Color matching

kutzenshlagen · February 24, 2012

What all does color matching the door handles, front bumper, grille shell, and rear chrome bumper caps entail? Scuff with what kind of sandpaper, what kind of etching primer, and then base coat/clear?

Something I could do myself or better off going to a shop?

oldschool327 · February 25, 2012

Simple DIY mod. It is all in the prep work. Start with 60 then 120 then 320the and 400. Use self etching primer. Then base and clear with gentle wet sanding 800 in between. Easy beer day

blackout07 · February 25, 2012

I did all of mine myself. Just sand the chrome to a nice even haze. Don't try to kill yourself sanding it all off. Then use a couple of coats of any self-etching primer. It may be necessary to lightly sand at this point to even it out a little. If you do, wipe it down good with some tack cloths and apply several coats of color, and then the same with the clear. Let it cure for about 24 hours and then gently wet sand. I used about a 1500 grit. Get a nice even haze, being careful not to sand to deep. Then use a rubbing compound followed by a polishing compound. It sounds like a lot, but it's simple. Just make sure your work area is clean and don't get in a hurry.

markw8 · February 25, 2012

800 grit is too course for most of todays paint.

Mark

kutzenshlagen · February 25, 2012

Blackout, what did you initially sand the chrome with?

blackout07 · February 26, 2012

Blackout, what did you initially sand the chrome with?

I don't recall to be honest.

AllBlkdOut07 · February 27, 2012

If you're not meticulous and not very handy, don't even bother trying, you'll screw it up and then an autobody shop will have a hard time fixing/going over what you screwed up. It will end up costing you more in the long run, unless you are confident it's somehing you can handle. Most people are sloppy it may sound easier than it really is.

C-Dub · February 29, 2012

^^^ I agree with the above comment. Most people assume they can paint, but there's a lot more that goes into it than what you would think. If you have no equipment or materials to work with, you are going to have close to the same amount of money as paying someone to do it IMO