noob painting chrome tail panel...

M

MarPar

howdy guys! new to the site and relatively new to painting...

i have a tail panel for my 68 GTX im painting and have gotten as far as scuffing the chrome off with a 3M (green) scotchbrite pad.

this is what it looked like when i first got it...

Paul's Finish Panel-$300.jpg

this is how it looks now...

DSC02541.JPG

the taped off portion is the part that has to stay chrome.

this is what is the finished panel looks like...

gtx tail panel.jpg

ive read that you're supposed to scuff the chrome, then sand with 80 grit, 180 grit, then a wet sand with 300 or 400.

then i read then you're supposed to use a self-etching primer, then topcoat it. (the top coat is an enamel-based textured argent paint)

a few guys on my car forum have said not to use the self-etching primer (dupli-color #1690), because it will eat the topcoat and flake off.

i don't know what to do. should i just use a regular primer? a hi-fill primer? (it does have a few wavy spots i would like to even out)

can i still use the self-etcher? if i use the self-etcher should i still go through the all the sanding?

i appreciate any feedback y'all can give!

Thanks!
 
To paint chrome is really rather simple.
Hand sand with 180 to scuff chrome up.
Large areas where you want to use a DA then use 80 grit.
Clean.
Spay two wet coats of epoxy.
Let set overnight and from here normal painting procedures apply.

A personal opinion!
Looks like a real nice car and in my book, acid etch nor a dupli-color should not be allowed any closer then 100 yards of that car.
 
Thanks for your response, Barry.

when you say epoxy, is that an epoxy based primer? unfortunately, i do not have access to an HVLP gun to paint this panel, so i have to *gulp* use a spray bomb. any specific primer you could recommend?

also, after i scuffed with the scotchbrite, i sanded a little area with 180 grit, and it seemed not to make a difference. that is, it looked the same as the other areas after i was done.

thank you for your time and input!!
 
Sorry if this seems harsh, but I doubt you'll find anyone here willing to instruct you on the fine art of spray can refinishing.

Although, if you are dead set on doing this, there are paint stores that will load ready to spray paint into a spray can. They generally don't load 2K product, though. If you could find a store that would load ACTIVATED paint, that would be what to use, but you'll have a very limited time in which to use it.

Also, Standox makes a 2K epoxy aerosol can, part # 020 16181. It is the only spray can primer I would ever consider, but I don't know if they would recommend it for chrome. It too has a limited life, needing to be used inside 48 hours after activating.
 
no worries, Crash. i know this is a professional's forum.

it's not that im dead-set on it, but i dont have an hvlp gun (and really cant afford it to be honest).

ill investigate the Standox epoxy and see what i come up with.

thank you for responding!!
 
If you stick with something like Standox, I think that would be good, I wish I could help but just not familiar with the aero's.
 
By the time you pay shipping on that you could have bought a throw away Harbor Freight gun. I'm just a hobbyist, but believe me that most everything Eastwood sells is turd polish. Their products are only good for cars bought to polish up and flip. I've only sprayed a few types of primers, but the SPI epoxy is amazing. Use it!
 
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