AndyK

And how do you do it right?

500

I've got to agree with Dan on this. You definitely can make a spray can finish look pretty nice (such as what mideastmafia accomplished), but it will be nowhere near as durable. Automotive polyurethanes have isocyanates in them, which are very nasty chemicals, but allow the paint to achieve a much higher strength and hardness.

If you are just painting over existing paint to brighten things up, then it really depends on how fussy you are and how long you expect it to last.

On the other hand, if you are repairing areas where the paint and PVC is gone, then I would really think about spending the $ on quality auto refinish products (or should I say $$$).

Whichever way you go, as ehall says, clean thoroughly and then scuff the old paint first. You dont need to sand, you can use a scotchbrite pad. What you are shooting for is no shine left in the area you are painting. Clean again with tar and grease remover, mask and paint.

500

Hey Andy,

To "do it right" (IMO) you will first need the tools and supplies. You want to paint only the rockers, which will not need the most expensive spray gun out there, but you will need a decent spary gun (HVLP or compliant) with tips for your primer and top coats (if you are contemplating more paintwork, than having a seperate primer gun is the way to go), you will need an air supply that can give you the needed flow rate for the gun, probably at least 10 CFM, you will need a method to "dry" the compressed air - (there are several options available. Cheapest is probably a dessicant "snake") and you will need a fine control regulator at the gun to dial in your pressure. If you don't have any of this stuff, they you may want to take it to a shop (unless you plan on more painting anyway).

Basic safety gear will be a good quality (3M) respirator for paint (fresh air supply is better, but a lot more $$), goggles, gloves, balaclava and disposable painter's suit.

Supplies will be the primers and paint of you choice. Pick a system and stick with it for all the materials. DuPont, PPG, BASF all make good stuff. I used Glasurit (BASF) which was very expensive and probably too much for just the rockers. One possible snag you may run into is that the minimum quantities of materials available may be much larger than you need. You might want to see if you can work something out with a local body shop. Just for example, the clear I used on my car is available in one gallon containers, each costing over $700 Canadian (and that does not include the reducer and hardener I had to mix with it). You will also need some inexpensive odds and ends like masking paper (use real masking paper!) mixing sticks, strainers etc.

Painting itself is not that hard, but prep is very important. Also, you will have to mask EVERYTHING you dont want overspray settling on. Automotive paint guns (even HVLP) generate quite a cloud of overspray.

That is a quick round up of the main items you'll need to do it right. Some may feel that is totally over the top just for rockers. A lot depends on how fussy you are and how nice the car is (and it looks like a nice one BTW).

YMMV

xsboost90

i use mainly dupont chromabase w/ a 7500s clear system. My rockers are all chipped up still, but i stripped all of the rubberized coating off and refused to put the clear strips back on again. If i were to do it again, i would still leave the rubberized stuff off and put a layer of clear 3M protectant sheet over the entire rocker. Ive resprayed rockers w/ 3M rocker spray - IE petes s2- and it worked great.

AndyK

Uhhh...I think I'll just leave them as-is! They're not THAT bad afterall!

apen749

Ehall,
How do you remove a rocker panel? I have one a bad curb rash mark. I always though this area was part of the frame. We are talking about the area under the door right?

thanks, Lee

ehall

I was talking about different parts. There is no way, short of cutting them off, to remove the actual rockers. I was referring to the additional rockers on the turbos and s2's

Little Porsche Boy

Having never painted myself, I'm curious. Is it necessary to prime the rockers? Or is it sufficient to scuff it with the ScotchBrite pad before painting. In other words, why do you prime over an already painted car? I could see priming if you're changing color.

b5audia4

Resurrecting an old post...

Is there a "rocker type" coating on it before the paint? I saw a car w/ the paint peeling on the rocker. Is this just paint or some other material with the paint? No rust though.

Thanks

Lorax

Now for the hi-jack. I was just sitting here wondering if there has ever been an attempt to paint the black pieces underneacth the rocker, or is there a different aftermarket part that can be painted? I can't really picture in my head what this would look like., Maybe really bad, maybe not.

xsboost90

there is a rubbery rock guard stuff sprayed on the rocker before the car is painted. I use 3m rockerguard spray to recreate this texture when refurbing a rocker. - it gets harder than the original but looks the same. Ive seen the lower plastic sprayed and im not a real fan of it- plus i knicks up easier than the rest so you end up w/ chiped up sprayed rockers.

b5audia4

This 3M rockerguard comes in a can at local auto parts shops? I guess it is like the bedliner coating for trucks. Thanks.

Lorax

xsboost - Any pictures of this? I tried doing a search but I don't know what to call them.

xsboost90

not like bedliner- similar i guess- but it gets hard. Comes in a green / white can and is prob around 20 bucks. You basically get the rocker in primer if your fixing it for example, tape up your line across the top, and spray it evenly across the length of the rocker. Let it dry,i believe you have to spray over it within a certain amount of time afterwards though. You can knock the texture down w/ some sandpaper if needbe and then primer again before spraying color over it. Works great.

White Pony

I agree that spray cans are not nearly as durable. I painted a 1991 Honda Accord with Krylon white and unless you waxed it weekly it would look like cottage cheese was sprayed on there.

OMG xboost your car looks AMAZING!