Painting TE Plastic Failure

[Okki]

This is starting to become an awfully expensive project....

So i ordered my Shrockworks rails for my LMTD. I remove the rockerpanels because they don't fit with the rock rails. While annoying, this was somewhat expected.

First I tried to notch them LMTD rocker panels and reinstall them. http://www.toyota-4runner.org/5th-gen-t4rs/69396-shrockworks-sliders-limited.html#post608458
That did not work out. So if you have a Limited and install rock rails, safe your rocker panels and sell them.

At this point we are about $70 above the cost of the rails in fiberglass, resin, Bondo and paint.

So I suck it up and spend another $700 in TE rocker panels, fender over moldings and mudguards.

Add to that $50 in Duplicolor automotive paint and clear coat... and then we find out that you apparently need to be a rocket scientist to paint TE plastic, because following the instructions did not cover it. The paint looks like skin that was cut and the wound pulling open. in other places it would look like cracked enamel. In other words, I now have several requests for quotes out with paint and body shops to get the work done.

If I would have known it would en up costing this much, I would have bought a Baja rack, TRD intake and Defiant Lightbar first! more toys for less money...

I guess this was my lesson learned, that I do fine with mechanical and electrical stuff ... but I suck at paint work....

Okki

 

[Dispense]

What kind of prep did you do prior to painting? Sorry to hear you are having so much trouble, that sucks. Hopefully you can still get what you want without too much additional cost.

 

[Titanpat57]

With todays modern plastics and coatings...special care (way past the norm) has to be taken to ensure a proper bond and no bad reactions.

Good luck with it...sounds like a real pita.

Pat

 

[hamiltonj2w1]

You are going to have problems with painting the Trail Edition stuff anyway textured plastic sucks to paint and it usually ends up pealing because the little cracks don't ever get sanded enough. When I worked in a body shop in high school they handed me a scuff pad and said make it not shiny paint don't stick to shiny lol. I hope you get it all figured out body shop will be expensive paint will probably be damn near 150 bucks plus 5 hours labor at 50 to 80 an hour?

 

[lowrange44]

In addition to the sanding and prep work, painting automotive plastic requires flex agents that are added to the paint/clear coat.

There may even be a chemical that can be used to fully prep the Trail trim pieces that will ensure proper paint adhesion.

I'm sure a body shop could get paint to adhere properly.

In addition, air temp, humidity, and time between coats play a huge role in how the paint sets up.

I bet if you do a little homework or talk to a local bodyshop you can redo it yourself or have them help you at a reasonable price.

Keep us posted...

 

[Snowfox]

Yep, You must add the right amount of flex control to you paint, too much adding will cause the paint to crack but if don't add enough of it the paint will end up peeling.

 

[Okki]

This was Duplicolor Factory Match Automotive paint (in Toyota 202 black)....
Dupli-Color :: Perfect Match

According to the can it works with automotive plastics. And I actually read the can and researched before spraying ... so i dont know.. I'll have a bodyshop fix it becase especially the fender overmolding is a high-visibility area and I want it to looks factory...

Okki

 

[lowrange44]

Okki,

I hear ya about doing your homework. The problem is that the "rattle can" paint finishes claim to do everything. In reality, they are easy to spray, but the finished product never really comes close to what a pro can do (or what you would expect based on what the spray can label claims).

A pro painter will use multi-part paint and has access to the proper additives in order to specially mix a paint for a specific application.

Sorry to hear that it didn't come out as nice as expected. Once it gets resprayed I'm sure it will look amazing.

Hope to see the updated pics when you get it done.

 

[Boatdreamin]

What you need is plastic dye. I run a paint and body shop and we run into this all the time. Just head to your local auto paint supplier and let them know you need plastic dye in whatever color you're trying to paint. Again, scuff it with a scotch brite first to get all the old paint off. You'll need a spray gun to apply it, but it will stick 100 times better than paint on plastic. We do it all the time. If you take the parts to a shop they shouldn't charge you too much. For the rockers on the T4R we would probably charge less than $100 if we didn't have to take them off.

 

[mgrande]

I vote to shell out the money and take it to a body shop and have them do it the right way. I did all the mods on my truck, but when it comes to painting stuff, no way, that I'll leave to a pro.

 

[harper7]

The pics of blistering you are showing possibly indicate that the parts were not prepped properly.They have mold release and oils on them from manufacturing that can't be seen by the naked eye. They should be scuffed up too after cleaning and then rewashed again.

We use dawn dishwashing soap and hot water and wash and wash and rinse again. Wear gloves or don't touch the surface to be painted as there are unseen oils on your hands. Think surgically clean !Automotive paints which today are Urethane based with a clearcoat work better with a adhesion promoter on plastic before painting. Paint made explicitly for plastic like Krylon Fusion does'nt need the promoter as it bonds chemicallly.

The outside plastics are all ABS plastic and dyes don't work good on ABS.The mud flaps are made of rubber . Dyes are for the polyvinyl plastics that are used in some interior plastics like the door panels but there are alot of ABS plastics in there too. We live in a oil dependent plastic world but there are alot of different types and grades of plastic!

I worked in the paint shop for 4 years here at AA back in the 90's when I hired on and painted for a living, not to mention modding at least a dozen cars.Painting is all in the prep work and cleanliness as just about anyone can spray paint. There is a write-up in the Mods Sticky on painting plastics with Krylon plastic paint but too late now and here is another good read if your using OEM urethanes and clearcoat.Painting plastic right the first time - There are special procedures and precautions used when painting plastic to insure a long-lasting quality finish. Make sure everyone in your shop knows what to

 

[dlturpin]

How about Rhino-liner or Line-X coating?

 

[Okki]

I am wanting to have it match the rest of the truck's paint... I have a couple quotes in so far... best one so far is #350,-

I should have gone this route from the get-go...

Okki

 

[Will733]

I like the Rhino Liner idea...if you weren't needing it to match.

Maybe plastidip (spray on) would look good down there too.

I wonder if it would look pretty good to just leave the rocker panel off completely and spray that stuff or Rhino Liner on it to cover up that "unfinished" look of the nuts and bolts showing.

Not sure I wanna be that guinni pig though...

 

[Okki]

So after receiving 5 quotes, ranging from $697 on the high end to $354 on the low end, I ended up dropping off the pieces to have them professionally painted. :art:

It should be a couple days, but they said they would match the OEM LMTD trim pieces when they are done.

Once painted and on the truck I'll post some more pics.

Okki