painting front bumper

[Shpyder]

So, I finally got the '99 bumper for my 3000GT. Now, it's green, eventually it will be mounted and painted red along with the whole car.

My question is, what is the process like when painting something that already has a color to it? Do they just paint over the thing, or do they have to entirely sand it down and get rid of the old paint?

[EDMUND65]

for best results you would sand it down but thats a lot of work... what you woudl like to do is sand it down, get all the imperfections out... then go at it with primer... wet sand that smooth then paint it, wet sand that and clear coat it then buff.... its your choice to how many coats of paint you use...

[Mikelb]

sand/primer the bumper before mounting it on the car... it'll help you get all of the hidden areas as well...
my

[Blackcrow64]

You cannot completely sand off all the paint on those rubber bumpers without actually leaving divits and such in the bumper... Trust me, I already know this... I vote to spray it with a sealer, prime it, then paint it.

[gthompson97]

Originally Posted by EDMUND65

then paint it, wet sand that

That would completely ruin the whole paintjob. The only things you wetsand are high-build primers (sometimes sealers) and clearcoat. The paint needs to be UNTOUCHED, otherwise an imperfection will show through and stick out like a sore thumb.

Shpyder, for just painting over old paint, most places will just scuff it up (commerical scotchbrite pads or sandpaper) and then prime it if there are tiny imperfections that need to be filled, otherwise they'll just seal, paint, and clear it. Are you looking to fix the bumper yourself or what?

[Shpyder]

Thanks for the input folks.

Originally Posted by gthompson97

Are you looking to fix the bumper yourself or what?

The bumper is in perfect cosmetic condition, but it's green, and I will eventually have it painted red, along with my entire car. So, no fixing to be done to it.

If you meant painting, the shop's going to take care of that, not me. This is where I need to know what's the most feasable option. Painting over the OEM green paint would obviously be cheaper than sanding the entire thing down and doing the "right" thing from scratch, but I was weighing the cost-effectiveness of such a move. If sanding down was required, I have a few dremel tools and a mouse sander that I could put to work and save some labor cost by some hands-on stuff (finally, lol).

I'm more inclined to just paint over the OEM green paint, kinda like what gthompson97 and Brian said. I don't care for the paint to last forever on there, and I just need the car to look good for the next 2-3 years till I graduate and can buy a VR4 Spyder

[gthompson97]

If you're just wanting to keep it looking nice for a couple years, then definitely go with painting over the original paint. But the best thing to do would be go ask the shop where you're getting it painted at, usually the can tell you some prep work things you could do yourself to save them some time.

[nofear39427]

I agree with Crow and spray it before you paint it.My eclipse was painted before I got it and due to some one not taking the time to put the proper coating on...my bumper is now chipping and peeling.Damn you Mako.