aight, we get the point Pete

Yeah, and non mounted on the car

That looks great, you got a write up?

Well, it'* not mounted since I think I will be doing it over anyway. :?

Sorry for the amount of pics...I was just pleased with how great it turned out! :P And it'* been a while since I did any paint work. This is by far the best results I've gotten with a rattle can and I think I'll go ahead and do the bumper cover/fender.

As far as a write-up goes, there'* not much more I can add about the actual painting than what is on the paint can itself. It takes practice, but following the directions on the can is a great starting point.

As far as repainting the cover, I did the following:

1. Wet sanded with 600 grit until all gloss was gone from the paint.
2. Dried cover completely/removed all dust
3. Applied several light coats of color, allow 5-10 minutes between each coat (here you can refer to paint can for specific directions, ie. distance, times, basic painting techniques like overlapping each stroke, releasing the nozzle after each pass, etc.) Apply lightly to avoid runs and sags. You want to keep the paint as smooth as possible. It will benefit you so you don't have to sand as much later. You CAN sand between color coats to help, but don't sand the last color coat/before clear coat.
4. Allowed at least 1 hour for the color to dry.
5. Applied one very light first coat of clear and allowed to dry for 5-10 minutes
6. Applied 4-5 more coats of clear, getting slightly heavier with each coat. Always allow coats to dry at least 5 minutes before applying the next.
7. Let it dry in a safe, "dust-free" place. I stood 3 paint cans around the cover and laid a canvas board on top of the cans so it was somewhat protected from dust or anything else falling on top of it. Don't sand or polish anything for at least a week.

To finish the job, I let it cure for about 3 weeks and:

1. lightly wet sanded entire surface with 1000 grit, then 1500, then 2000
2. dried the cover
3. Used rubbing compound with a terry cloth towel, circular motion, using firm pressure until I ended up with what I have.

I've done a lot of rattle can painting and this is the first time I've been 100% thrilled with the results (besides the small spots I mentioned). But with practice I think anyone can do projects like this by themselves. It isn't too hard at all as long as you have patience.

Not too long ago, I read a how to article on getting orange peel out of paint in my Car Audio magazine, just like you did with your plate cover.


That came out AWESOME!! NICE job!!

Pete... that is awesome.

I see what you were saying about the rest of the car.

Thanks guys. At least someone appreciates my passion for paint!

I would attempt to get rid of the orange peel on the factory paint but I don't want to risk ruining it. When I repaint the fender/bumper, I'll just have to try and keep some orange peel otherwise it may end up looking worse. :?

Blah, I hate Paint



whats this Passion you speak of?

WOW. That came out beautiful,




Side note - My uncle works for Ford, and has seen WAY worse paint jobs come off the line at the Ferd plant he worked at. I would assume that Ferd kinda ignored how bad they looked and moved on. He said GM paint jobs compared to Ferd paint jobs are no comparison, I guess they (Ford) kinda rush on the prepping/painting.

You...hate paint?

Passion you ask? I love auto painting...I've become pretty good over the past few years and I'm stoked about this project and how well it turned out. I've never really MASTERED a project yet until now. There'* nothing like creating professional results with a paint can!