Hypothetically stripping paint w/ brake fluid

[JPanimal]

Hello,
I'm gonna go out on a limb here and ask something really dumb, so forgive me please! I've been looking at getting a TE, but also at the SR5 & Limited for various reasons.

Hypothetically, could you mask off parts of the front bumper of an SR5 and use brake fluid to strip the paint to give it a similar effect as the TE? Would probably have to sand down the clear coat first, right?

I know that the bumpers/fenders are completely different, simply a thought I had before I fell asleep. Anyways, I'm sure I'm overlooking super obvious, humor me please!:cheers:

 

[mojo34]

Are you talking about the blacked out center/lower section of the bumper?
I think you would be much better off painting the parts satin black. Brake fluid will damage paint, but I don't think it will work as a paint stripper.

 

[1engineer]

Brake fluid actually gets into the material (either metal or plastic) underneath and you have to use a barrier primer in order to repaint. I have repaired vehicles that have had brake fluid drip on the paint and it is not pretty. DO NOT GET BRAKE FLUID NEAR THE PAINT. EVER.

 

[JPanimal]

Yes, I was thinking about the center portion of the front bumper- Out of curiosity, what happens to the paint/material when brake fluid touches it? Is the integrity of the plastic compromised? Is there some residue or unsightly finish left?

 

[KCcarguy]

There has got to be a better product for stripping paint than brake fluid. If you're going to spend that kind of money on a vehicle, please do it right. Have you ever considered a black vinyl wrap instead? Someone on the forum has done this, I can't remember who.

 

[Okki]

I replaced the front fender flares and rocker panels on my Limited with TE parts. The plastic on the TE parts is textured; it's not painted.

The Limited parts are smooth plastic.

I had the TE plastic professionally painted on mine (after the DIY attempt went bad on me). I wanted to make the TE parts match the body colored parts on the Limited for that more finished look.

If you go this route; I would suggest one of two things.

1) get the parts vinyl wrapped. Its relatively cheap and you can do it yourself if you wanted to.
2) remove whatever parts you want painted (fender flares, rockers and bumpers) and have a body-shop paint them with a textured paint to give the TE appearance. If you use a rhino-liner type product you will also get a tough/scratch resistant finish.

Okki

 

[KCcarguy]

There has got to be a better product for stripping paint than brake fluid. If you're going to spend that kind of money on a vehicle, please do it right. Have you ever considered a black vinyl wrap instead? Someone on the forum has done this, I can't remember who.

BFLAN did it:

http://www.toyota-4runner.org/5th-gen-t4rs/84546-3m-matte-black-vinyl.html

 

[JPanimal]

Thanks for the info, I completely agree, brake fluid is NOT the way to go. After reading some "good reviews" from less reputable forums, I had to double check the facts over here.