Is there an affordable way to remove the texture for the cladding and bumpers so i get a smooth surface to paint on? Also, is there a formula for lightning up the paint if I don't take out the texture so that it matches the factory paint and isn't darker than the rest of the body? I have tryed priming the plastic but the stuffs $150 a gallon and it takes a while to sand the primer flat. Does anyone make aftermarket flat trim pieces like those that are on the Cadillac SUV? If anyone can help I would really appreciate it.
There's a place close by here that customizes trucks, and they recently painted the clading on an avalanche. But the way they did it was as you discribed, they painted it, not primed, sanded down and painted it again, until it was smooth. It is a lot of trouble, but it was sweet when they were done.