Lets say I wanted to paint my stock light gray down tubes on my Cooper...What kind of paint should I use, should I do any sanding, Should I use that plasti dip I keep hearing about? I have no idea. I want black or as close to black as possible. Any suggestions?

 

I would use Krylon Fusion paint. I Plasti Dipped my door handles and it has a tendency to peel off if it gets rubbed on. The headlight rings and scoop worked out great with the Plast Dip. Hope this helps.
Doug

 

I went with Chili Red spray paint from minispeed. Sanded lightly, wiped down with thinner and applied several light coats. Followed it up with a clear coat application. Easy, looks great and no wear issues after 12 months. I wax it now along with the rest of my dash.

 

thats what i would do. most sptray paint will work though.
the krylon fusion is made for plastic, but i never really had any problem with paint not sticking...
keep us posted!

 

A light rub with a 3M scrub pad and then just regular paint.

Done black, Red (ace Hwd store banner red IS Chili red) Yellow

All worked well

 

Do you not primer? is it necessary with the krylon fusion stuff?

 

Sounds like Krylon Fusion will work though? With maybe some light sanding. And I second MaxMini, no primer is needed? I looked on Minspeed as well. The paint on there is offored in body colors. That means it would be shiny, right? I would just want flat black.

 

What did you use for black? I have a spoiler to paint and I need it to match the black roof. I was looking at Minspeeds paint, but if I can get the same results for less than $20 a can I'd be happy.

 

For auto plastics I always use Adhesion Promoter for a primer. It is goes on clear but preps the plastic for the adhesion of any paint, interior and exterior....

 

our black projects were Ultra flat, semi flat and just plain gloss black.

We were not trying to match anything

 

I used some Testors Metalizer for scaled model cars and its looks awesome. Its a great quality paint too.

 

I assumed Krylon Fusion is regular paint with adhesion promoter already added? I'd use the fusion or the ad. prom. Use ad prom sparingly, in an even, thin coat. Fusion works well, too, but limits your color options.

You can buy ad prom for a spray gun as well.

 

So I thought about it, I think I might get the Hyper Blue paint from Minspeed, paint the down tubes that, and also some bits under the bonnet. Injector cover and maybe the battery cover.

Can't really do it until spring. Its cold here in MN
Thanks everyone.

 

Wait until your wife turns leaves for a few hours, then paint them in the kitchen or bathroom where there is a vent fan. Not that I've done that, though I did sneak a wheel into the dishwasher once.

 

Wow I never even thought to wash a wheel in the dishwasher. Is that w/ or w/out the tire?

 

w/o the tire. I was hoping the hot water would get the cosmolene (wax stuff that is used to seal the body, which sometimes leaks out, sticks, gets dirty, leaving stuck-on black blobs on stuff) off of it, but it didn't work.

 

id stay away from the fusion paint. I tried it and had no luck with it. I painted my door panels red and silver(just the oval parts and the grip handle). It was a bear on reassembly and would not recommend it. Im still waiting to install my steering wheel and quick release adaptor. Ill get pics up after install.

 

Yeah, I used Fusion on my mailbox post (plastic, maybe vinyl) and it isn't holding up well at all. Considering no one touches the mailbox post, its pretty sad. Still, might work better on ABS, or over stock paint. Don't forget we are talking about painting painted parts here, ultimately, so maybe nothing special is needed for that reason.

 

That's the bast thing I've ever seen.
My experience has been that if a person wipes down the parts to be painted with rubbing alcohol and lets dry, primers, paints, and clear coats, it typically works fine. Admittedly, the down tubes may take more of a beating than other parts. I have used high heat engine enamel on parts before. Its not uber-pretty, but for solid colors it works well and boy its tough.

 

I used rust-o-leum high performance enamel after lightly sanding and priming.

https://www.northamericanmotoring.com/forums/interior-exterior/165588-painted-rollcage.html