How to get great results from rattle can paint. tons of pics

So I am getting ready to do the 2018 sequoia LED head light swap and needed to paint the filler panels and a new EAG grill so I thought I would share some experience and tips to others who maybe afraid to try this on their own.

These are all off the shelf store bought materials and no special tools or equipment required.

just time and patience! you will be rewarded. sorry but I did not think about taking pics until a few steps into the process.

Please adhere to all safety practices, wear masks and filters when sanding and painting please!

So the grill and filler panels came in a un-coated plastic.

1.) *SCUFF* scuff all parts with a red/brown scotch bite pad. knock all of the sheen off the parts. hose off and wipe dry.

2.) *CLEAN*wearing latex (powder free) gloves, wipe all parts down with some wax and grease remover or rubbing alcohol. I use rubbing alcohol because its cheaper. but make sure the rag or paper towels you use do not leave lint.

3.) *CLEAN*wipe with a tack cloth

4.) *ADHESION PROMOTOR* spray three light coats of a plastic adhesion promotor. very necessary for the paint to stick and also to flex a little because plastics move.

5.) *PRIMER*once the three coats have been applied, wait about 10 min to apply your first primer coat. I prefer a thick gray filler primer, 2 coats about 5 min between them.

6.) *PRIME AGAIN* now this is a small trick taught to me. I use a couple additional coats of black primer, you will see why later.

7.) *DRY* I like to let the parts fully cure, I left them a couple days in the back yard catching some rays. this will allow time for things to vent and escape if they need to.

8.) *SANDING* I went 600 grit wet sand. light even pressure strokes. let the paper do the work. DO NOT push hard, you will create finger grooves that will show later. trust me. keep the paper and parts clean with a trickle of water. the trick is to get a smooth finish. you should be able to slide the back of your finger over the surface and it should feel like glass. No remember when I used two different color primers? this is why. when you sand and you begin to see gray primer, you know you have gone deep. its OK to see gray primer, but its a warning to slow down so you don't go further and remove the adhesion promotor.





9.) *CLEAN* Hose down all parts and wipe clean and let dry. I prefer a few hours in the sun.

10.) *CLEAN* Now wipe down again like before. make sure you have gloves on and wipe with alcohol or wax and grease remover. you will see some primer on the rang and that is fine, just don't rub to hard. remember just a wipe to remove dust and water spots. All the parts should smooth as glass and clean at this point. if you see a or feel a rough spot, go back to step 8 and repeat. remember paint doesn't hide flaws, it magnifies them.

11.) *PAINT* Finally we get to see some color! Pick up some cans of the flavor of your choosing. Make sure you wipe with a tack cloth just prior to laying down color. my truck is MGM, a very metallic paint with flake. Metallic paint can be tricky and I will show you why. apply at least three coats, waiting 10min between coats





11. B) *CHECK FOR FLAWS* Now here is my tip for spraying metallic paints. I made the mistake of spraying the parts on a flat horizontal surface. which caused a "tiger stripe" effect. look closely at the below pics. that is caused by the aerosol can not even spraying the metallic flakes due to the horizontal holding of the can.





12.) *DRY* Again, I like my paint to cure for a couple days in the sun. this will allow any things in the paint to come to the surface.

Now if you paint is perfect at this point you can skip to the clear coat section. I had flaws to fix.

13.) *FIXING FLAWS* I was not happy with the way the metallic flake layer down so I had to fix it. west sanding with 1000grit. just a surface prep, not really trying to remove the flaws, but giving paint something to grip to. clean and dry like other steps. wipe with a tack cloth and spray more color. this time being careful how the metallic lays down.



thats more like it!

14.) *CLEAR COAT TIME* now that we are happy with color and everything is good, we need to bury it under a smooth shiny clear coat. make sure you get the good stuff. 2K clear only! Wipe parts clean again with alcohol and then a tack cloth.



Make the fist coat light and like a tack coat, then begin applying "wet" coats. holding the can about 10" from the object use a slow side to side motion to apply. this clear likes to lay down with slow passes. if you clear looks "dry" as you are applying you are moving too fast.



notice a little dry area one the top of the grill shell. I moved to fast up there. luckily this was my first wet coat.

By the second coat things should really start to shine!



after 3 wet coats allow to dry by again, leaving them to bake for a few hours or days in the sun.



15.) *ADMIRE* now sit back and look at what you have done! a body shop would have charged you some decent coin for results like this. probably cost me $40 in materials

 

Awesome right up. That's pretty much how I've done some of my rattle can projects. Works really well.

 

Great write up, on step #8 that black over gray step is called a guide coat step. Well most car painters call it that.
Thanks for posting... and showing the materials you used.

 

I guess i rushed mines lol. Great write up will save this for the future.

 

I guess you can call it a guide coat in a general sense. Usually a guide coat is a powder over a primer to see high and low spots in a panel.

I guess I use it as a warning coat

 

Works for me !!

 

Yeah this was probably a week long project for me. Just due to my long work hours. But trust me. Your patience will be rewarded

 

Damn, nice work!

 

I painted cars for 15 years fresh out of HS. That said it’s all about taking your time and using good materials. You did great, gave good advice and pictures. A+++

 

Thank you. My brother in law was a body shop guy for 20 years and taught me. Plus the life long experience of failing hundreds of times and learning from it

 

a little side project during this was an emblem I pulled of my tundra when I de-badged it.

same painting process accept I first did a metallic blue coat, taped off a 'thin blue line' resprayed in black chrome then cleared with the same clear from the above project. a little subtle nod to show I support LEOs

still debating on weather to run it on the eag grill.

 

Thanks for your support and again great write up.

 

Looking great. This thread has inspired me to do the front grill.

 

I think the color match is pretty damn good!

facelift complete

 

Great job! Color sanding will also take it to the next level and be buttery smooth

 

looks great !

 

gorgeous!

 

Wow - nice outcome.

 

Good write up

 

I’m using Krylon Fusion on my grille & emblem. So far, emblem looks like I bought it that way. Emblem is gloss, grille will be mostly matte. Good write up. Attention to detail is rare these days.

 

What kind of fog lights is that? Do you require the oem housing?

 

Those are the baja designs SAE models. direct plug and play and easy install (even though I initially wired mine backwards, I forgot LEDs sometimes have reverse polarity). Just remove old lights, slide these in and there is a side bolt that threads in from inside the front bumper cover.

plenty bright, but they are the lowest output that Baja Designs offers but they are SAE compliant (street legal?)

https://www.bajadesigns.com/products/Ford-Toyota-F-150-Tundra-Tacoma-SAE-Fog-Light-Kits.asp

 

Oh my lanta, that's pricey lol. so it just sits in the chrome open hole, no plastic housing around it?

 

Im not sure what you mean? they are direct replacements, the factory bumper has the "black cups" (for lack of a better term). these fit flush into the holes. no gaps, no chrome.

 

Nice write up, gives me some inspiration for other projects. Doing things the correct way is satisfying

 

thanks, I can say the paint job is holding up just fine too

 

yes the black cups/housing...ok so those are still needed, thanks

 

I was going to use duplicolor to paint my door handles but I was concerned that the matching clear would not hold up to daily use on the handles. Is this clear coat more durable?

 

@Jwood562 thanks for the write up. i need to paint some brand new unpainted filler/extension panels. just purchased all of the stuff but wanted to ask if you sprayed the primer, paint and clear outside or in an enclosed area. ideally enclosed i know but kind of difficult for me so trying to see if it's mandatory to get similar results

 

@Bloomjtundra

I believe the 2k is more durable as it is a true two part automotive grade clear coat in a can. I’m sure the duplicolor will work well but I am only assuming that the 2k is better based off body shop guy recommendations.

@sensei

I did everything outdoors and not even on the best day, a little windy and really hot so the paint may have been drying too fast.