I have some 05 ford 150 that a customer wants painted but I've never painted plastic. What's the process? Epoxy primer? Self etching? Any help be great. Thank in advance

Use either epoxy or a DTM 2K primer, the Tamco product I sell here is perfect for this. I would not use etch, guys use it on plastic but I just don't like the idea.

I'm no expert on plastic but painted my Toyota grill & head light bezels back in 2007. I didn't have any epoxy as I was living in a small town of about 900 and was bored and wanted to paint something.

I scuffed it using burgundy pads and shot it with 2 coats of black S.S. (Endura) with a cheap gun. I did this under the side door stair well at my rental house and it got dark by the time second coat, so with a flash light in one hand and a spray gun in the other I hosed in on. It turned out better than I thought and is still holding up today. The pain was the honey comb portion of the grill, both to scuff and paint. The pic looks a little funny as I was experimenting with a cheap fish eye lens then.

Sure, if the parts have a finish on them already that works.

For the OP, you asked about epoxy versus etch - I didn't go into the full description of how to prep plastic (wash it really well, degreaser, use adhesion promoter on raw plastic, etc.)

all that applies, too.

chris wrote:Sure, if the parts have a finish on them already that works.

For the OP, you asked about epoxy versus etch - I didn't go into the full description of how to prep plastic (wash it really well, degreaser, use adhesion promoter on raw plastic, etc.)

all that applies, too.

Do you have to add anything to a urethane paint to make it more flexible?

Not unless the tech sheet specifically calls for it. Last time I used any flex additive was in the mid 90s.

I actually prefer epoxy on plastic parts because it is more flexible. I let about 1/4" deep epoxy cure in my paint cup and it was amazing how flexible the stuff is. Reminded me of the Super Ball that was a hit way back when I was a kid. We used to throw them at dinosaurs.

Like Chris said, if you have raw plastic you will need adhesion promoter. From there I coat it with epoxy and then regular urethane products. No need for flex agents.

'68 Coronet R/T wrote:I actually prefer epoxy on plastic parts because it is more flexible. I let about 1/4" deep epoxy cure in my paint cup and it was amazing how flexible the stuff is. Reminded me of the Super Ball that was a hit way back when I was a kid. We used to throw them at dinosaurs.

Like Chris said, if you have raw plastic you will need adhesion promoter. From there I coat it with epoxy and then regular urethane products. No need for flex agents.

You must also remember "clackers."