Project 10AE Miata

[Goodspeed]

Little project I completed a few days ago, thought I'd share for anyone looking to repaint any hard plastic exterior trim. I repainted the "front beltline moldings" on my car as they were really sun faded and worn looking and looked pretty bad, now they look 100x better. No original pic, but they looked like the left half in this pic

Materials (all purchased from Home Depot, ~$30 dollars)

Rustoleum black spray paint - 1 can
Rustoleum plastic primer - 1 can
Rustoleum clear lacquer - 1 can
220-grit sandpaper
320-grit sandpaper
600-grit sandpaper (water safe)
Blue painters tape
Spray bottle

Paint used:



My process:


- Sand with 220 grit - sand with 320 grit - wet sand with 320 grit - wet sand with 600 grit

- Spray moldings with single primer coat, evenly coating entire surface. Let dry overnight.

- Spray ONE light base coat. Don't worry about covering all the primer, this is just a test coat to make sure the surface is properly suited for continued painting. Let dry for at least one hour.

- Lightly wet sand the base/primer coat with 600 grit, clean and properly dry all surface moldings afterwards. Once dry, spray your first "true" coat of paint. Again, a light, beginning coat. Let dry at least 2 hours.

- Apply second, heavier coat. Let dry at least 2 hours.

- Apply third, heavier coat. Let dry at least 2 hours. Once dry, inspect moldings for any spots needing more paint to even out the look.

- Apply fourth, and final, coat, evenly over the moldings to ensure an even color and paint finish. Let moldings dry overnight.

- Finally, apply your clear coat. Same technique as the paint, just a light beginning coat.

- Apply second clear coat, and let the moldings again dry overnight.

Finished product