How to spray a tech 2 kit? UPDATED!

[bmwe30mtech]

Hi Guys,

I am about to re-spray my m tech 2 body kit (hopefully), but need some help.

Its is currently black, and i am going to spray it diamond metallic black. It was all resprayed in the last 2 years, so looks good/smooth.

What do i need to do, sand it all lightly and put on a primer? I take it i cant just sand it lightly and put the mettalic straight on top? Also do i spray a lacqer over the top when its finished? And how many coats, and how much paint will i need roughly?

Sorry for so many questions, im totally new to spraying car stuff.

Any help much appreciated guys

Paul

[LACHS]

i recently respayed the front valance on my sport, which is Lachs Silver. i bought a kit off www.paints4u.com which included wet&dry, primer, choice of paint (obviously i had lachs), and top coat. I also bought a plastic canister type handle which clips onto any spray can (very handy, helps apply the spray evenly).

my valance was quite badly scratched up so it required a fair bit of rubbing down to get smooth, i would say for you just rub down smooth the existing top coat, then make sure you clean away dust and try to make sure the parts your spraying are as dust free as possible before every new coat you put on.

i used 1 coat of primer (make sure you use the correct colour primer paints4u helped me with this), 2 coats of paint and then 3 coats of top coat.

which used up the best part of the 400ml can of paint for the 2 coats,
also most of the 500ml can of top coat for the 3 coats,
and not much of the 500ml can of primer.

ill let you calculate what you need, if you can from that

hope that was some help

[bmwe30mtech]

Thanks very much for that, some good advice.

I didnt realise how many coats i would need .

I was planning on just doing a few coats of top paint, i didnt realise there were two types (other than primer). This is going to be a bigger job than i wanted .

I have started to sand the front with wet and dry, and the bottom of my front valance is also very badly cracked.

Any more views as to the number of coats to use?

Cheers

Paul

[jmc330i]

I dont know how accurate this is, but I was told you need a different type of paint for the plastic kit to that of the metal body work. The paint for the kit needs to flex or it will crack as the body kit moves.

[bmwe30mtech]

Thanks, i will ask at the dealers about the type of paint when i buy it.

All the front emd bits are now sanded very very smooth, with any cracking paint removed, eyebrow spoilers done also.

Ready to start painting soon, must get the paint now. Dealers the way to go?

Cheers

Paul

[bmwe30mtech]

Now got the whole kit off and the car looks great, mainly because its all one colour! I havent found ANY rust at all yet , and its all off.

It seems wrong to sand the rest of the kit, its mint, so if somebody wants a black kit, and has a metallic one? (i have asked this before).

Any more views on the number of coats of paint?

Paul

[kevin316i]

Plastic items should be painted with a paint that includes a flex agent to avoid the paint cracking if there is any flexure in the panel.

As far as I know there are no aftermaket aerosol sprays that can provide a flexible paint coat. As regards number of coats, there are no strick rules, you should apply several thin layers rather than a couple of thick layers to get a good finish and metallic paints should always be overcoated with a clear lacquer coat.

You could get some 2-pack mixed and get all the flex agents and hardeners, etc. and spray it using a decent electric spray gun, but there are serious health and safety risks with using two-pack without the relevant protective breathing gear.

If you really want a good finish, best to prep the kit yourself and then get it professionally painted.

[bmwe30mtech]

Thanks Kevin.

I hadent realised the ammount of work/different aspects that need looking into. I was hoping to just 'give them a spray with metallic paint', but im new to this.

I will check out the cost of materials, and then the cost of a professional sprayer once i have prepped it all myself. Dips quoted me 400-500 pounds a while back, and i done have this sort of money.

Thanks

Paul

[cliffybabe]

Paul I read ur post and was going to reply with Spray Paint.

However the trick to it is pre work and loads of it.

Halfrauds do plastic primer which will allow for movement etc.

I would suggest givce it a few coats and see how it looks and take it from their

Good luck mate

Neil

[bmwe30mtech]

Cheers Neil, I am spending ages on the prep work, because i know how important this is. I will buy this primer from halfords later today, and start applying thin coats if i have time.

Cheers for your help Neil, i will hopefully see you at ace this month? I am going to be able to make this one (if the kits done!)

Paul

[mrLEE30]

the stuff you need to add is called a plasticiser, and if allows the paint to flex. but good news is the front and rear valances are stiff enough not to require this.

tip i was told before is to spray the primer then allow to dry and flatten with wet paper and some filler if necessary, then again with primer if you put any filler, then the colour coat 2-3 coats and spray the lacqure layer about an hour after the last colour coat layer, do not flatten between colour coat and lacqure.

then wet sanding (with a bit of soap in the water) on the dust spots or runs, then use polishing paste/rubbing compound, and then polish.

not too difficult if you take your time.

mrlee

[Jay07]

Hey Guys sorry to jump in the thread!

I need to colour code my bumpers in Lach i take it that the process would have to be the same with the plasticiser? Sand down/clean the plastic first?

J

[mrLEE30]

no, a plastisicer is added to the paint before spraying, and can only be done if you use a proper spraygun and compressor.

most modern paints woill allow a certain amount of flex these days and addfitions only really apply to the older paints.

it is unlikely your bumpers will flex under normal conditions so just spray them in the right colour. yes you need to sand down before you paint, but that is to rough up the surface and allows the new paint to key (or grip) the surface.

mrlee

[Jay07]

Alrite mrLEE! Cheers for the post!
Well thats good news about the plasticiser!

it is unlikely your bumpers will flex under normal conditions so just spray them in the right colour.

I take it that it still requires an undercoat primer? or did you mean literally straight on?

[bmwe30mtech]

Well the whole kit and eyebrow spoilers (except for the rear bumper and rear valance, im leaving this for next week) has been sanded down very smooth, with all paint arround flakey areas stripped.

The whole lot has also been primed and then sanded smooth, and washed thourghly.

I have also sprayed the whole lot in metallic black, colour match is spot on. Its all had 2 coats.

The front lower valance, bumper and eyebrow spoiler have been given 3 coats, and 3 coats of lacquer. They are now back on the car and looking good.

Just to give an update

Paul

[Zayyan]

Alrite mrLEE! Cheers for the post!
Well thats good news about the plasticiser!

it is unlikely your bumpers will flex under normal conditions so just spray them in the right colour.

I take it that it still requires an undercoat primer? or did you mean literally straight on?

Sand, plastic primer, sand, then 2 layers of paint should do it.

Back in my council days I sprayed my eyebrows in the above order and considering the flexing I gave them before putting them on, the same method should be fine for your plastic bumpers.

One can of primer/paint (about 12 quid for the pair I think?) in Halfords should be enough to do both bumpers. Remember that the trims (the bits that go round the indicators) just click on and off so don't waste your time masking these up!

Paul it sounds like you've done a good job there - fancy painting my kit as well as fitting it if I find one? Just messing

Pics!

[bmwe30mtech]

Zayyan, never again! But i would fit your kit yes. Basically if you need spraying done, leave it to the profesionals. That said i was quoted 400-700 quid by different sprayers or this work.

So far cost me arround 60 quid in paint

Pics: (it doesnt look 100% yet as it needs buffing up to give it that 'shine')

http://img154.imageshack.us/my.php?imag ... 1975wq.jpg

Well, you know how it looked before, and if not check out the photo gallary!

Cheers

Paul

[bmwe30mtech]

Oh, and yes its still on stilts

[cliffybabe]

Paul mate, im gonna do my tehc 1 kit myself, i think u can achive a good result.

[Zayyan]

Zayyan, never again! But i would fit your kit yes. Basically if you need spraying done, leave it to the profesionals. That said i was quoted 400-700 quid by different sprayers or this work.

So far cost me arround 60 quid in paint

Pics: (it doesnt look 100% yet as it needs buffing up to give it that 'shine')

http://img154.imageshack.us/my.php?imag ... 1975wq.jpg

Well, you know how it looked before, and if not check out the photo gallary!

Cheers

Paul

Looks almost matt in that pic, though I can see it's a bit better in terms of colour match than before. Get the buffing done ASAP

You seem to have jacked your car up about 2 inches? Could you not fit the kit with the car on the ground?

Had to say it

[bmwe30mtech]

Neil, yer it certainly beats a re-spray

Zayyan, it does look quite matt, but thats what comes of not paying 700 quid for the job! I have buffed it up, and it looks better, but not 100%. Still i did it by the book and its a big improvement. The car is very highly polishd also, just did it, when this wears off and gets some dirt on it you wont notice

Yes the car is jacked up, about 3 inches actually.

[bmwe30mtech]

After a quick polish:

http://img139.imageshack.us/my.php?imag ... 2000gn.jpg

Not bad, certainly looks good enough to me

[cliffybabe]

looks good mate, u should be well happy with that

[Zayyan]

As said it's very good for a home effort. Are you at the Aces thing on Saturday?

[bmwe30mtech]

Thanks guys.

tbh im not too happy with it. I think that picture might do it justice.

It looks slightly misty, matt, not shiney metallic.

I wont bother with the back bumper, but will finish the side skirts, and drive it through some mud to cover it over from view


Paul

[bmwe30mtech]

No i wont be there saturday unfortionatly.

[hammoj28]

Hey, thats not bad for a home jobby. Its really hard to spray though and get a decent finish tbh. I sprayed a bootlid on my old car and it never turned out right. I reckon you've done a decent job there for first time.

Also, who quoted you 700?! That seems very expensive.

[bmwe30mtech]

Thanks, makes it fell better, but not 90 quids worth of paint and a lot of work (and mess in the garage).

Maybe i can use a 'thick' shiney polish on it

700 may have been dips, although i think he said 500-600 (but i may well be wrong, was a while ago, so dont quote me!)

Thanks

Paul

[hammoj28]

Hmm i reckon you could get cheaper but dont quote me on that either.lol. Maybe use a black polish on it?? They seem to make quite a difference to paintwork.

[bmwe30mtech]

Black polish? Whats this?

Thanks

[hammoj28]

Its a coloured polish. Works wonders. Will blend in scratches and even peeling laquer. I just use carplan t cut colour fast. Works for me.

This stuff:
http://www.edirectory.co.uk/pf/pages/mo ... ck&cid=880

[dips346]

yes it was me i think i said around the £500 which is cheap as the PROPER paints would easy be around £170
not easy work is it

[hammoj28]

They do it for most colours of cars i think.

[bmwe30mtech]

Hammoj28, thanks, i will look into ways of making it shiney, if that fails a muddy puddle will do the job (sadly) also!

Dips, i know . Its a lot of work, and makes a lot of mess in dry powered spray everywhere in the garage. I thought it would be an easier job than this, dark_sounds warned me of this! If only sprayers were cheaper

Paul

[cliffybabe]

Hammoj28, thanks, i will look into ways of making it shiney, if that fails a muddy puddle will do the job (sadly) also!

Dips, i know . Its a lot of work, and makes a lot of mess in dry powered spray everywhere in the garage. I thought it would be an easier job than this, dark_sounds warned me of this! If only sprayers were cheaper

Paul

Paul I cant belive u didnt listen to ali hold up my exhaust with boxer, Na all joking asiode it aint a quick job, Im still gonna have a crack myself cos im mental