Paint Dash

[cobalt123]

cant take credit

Here's how I painted my dash pieces, sorry I didn't take pictures during the process but it's not really essential for this how-to. These are just my reccommendations for the process, based on what I did.

Your results will be dependent upon your prep work, patience, and the area in which you are painting. I used a home-made spray booth with heat and ventilation that was made of plastic painters drop coverings and is close to dust-free.


You will need:
1.) Rustoleum (or other) Plastic Primer.
2.) DupliColor Cherry Red (or other color) Enamel. **Please see below.
3.) DupliColor Clear Enamel. **Please see below.
4.) DupliColor Prep Wipes (or mild soap and water or tack cloth).
5.) 300-400 grit sand paper.
6.) 600-800 grit sand paper.

Optional:
7.) 1000 grit sand paper.
8.) Fine cut rubbing compound or your favorite polish.
9.) Car wax.


Instructions:
1.) Scuff the pieces you want to paint with a grey 3M scuff pad or 300-400 grit sand paper.
2.) Use a DupliColor Prep Wipe to wipe off all the dust and junk that the scuffing creates.
3.) Spray one light coat of plastic primer, let dry 10 minutes.
4.) Spray one slightly heavier coat of plastic primer, filling in the light spots from the last coat, let dry 15-20 minutes.
5.) Sand with 600-800 grit if needed.
6.) Use a DupliColor Prep Wipe to wipe off all the dust and junk that the sanding creates.
7.) Spray one very light coat of color, let dry 10 minutes.
8.) Repeat Step #7 three more times.
9.) Spray one medium coat of color being careful not to let it create runs, let dry 30 minutes.
10.) Spray one light coat of clear, let dry 10 minutes.
11.) Repeat step #10 two more times.
12.) Spray one medium coat of clear, let dry 6-8 hours before re-installing.

Optional:
Requires 24-48 hours dry time, depending on environment.
13.) Wet sand with 1000 grit paper.
14.) Buff with fine cut rubbing compound or your favorite polish until the surface becomes perfectly smooth.
15.) Wax.

**Please note, if you are using enamel paint, you will need enamel clear. If you are using lacquer paint, you will need lacquer clear. DO NOT MIX ENAMEL AND LACQUER PAINT. If you mix lacquer and enamel, the paint thins out, just as if you applied thinner directly to your piece.

End result:

[YelloEye]

Also a note on painting plastics, do not attempt to remove paint with chemicals. Sanding is the safest way to remove and prep your surfaces. I tried prepping my dash with reducer and it melted the plastic, no joke. Dont do it.

[outtamymind]

ya paint thinner and plastic = big waste of time and money

[tylerb]

waxing is not recommended for atleast 60 days....

paints never "harden" they cure from the solvents evaporating off and if you wax it you seal that off and it will cause paint failure later on down the road...

[Tuner923]

buddy of mine suggested "easy off" over cleaner.. he's a 20 yr Sr. mechanic so I trust him.. going to use it to redo my dash pieces let u know how it works out

[Jn2]

with it being plastic, if you fuck the paint off, sandit smooth, dont even have to get all the old paint off, just sand it so a new coat can fix the previous mistake...i know this si a great mod for wanting to do a little color matching

[outtamymind]

you shouldn't have to use anything on your dash pieces. just sand it, use a plastic adhesion (sp) promotor, prime and paint and it will turn out like this.

[YelloEye]

I'll post up pictures of mine when I get home at the end of the month, turned out great.

[cobalt123]

i just redid mine, went from glossy red to a flat black

[sundevil07]

pics of the flat black please ^^