I'm looking at buying a used MCS spoiler in British Racing Green. I need it in white. Any advice on painting it at home? I can take it to a shop, but then it may cost me more than a new one.

 

I am not an expert, but it is not impossible to do by any means.

You do not have to remove all of the paint. You can start by scuffing it all with some medium sand paper and then resealing in light grey sealer(this is your primer). Then, procede to paint the wing.

If you have never painted anything before it will be worth the money to have a shop help you. If you do not want to spend the money on a shop, then hopefully you have a friend that can help you out.

 

I'm comfortable painting, but I guess I have questions around what grit to use between applications/coats. Do you know if I can buy the right paint in a spray can? And finally what clear coat to use? If someone gave me a step-by-step I'm sure I can follow it.

 

These folks should have all that you need. Primer, paint, clear, etc... All of it available in a spray can. I've used them for motorcycle paint and it is dead on and durable. A clean dust free area to paint and no one will be the wiser that it's home brew...

http://www.color-rite.com/

 

Here's my input on this.
If you want to do it with can spray paint then this is what you want to do. Also note that besides off the shelf paint you can go to your local auto paint supply store and have any color put into a spray can. Better quality also, more durable.
So, sand the wing down with about 150 grit dry paper. Use a soft sanding pad if you can. Your just roughing it up, no need to take off the paint. Clean it down with some alcohol or better yet acetone. Just a damp cloth will also do.
Now spray on a good "sandable" primer. Off the self stuff is good in Duplicolor and even in Krylon these days. Duplicolor has best spray nozzles. Make sure primer says "Sandable". White or light grey. Put on like three heavy-ish coats, letting dry about 10 min in between coats. Then let it all dry for about 30 min. Now Wet sand with about 320 grit. Go easy on the edges. Check for scratches and if you have any deep ones apply Putty Glaze (Wal-Mart, in red) and then wet sand that all out so just the scratches are filled with the red glaze.
Then prime again, heavy and then wet sand with about 600. If you cut through the primer and expose the green paint underneath, you must reprimer and wet sand lightly again or else that green will be harder to cover when you paint white.
Now you should have a VERY smooth primered wing. Clean with very damp (water) cloth and then spray with your white. Light tacky coat at first but don't wait too long before your next heavier coats go on. Maybe 1 min between the first and second coat and then about 3-4 min between the other coats. Might only need three heavy-ish coats after the first tack coat.
Let dry for a few house in a warm place. Now wetsand with 800, CAREFUL not to go hard on the edges and cut through to primer. Then wet sand with 1500, same caution. Now compound out the paint with DuPont polishing compound and then apply "Hand Glaze" as directed. Then a coat of wax if you want. The results will be killer. Cost ya only about $20 at most
Caution, over the counter paints are still soft for a few weeks. After that they can take more abuse. Cures for months really.
Good luck.

 

That was dead on onasled. I did not want to go that in depth, but that is perfect.

 

Thanks guys, this is exactly the kind of instruction I needed. I will make sure I post some pics.

Thanks for the help again, can't say in enough.

FP

 

If the spoiler is in good shape, you don't need to sand it down with 150 grit paper.
You can scuff it with a red scotchbrite pad, apply a few coats of a clear bonding sealer, and then spray bomb it white.
The clear bonding sealer is great for use on plastic parts because it gives additional adhesion for the color coat. It's also available in spray cans.
If you're worried about the white covering the green, use a gray sealer.

 

CHECK CLASSIC MINI THEY HAD AERO KIT FOR COOPER ON CLOSEOUT SALE AND PRE PAINTED.

 

By the way, .... soak your wet sand paper in water for about 10 min before you use it. Otherwise it will scratch.

 

or, use the 3M plastic based wet sand paper....and a spray bottle to keep the surface lubed.

 

check out this website - you can buy OEM paint in spray cans - real cheap!

http://www.minspeed.net/ESP.htm

i'm gonna do the same DIY home paint on an extra scoop and my door handles. good luck

 

Did you start your project already?

 

No, I will probably wait till it gets warmer.

 

Don't forget to get a respirator with the organic vapor cartridges! AO Saftey has a great one that won't break the bank.

 

Scrap the rattle can idea. I highly recommend taking the time to learn how to use a spray gun, its going to make your wing look more Mini than Honda. Also you need nothing more or less than 320 grit to take the gloss off the existing finish. then get some decent primer, and paint. It will look much much better than a rattle can job.

 

 

I am going to disagree about rattle cans. I have seen awesome paint work done with rattle cans. It's usually a limit of the user's skill and lack of decent nozzles. A good nozzle on a can will make all the difference.

 

+1

If you are using Krylon or some hardware store paint, well thats different. Maybe not the greatest.
But... In the link I provided above they sell automotive paint in a spray can. The results are great when you are painting smaller parts. I wouldn't paint a door panel with it, but I would paint a wing or aero kit for sure. It's very durable.
The real key to paint is the prep work, and also the curing process. If you can heat that panel up afterwards to allow the paint to flash off and cure hard, all the better.

The fairing on this bike is rattle can from the link above. Not the best pic (too much PS) I think I have another pic on the laptop...

 

I think the most I would ever consider rattle canning is an exhaust tip. I think he is using dupli-color? or some kind of automotive spray paint. It is possible to get a decent fininsh, but not probable in my opinion. Reasons being:
Rattle can texture
Inexperience with spray overlap
Blushing
Color matching (even though white is white for the most part, as long as there is no flake).
It can be done, but I think side by side a wing done right will look better. And its not much harder to do if you already own an air compressor. Auto paint can be cheap, especially for a solid white. A good autobody supply could give you the few ounces you would need, and probably run less than $20.

*edit:
also the experience you get from using a spraygun can pay off as you learn proper spray techniques. You also pick up an education on how the paints, primers, and clearcoats work, giving you the ability to extend and build upon your painting skills. I went from spraypainting my bicycle, to doing an exceptional first paint job on my first car. Now I am the person my friends come to with their showcar VWs when they have stone chips, key scratches, and alike. I am not trying to knock you (FPM) for wanting to rattle can your spoiler. I am trying to maybe encourage you to explore and play with the methods the professionals use.

 

It's obvious that one can get a better paint job via an HVLP gun vs an off the shelf can, but you are asking the guy to drop some big bucks. Just the low end gun will cost him about $50. Then a quart of primer and a quart of paint at about $60 with all the additives and clean up stuff. Not sure what a compressor goes for these days, but he also needs a hose and fittings. Air water separator maybe. Needs a air volume valve. Yikes, maybe if he is planning on doing other paint projects in the future?

Fact is that you can get great results with cans, even Krylon. Takes practice maybe, but so does using an HVLP gun, if not a lot more.


Not a great pic, but I did all my boats with cans.


Did my M7 IC Scoop with krylon also. I know pic doesn't show it very well, but no one could tell, unless maybe they knew paint and looked close.

 

I'm gonna weigh in again and say don't knock the DIY rattle cans. I've spent years working with all kinds of brands of rattle can paints. Yes ultimately you will get a "pro" finish from pro equipment. But a patient DIYer with good paint and good nozzles on the can will be able to do a great job. It will pass the 10/10 test. 10 feet and 10 miles an hour and it will look flawless.

Different brands of spray paint use different nozzle systems. Krylon and Rustoleum have the most common nozzle system followed by Montana, Belton and Sabotaz. The color match spray paint you can get from Autozone etc usually uses a needle system. I'm not a big fan of needle systems because they are difficult to control and I don't know of anyone that makes 3rd party nozzles. The nozzle caps that come with Krylon and Rusto are pretty much crap also. Much better caps can be had for cheap (50 for under $20). The 3rd party caps allow you to adjust the size of the spray pattern as well as how fast it comes out of the can.

If you can get the paint put in cans with a standard nozzle fitting here is where you go for real nozzles. http://www.crewest.com/shop/site.html
Click on the CAPS link to the left of the page.

No matter what you can still make it look great with whatever you find.

 

The one thread that MUST be read before you even think of rattle-can painting a car is THIS one. Start at post #9, and look at all the pictures!

 

what is your suspension set up on this car? - it looks so flat/neutral in that corner.

 

At that time I was running PSS9s, front and rear H-cport comp bars, camber plates, rear control arms. Car was corner balanced and had some weight reduction. Also had a four point roll bar, so it was a bit stiffer.
That pic was at LRP on the downhill turn into the main straight at about 100mph.