I knew when I said "Pics" that would get everyone's attention.
Anyhoo, I had been toying for some time (over a year, really) to try some way to customize some bits of my dash, display, add a splash of color for some pizazz and started looking into painting dash plastic. "Yeah, it'll never work" I thought. That oily, slippery surface? No way. Then I started to come across threads where some customizers and tuners claimed that it could be done. After seeing some of the results, I figured I'd give it a try. On something that was, you know, not fatal if it didn't work. By accident, I came across a site that actually sells these (pics follow) for something like $30. I don't know if they've molded them, or they've done their own paint, but either way, I decided to do my own work, and overall, I'm pleased. Caveats:
Painting plastic ain't easy. Prep prep prep. One site said to not even bother with the special plastic paints. That if you prep right, the results will be good.
I sanded these babies down with 600 grit paper, primered them, sanded some more, then reprimered and coated with a rustoleum high gloss enamel. That stuff takes a long time to cure, but it came out ok. I'm not overly pleased with my technique, and they do have flaws, and masking was a total son of a B at first until I figured out a pretty slick technique. Honestly, I don't know how well they'll hold up against keys scraping across them, fingernails jamming into the paint as you reach for them while driving. But I do know that Rustoleum, given enough time will eventually cure as hard as nails. But it takes time. I'm still not confident these will last, but I'm careful with them, and I'll just see how they last after some months in the car.
In the end, I honestly have to say that I'm not sure if the prep work and wait time is worth it if you have $30 bucks in your pocket, and just want some on your car. I'll let you guys mull that over.
The effect though? I'm pretty happy with it. Opinions? Even criticism, I'd like to hear it. I present to you:
Anyhoo, I had been toying for some time (over a year, really) to try some way to customize some bits of my dash, display, add a splash of color for some pizazz and started looking into painting dash plastic. "Yeah, it'll never work" I thought. That oily, slippery surface? No way. Then I started to come across threads where some customizers and tuners claimed that it could be done. After seeing some of the results, I figured I'd give it a try. On something that was, you know, not fatal if it didn't work. By accident, I came across a site that actually sells these (pics follow) for something like $30. I don't know if they've molded them, or they've done their own paint, but either way, I decided to do my own work, and overall, I'm pleased. Caveats:
Painting plastic ain't easy. Prep prep prep. One site said to not even bother with the special plastic paints. That if you prep right, the results will be good.
I sanded these babies down with 600 grit paper, primered them, sanded some more, then reprimered and coated with a rustoleum high gloss enamel. That stuff takes a long time to cure, but it came out ok. I'm not overly pleased with my technique, and they do have flaws, and masking was a total son of a B at first until I figured out a pretty slick technique. Honestly, I don't know how well they'll hold up against keys scraping across them, fingernails jamming into the paint as you reach for them while driving. But I do know that Rustoleum, given enough time will eventually cure as hard as nails. But it takes time. I'm still not confident these will last, but I'm careful with them, and I'll just see how they last after some months in the car.
In the end, I honestly have to say that I'm not sure if the prep work and wait time is worth it if you have $30 bucks in your pocket, and just want some on your car. I'll let you guys mull that over.
The effect though? I'm pretty happy with it. Opinions? Even criticism, I'd like to hear it. I present to you:
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