Checklist for repainting a plastic bumper and chip touch-ups

Anything goes in the world of fiberglass and plastic



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Joined: Sun Mar 30, 2014 1:03 am

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PostPosted: Sun Mar 30, 2014 2:22 am
Hello, I'm new! I just got a 2006 Chevy Impala SS. It's in very good condition except for a few things: a large paint chip in the back, and the entire front end paint condition! I mean, there are some spots everywhere else that are noticeable(and easily fixed), but the front end is atrocious. Also, there is a pretty large chip in the back by the trunk that is exposing bare metal, but thanks to these forums, i think i know exactly how to fix that.

Pictures here.. ignore the other pictures. http://s823.photobucket.com/user/Feliciano_Montoya/library/

Here are a few questions about non-bumper stuff
1. For the big chip in the back, i plan to sand out that terrible touch up job, spray some primer from the bumper job into a cap, pour it in, drip in some touch-up paint, and finally do the same with the clearcoat as i did with the primer(or use the touch-up lacquer if someone thinks that will still be good for this huge chip). I understand that the clear coat might not match and that i will have to do some wet sanding for get the edges blended out, but will that work decently? do i really need primer? i just really dont want to repaint the entire quarter panel for that massive chip... especially since its metal, unlike the plastic bumper.
2. my hood has some serious rock chips as well... not as in the size, but the sheer number of them! there are tons! as you can see in the pictures, it looks like specs of dust or something like that, but they are white(some larger ones are bare metal) and deep! i included a random picture titled "before wiping" to show you that i understand that there is dust on the car and that the hood was indeed that bad after wiping the dust off. so, my question is, should i even bother touching them up or just full on repaint the hood along with the bumper?
3. ill be getting a chrome grill eventually, so im not actually worried about the black part of the grill, but from what i have seen, the grill outline(where the chrome is chipping away) is actually expensive and doesnt come with an aftermarket grill. it seems like the chrome part is actually a wrap and not paint, but i could be wrong. can anyone recommend to me a good chrome paint? ive looked into it a little and have seen some stuff about silver-leafing, but i am still unsure..

Back to that bumper... I need new headlights and a new paintjob, but, after paying for those lights, i wont be able to afford a professional paint job... so im gonna do it myself. or at least try. I have created a list of things that i need and a gameplan for what to do to fix it. If you could, please check to make sure im not leaving out anything important on the list or the game plan, and please make sure all these things work well together. I would be very thankful!

list:
Painters tape
Assorted sandpaper
2oz of touch-up paint(ill get less if i decide to just repaint the hood, but i still need some for other spots)
2oz of touch-up clearcoat lacquer
Paint pens(1 color and 1 lacquer for the small scratches and scuffs)
12 oz. Aerosol Black Sand-able Acrylic Lacquer Primer
12 oz Aerosol Base Color Spray Paint, 2006 Chevrolet Impala: Black 41
SprayMax 2K Urethane Clearcoat(apparently i need a respirator mask for this.. like seriously, not just a suggestion)
Respirator mask.... >:(

So everything in that list is up for criticism, and, hopefully, replacement/revision. The cheaper and easier the better, but quality is still a big issue, especially for the bumper and hood(if i repaint the hood), so ill consider more expensive things heavily.

now heres the gameplan..

for all chips:
1. If there is bare metal or plastic, ill drip in a little primer from the spray can(out of a bottle cap or something)
2. Fill with base touch up paint
3. Fill with clearcoat touch up lacquer
4. Fill with more lacquer if its still particularly deep.
5. if overfilled, wet sand and buff

for all scratches/scuffs:
1. base color paint pen
2. clearcoat paint pen.. a few times maybe
3. maybe some 1500 grit wet sanding followed by a good buff to even out a little more.

the bumper:
1. remove headlights
2. tape off everything around the bumper
3. sand the edges of the spots of missing paint until smooth
4. rough up the plastic a little with sand paper
5. spray primer on just those spots(a few coats, but not super thick. just enough to almost match the thickness of the paint around it)
6. Spray base coat on the primed parts
7. sand the entire bumper enough to thin the clear coat, smear the edges of the freshly painted parts, and rough it up for painting.
8. Clear coat. Probably 2 layers if i have enough.

So my main concerns here are whether or not i should prime the entire bumper, paint the entire bumper, or just do what i have listed here. i did a lot of forum-reading and some people in these situations went to all bare plastic to prime and paint the entire thing, some roughed the whole thing first, then primed and painted it(primer over base coat?), and some just primed the spots, roughed the whole thing up, and then painted the whole thing! i saw one guy say that, depending on what my bumper is made of, it might not even need primer! that is my main cause of confusion right now, so please help me out here.

I know thats a lot to read, but i want to be very thorough in this project. i plan to dedicate an entire weekend to it, so thats why i decided to include it all in this one post. i didnt see much about it in the rules, so i hope this is ok.



Fully Engaged
Posts: 286
Joined: Tue Jun 10, 2008 5:21 pm
PostPosted: Sun Mar 30, 2014 8:56 am
would save up my money and have a shop do it! your going to waste a lot of time and money and it's not going to look anything like you want it to!!!!!!!!!!!! dabbed on paint never looks like sprayed on paint! been there done that! :cry:

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