[glhx]

I have never painted motorcycle abs plastic parts. I have read many articles (some with conflicting views) and wish the knowledge of the forum to make sure i am on the right track.

1. Sand the plastic fairings with 400 grit dry. Some of the plastic has paint already on it. I scuff the old paint with 400 and the bare plastic with 400

2. Use some sort of body filler on the low spots. I have heard to use
jb weld
bondo
glazing putty
super glue
3m flexible parts epoxy
I will sand this spot to 80 grit to promote adhesion?

3.use bulldog plastic adhesive promoter. This will only be done on the bare plastic but does it need to be used on corners and sharp body lines where the paint is gone or just the large areas

4. Spray with 2 coats of epoxy primer with flex additive added to it. Can the filler i use be done over the top of this primer. DO I EVEN NEED THIS PRIMER

5. Sand with a long board using 220 wet to get an even surface

6. spray high build urethane primer 3 coats with flex additive

7. spray a guide coat and then sand with 220 wet again to find low spots

8. If many low spots are found then fill low spots and spray again then sand with 220 wet

9. if no low spots are found spray again and sand with 400 wet.

10. Sand with 600 wet

This will be just to prepare the panel for painting. What gun pressure should be used? I am not using an hvlp gun. I have a gun set up for primer (a cheap non gravity fed gun)and a gun used for paint (SATA JEt 90).

Does the sealer,paint, and clear need flex additive. I am using all dupont paint
Nason line

[milo]

I don't now much about the prep stuff your listing but I do know one thing for sure..

The first thing to do before you spend time prepping is to figure how your going to mount the panels so you can spray every angle and edge without touching them while you can handle them... Do this now before you can't touch them..
They can't simply hang on strings because the wind from the spray gun will move them and you need them to stay still while you slam on the clear...

[glhx]

i have seen threads in other web sites from you where you blended the paint on bmw fairings. Nice work!!! How do you secure and paint your stuff

[Kevin45]

Use the adhesion promoter on bare plastic. The flex additive is just so you can get the panels together. It is my understanding that the newer paints do not need flex additive as the older paints did. The additive gives you time to put the panels together but eventually dissipate if I am correct? Also...are you sure you are painting plastic (ABS or urethane) and not fiberglass?

[glhx]

yeah im sure. it is a suzuki motorcycle fairing.

[cyclopsblown34]

Milo's popsicle stick method worked great for me. A 1/2" wooden dowel and cheap spring loaded clamps for woodworking to hold the items.

I'll try and remember to get pictures of one of the popsicle sticks tonight.

[glhx]

i am having a hard time filling a low spot on the tail section. I put in some glazing putty and when i sand it back down i still have a low spot. Problem is i cant tell when to stop sanding so i dont have a high spot so i go too far. when i use the guide coat the glazing putty is so high anyway that the guide comes right off. Sanding all this off is making the whole side low and making me use more putty for a bigger spot. I know this is the basics but im new at this. how can i tell when to stop sanding. should i sand the guide off and then re guide and keep doing that until it comes off evenly. seems to take a long time doing it that way. Nice pic of the fairing setup ill use that whn i paint

[S10 Racer]

Originally Posted by glhx

i am having a hard time filling a low spot on the tail section. I put in some glazing putty and when i sand it back down i still have a low spot. Problem is i cant tell when to stop sanding so i dont have a high spot so i go too far. when i use the guide coat the glazing putty is so high anyway that the guide comes right off. Sanding all this off is making the whole side low and making me use more putty for a bigger spot. I know this is the basics but im new at this. how can i tell when to stop sanding. should i sand the guide off and then re guide and keep doing that until it comes off evenly. seems to take a long time doing it that way. Nice pic of the fairing setup ill use that whn i paint

Glazing putty will not work as a body filler. It is used to fill scratches & pinholes and not to be used as a body filler. It depends on how low of a spot you are trying to fill but I have had good luck by sanding the area with 60 grit (real rough) and using a body filler to fill in the low spot. You can also use fiberglass which I find adheres better then spread the body filler over the fiberglass for the final repair. If you have scratches and pinholes in the filler after sanding (which you will) then you can use the glazing putty to fill those. As far as how much to sand, it takes a good eye and hand to see where you are. The edges of the filler should be feathered. A good eye and a good feel of the hand is worth more than a guide coat IMHO.

[edselman59]

You do not have to go all the way back down to the plastic to get good paint on your motorcycle parts. I would do the following.

1 - Use a DA (random orbital sander) and a soft backup pad with some 400 grit sandpaper.

2 - Clean the dust off your part very well, use some 50/50 alcohol and water to wipe your part.

3 - Fill low spots with some kind of body filler, Bondo or Evercoat. If your dips are not that deep (less than 1/8") you should be fine.

4 - DA until it looks even.

5 - Spray three coats of primer.

6 - Apply 3M Dry Guide Coat then sand with 400 grit (really 400 to 600 works here)

7 - Look for contrasting color of primer and guide coat. Dark spots are still low. Add a little more putty, sand level and re-primer if needed.

If your sanding looks even and you sand off all the guide coat evenly, no low spots, then solvent wipe your part and either seal or paint. As for the flex agent, doesn't really hurt anything, just follow dirrections.

Sounds like a time consuming process and it is.

See my fiberglass repair on Cardomain

[glhx]

this is a very shallow spot (1/16) of an inch where my friend melted the plastic some to get a sticker off. i re melted it with a heat gun and pressed it back out to its original shape. I already have glazing putty in there. should i remove it or will it be fine.

[milo]

check and recheck....

Feather edge the filler and give them a round of primer..
after blocking the primer you can put on another round if it needs it..

check this thread working Flex-able Icing**

http://www.a2zautoforums.com/showthread.php?t=4407

Rememeber to prep the ugly side first..In other words leave the tops of fenders and tanks for last..

[cyclopsblown34]

My adaptation of Milo's popsicle sticks. His are much more elaborate and on a rotating stand.

[glhx]

i wanted to run hi build over the panel.
guide coat it
find the low spot
fill the low spots with filler
high build prime again

what i heard on here was that if you use epoxy primer you can do this as it cures fast. If you do this with filler in between layers of hi build it will come out because it takes the high build a month to shrink. Is this true

[cyclopsblown34]

Don't necessarily hammer the high build surfacer on, just spray it so it achieves coverage and then some, you're gonna sand the bulk of it off anyways. I'm guessing the high build you're using is a catalyzed product. If it is lacquer based, you definitely need to sand the bulk of it off.

[glhx]

how can you tell if it is laquer based. its dupont nason hi build