Ok guys this has been asked countless times and some of you have done most of these. But this is whats going to go on in the next 2 weeks with my truck. I just ordered a spoiler from Stylin Trucks and also will be ordering the bumper cover as well.. My paint is the Inferno Red crystal pearl ARJ/PRJ and im getting that mixed by a custom car paint shop down the road.. now what im gonna do is paint everything myself instead of having a shop do it for me, way to expensive.. my buddy just got a nice paint gun and an air compressor so i think i can do it myself.. nice learning experience i guess.. So what i wanna do is Paint my Grill, The back chrome bumper, the spoiler, and the front bumper when i get it, also The handles like silver has done,Make eyelids, and my Radio bezel which is no problem.. what i want from you guys is Give me advice on how you would do it or just some tips and tricks with painting, Whats the best Sand paper to get the Chrome and the parts down and smooth, Light coats or Heavy coats? how many layers should i do? anything in between these steps that will help the process *Sanding, washing, tapeing, primeing, Painting, and clear coating, Anything will help except for buy a new bumper and grill and have a shop do everything.. if you dont have anything but dont do it it will suck then dont chime in.. I looked at off road teachers Writeup on painting his rims and that should help me with the other parts as well.. I wanna beable to have the sport Paint job considering No one has an all color inferno red sport truck...Im hopeing all of you will chime in and help and maybe later on if this turns out great some of you will use this tread and do the same. all in all this is what im hopeing it will look like in the end.. Minus the SRT10 style, hopefully hood will be coming soon tho.. Next weekend is when i start the painting.. there will be lots of pics threwout the process that i will post up for you guys so you can see the progress and turnout..

 

off topic but where are you getting your hood and bumper from? ur getting the srt-10 ones right? link please ive been looking forever for a decent price
thanks! -jarrod

 

I just recently painted the chrome side steps on my truck which should be similar to painting the bumper on your truck. Cleaned them with some degreaser, sanded it down real good with some 320 grit sandpaper, went over it with a tack cloth, then put a good coat of self etching primer on it, then painted it and cleared it. From my experience the most important part of painting these parts is the prep. Make sure you have it sanded down real good and all the dirt/dust cleaned off before painitng.

 

^+1 PREP is key!! do not rush that part. from my experience painting parts I go with 3 coats of adhesion promoter, 3-5 coats of paint and then 3 coats of clear. i usually do the first paint coat light to get a good base established.

 

Im getting my Bumper and Spoiler from www.Stylintrucks.com im pretty sure its the same bumper and spoiler that RaiderJay has on his truck.. just mines gonna be blood red instead of murdered out black as much as i want the SRT10 bumper i think its gonna be way out of my price range like $900 which the only thing i would pay would be $600 for a hood.. the look when i get everything painted will be a night and day difference i cant wait.. shes gonna look like a whole different truck.. ok so 320 grit for chrome? can i use that for everything or should i get different grits for other parts? p.s. thanks so far for the info keep em commin, it will make me feel a hell of alot safer and better using your guys info

 

yea 320 is good for the chrome. you want to sand it down until you cant see your reflection anymore. like a brushed aluminum look. when i painted, i used 1000-2000 grit after the second to the last paint coat to make it sure it was smooth. then i sprayed the final coat.

 

I used 320 on the chrome side steps, grill inserts, door handles and exhaust tips.

 

i would go with the 320 then hit it with like 600 just to smooth and get everylast spot...also i reccommend wet sanding...paper costs a little more but it will do the same job and the sandpaper will last longer the dust wont build up between the grains

 

Honestly.... I don't mean to **** on anyone's parade.... but if you have no paint experience I can just about guarantee you it's gonna be a train wreck. Especially with a color like the inferno red crystal pearl. Every blemish/run in the paint will show up real dark because of the metallics/pearls in the paint.

Also, to get the proper "depth" out of that color paint and create a true match, you'll have to go base/clear system. A "Centari" type of paint that just a spray and go type of paint won't match up properly. (those are fine for blacks, whites, and simple solid colors). So now you're into base coats, clear coats, activator, reducer, you're spraying a metallic paint with pearls so you'll need to adjust the air pressure going through your gun depending on the angle/body lines of the surfaces you're painting......

I personally hate Macco... but why not just take the pieces there?

 

^^^yeah..true dat^^^