Painting / Spraying Question

[mally002]

I am going to be receiving some paint that matches the interior Butterscotch color for my 71. I am going to be painting the plastic panels and wanted to know is it as simple as going to Home Depot and buying a sprayer to apply.

I know rattle cans would be easier, but all I have will be pints. Has anyone ever done this and were the results what you wanted.

Thanks,

Randy

[geezer]

I have done it many times and always had great results. It's not that difficult. For larger pieces it is actually better to use a spray gun because you can stay back a little more and lay on a much more even coat. That is the secret to excellent results..Thin, even coats. With a rattle can, larger panels are more apt to show striping when done. Also, make sure the panels are as clean as possible. I use soap & water with some Windex glass cleaner mixed in. I follow that up by wiping down with a lint free cloth soaked in vinyl wash/prep. Make sure the parts are bone dry and at room temperature before spraying. What product are you planning to use? What ever it is follow their instructions before taking my or anyone elses advise.

[het976]

You can also see if the local paint supplier will put this paint into a rattle can for you. They can do it for the paint they sell, so they might be willing to do for your paint.

[JimmyZ]

Sounds like you've already got the paint. You can get OK results with vinyl paint from a can. Definitely practice on something before spraying the real thing. Recently I used some SEM from a can. It had a nice rectangular pattern and sprayed almost as good as from a gun.

PPG makes a really nice line of interior paints. The one I'm thinking of can be used as a stand-alone base or can be topcoated with various clears. (Sheens of clear) The stuff I'm talking about can be applied to vinyl. Can't remember the name of the line and I tossed the literature. They'll know right away though.

I also like SEM's products. (vinyl/plastic paints) You should be able to have a custom color made.

None of this will be cheap but should be between $30-$100 depending on which system you use. SEM sprays OK in cans but using a "real" spray gun hooked to a compressor is the best.

Use some wax and grease remover before spraying of course. I've never used laquer thinner for this but have heard that hard plastics wiped with LT will soften a bit and grip vinyl paint better. Never had a prob with W&G remover and spray.. even on vinyl tops.

2c

Jim

[mally002]

Thanks for the help guys. I'm getting the paint from Les, he sells it in pints that are color matched to original interior and it should be here by mid next week.

Geezer, I took your advice and cleaned all the panels this evening per your process, after all this cleaning they look pretty dang good.

I'll post some pics as soon as I get everything done.

[zanthus]

wipe them down lightly with rubbing alcohol (test on a smaller area first but it should be fine) to remove any grease from you hands after the W&G remover just to be safe and then where gloves. I will look pretty.

[geezer]

A little clarification is needed on my part Randy. What I referred to as Vinyl Wash is a local slang term for what we use to prep the vinyl before painting. It does what the other guys suggested about softening the vinyl promoting adhesion and cleaning the surface with laqueur thinners or rubbing alcohol...kinda. I haven't tried those, so I can't qualify an opinion, but I do know this is safe. I went out to the garage and checked the can. It is actually labeled as Prime Wash. I wipe it on with a saturated rag and then quickly wipe it off with another rag (it evaporates quickly). It will slightly soften the vinyl without any damage to the vinyl or it's grain. It will remove any chalk residue from aged plastics, or any other surface contaniments that were not removed with your initial washing. I've had excellent results so far using this method with no complaints. Good Luck