, but u can choose your own range pending on the condition of the lip

* Don’t be afraid that you will scratch the lip, because later when 150 is used it will be all smoothed out, having said so careful not to sand it too much with the harsh ones.

http://img295.imageshack.us/img295/2442/03052010411.jpg (http://img295.imageshack.us/i/03052010411.jpg/)


3. Once you are happy with the sanding, give it a clean/wash, again let it dry completely before applying primer.

*Don’t hold the can too close when spraying, or you will end up with drips

http://img267.imageshack.us/img267/1943/15052010433.jpg (http://img267.imageshack.us/i/15052010433.jpg/)


4. Sand back the primer again if you do get those drips, and re spray until a smooth surface is achieved.

http://img594.imageshack.us/img594/8876/16052010434.jpg (http://img594.imageshack.us/i/16052010434.jpg/)

http://img717.imageshack.us/img717/703/15052010432j.jpg (http://img717.imageshack.us/i/15052010432j.jpg/)


5. Once your happy with the result, let it dry over night before applying the customized colour paint, again do not hold the can too close when spraying.

http://img16.imageshack.us/img16/1609/20052010438.jpg (http://img16.imageshack.us/i/20052010438.jpg/)

http://img52.imageshack.us/img52/1279/20052010440.jpg (http://img52.imageshack.us/i/20052010440.jpg/)

http://img709.imageshack.us/img709/8916/20052010439.jpg (http://img709.imageshack.us/i/20052010439.jpg/)


6. Make sure you leave about 5 – 10 minutes before each spray, and just give it a quick wipe in between to ensure nothing has fallen on to it during the time.

if you do get over sprays, sand it back and go over it again


7. Apply 3 – 5 coats, make sure all areas are well covered. Then let it dry again over night before spraying the clear coat.

With clear coat, I did about 5 layers first, then used 150 sandpaper to smooth it out before spraying another 5 coats.
Don’t ask me why, it just something I had in the back of my mind, think was from woodwork class back in school where they told us the more you sand the smoother finished product will be.

http://img227.imageshack.us/img227/5585/20052010441.jpg (http://img227.imageshack.us/i/20052010441.jpg/)

http://img130.imageshack.us/img130/4841/21052010446.jpg (http://img130.imageshack.us/i/21052010446.jpg/)


8. Once your done, leave it to dry for a day or two, then apply wax. I used scratch out as well first to smooth out the paint surface, before finishing it off with HEAPS layers of wax.

http://img208.imageshack.us/img208/6818/29052010454.jpg (http://img208.imageshack.us/i/29052010454.jpg/)


Pretty happy with the result, turned out better then I thought.

http://img12.imageshack.us/img12/7371/01062010472.jpg (http://img12.imageshack.us/i/01062010472.jpg/)

http://img241.imageshack.us/img241/5743/01062010473.jpg (http://img241.imageshack.us/i/01062010473.jpg/)


In the pic there is a bit of difference as the car is dirty and the lip is freshly waxed.


Other comments: take your time in doing this, do not rush it through, make sure paint is well dried and settled before wax/putting it on the car

[kcokla]

great write up + rep!

[xntrik]

wow. turned out good. any clearer photos?

[androo]

Sick!

[m3ntAL_l2]

http://img139.imageshack.us/img139/3858/03062010478.jpg (http://img139.imageshack.us/i/03062010478.jpg/)

http://img693.imageshack.us/img693/8738/03062010479.jpg (http://img693.imageshack.us/i/03062010479.jpg/)


clear pic taken today

[androo]

Awesome! In the pics the colour looks just about perfect! Great work!

[m3ntAL_l2]

yep. pretty happy with the turn out, as mentioned the car is pretty dirty, so should match up better when washed/waxed :D

[sarantosser]

LOL you live in clayton (couldnt help but recognize the shops in the background)

nice write up, will hopefully be doing something liek this soon :)

[mugen_ctr]

fantastic write up, i wil be doin this soon to my own lip...

How bout color coding side molds an the side skirts? same procedure?

Last thing, does anyone know where to buy factory color spray cans? i know u can buy it as a liquid like house paint, but as a spray can form, dunno where...

cheers

[ekay1]

Wow, nice write up!!!!! Btw, would a PU material spoiler need the sanding? and the same primer and cans? Thanks!

[m3ntAL_l2]

i would assume so. a light sanding would not hurt to give u a smoother finish.

yes, only get the primer for plastic, ones for metal etc.. might burn/eat through the material

[ekay1]

Thanks!

[xenonkuraz]

How did you get the spray paint in a custom colour?

[m3ntAL_l2]

if you on the east side. i got mine done at this auto paint shop on the corner of blackburn and dandenong road... but any auto paint shop should be able to do the mixing. ~$30/can?

http://img811.imageshack.us/img811/8533/10505722.jpg (http://img811.imageshack.us/i/10505722.jpg/)

[Alvinlight]

nice write up bro !
can i paint my rims with this method?

[beeza]

Brilliant,top stuff!

RePPed.

[tiksie]

Looks good.

You should have done a few more things to it though in prepping (personal opinion hehe) do you have high quality photos of it upclose ? It seems there is high amount of orange peel on it (judging from those photos).



If you sand the primer back with like a 1500 wet grit than you will end up with something a little more shiney and smooth like this which didn't have clear coat on it yet:
http://i408.photobucket.com/albums/pp167/tiksie/UNI_1562.jpg


Good work once again.

[m3ntAL_l2]

looks so good

yea it does have a appeal of an orange :(

so i should of sanded more?

[TheSaint]

nice write up ... cost me $700 to get my lip and skirts done professionally on my Dc2 ... they plastic welded on the lip tho lol

might do this on the civic tho =)

[sarantosser]

I had a similar experience when colour coding my Grille. I too have resulted with orange peel effect.
Is there anything i can do at this stage to reduce the effect. Perhaps sanding with a smooth grit (1000/2000) then respraying with clear acrylic?
or is this just a pointless task. With me, the primer didn't seem to be very rough, and so i didn't sand. it was actually the coloured paint that made it rough.
I plan to be colourcoding a lip and my sideskirts soon enough myself, so would hope to perfect this soon.

Cheers heaps,
sarantosser

[m3ntAL_l2]

in my situation the surface was good until i sprayed the clear coat on it

think it was the nozzle on the can didnt come out very evenly, kinda melted/liquidated the paint..

[pancake]

if youre working with a replica lip, is it ok to paint it before you throw it on? , cause most replicas arnt perfect fit, so it is alright to bend it (after painting) in order to make it fit? or will it f*ck up the paint?

[m3ntAL_l2]

RE: PM

trial fit it fist. if its polyplastic it shouldnt crack the paint as most plastic/kit have a bit of elastic

[pancake]

cool, thanks for replying :)

[dvsx]

great write up mate. ive just got a PU lip with no paint, do i still need to sand before applying primer?

[m3ntAL_l2]

yea always sand it to make it more smooth... wnt hurt

[dvsx]

my primer is clear? does that matter? lol its plastic primer also

[tiksie]

yea always sand it to make it more smooth... wnt hurt

You sand for paint to stick, not for it to be 'smooth' lol.

[hacker_82]

hi there, i just wonder i should apply Plastic primer or flex primer before apply customize color?? the flex primer what i bought just like clear liquid, not like yours silver primer... did i buy wrong?

my bodykits are look bad, did i do something wrong?

http://i213.photobucket.com/albums/cc71/suren_82/Accord%20Euro/DSC_0120.jpg

http://i213.photobucket.com/albums/cc71/suren_82/Accord%20Euro/DSC_0126.jpg

[tiksie]

hacker,

How did you prep it ?

Did you sand it and primer it ? If so; how ? What grits did you use ?

[m3ntAL_l2]

funny u mentioned that...

last time i bought 'flex primer' as well and it was clear coat and was recommended to me by the body paint shop, i have not done any search on what the difference is between flex and normal plastic primer...

but i did prefer the normal gray primer as i can see where i have sprayed and if its even

[mugen_ctr]

quick question, i done my front grill, it looks too matt, not enough shine, what clear coat would u recommend to bring out that really shiny effect?

[tiksie]

It should look shiny straight off the gun (can, in this case.).

Did you sand it and prime it properly ?

[mugen_ctr]

primed it with 2-3 layers, and about 3 layers of paint, and 3 layers of clear coat, but id suspect i used the wrong clear coat cause i looked at the can, i found out it was more used for rims and not for car paint :S

[tiksie]

How did you sand it ?

What grits did you use ?

What method did you use ?

Got a picture of the can ? Is it automotive clear ?

[1CYE365]

nice write up! thanks for sharing.

[honda_zivic]

i just did mine, but should i sand da clear coat with 2000grit? or leave it?

it pretty much came out like this but nearly the same as 2 pack paint.

[m3ntAL_l2]

yea sand it back a bit then spry the clear coat again... it will help with the finished appearance

[tiksie]

i just did mine, but should i sand da clear coat with 2000grit? or leave it?

it pretty much came out like this but nearly the same as 2 pack paint.

You can do it with 1500 or even 1000 grit as long as you don't go too hard.

What you want to do is sand till you remove the shine, and then apply clear.

[honda_zivic]

ok cool guys.

im pretty happy with the way mine turns out. consider being backyard job.