DeeV's PT
2002 "Trick Cruiser" dot com PT
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I decided to paint my sideview mirrors myself and took pictures of the process. the profesional paint shop could do a pair for 100 bucks as quoted to me. its actually a good price but i wanted to take a shot at it and went for it. maybe it'll help someone else out there.
Supplies
-paint 24.00
-primer 3.00
-400 grit sand paper 1.00
I went to an auto paint shop to get color matched paint for Chrysler Silver. Paint codes can be found either on the drivers side door, in the engine bay on top of the fan or in my case on the back wall of the engine bay.
If your in the Bay Area of California, I went to Hayward Paint. They mixed up the paint and put it in an aerosol can. this is 24.00 and the left over paint they put in a can.
After removing the mirrors i taped em up. I had 2 problems right off the bat. (1) The Folding Mirrors and (2) Electrical.
The folding assembly has no screws, and painting through moving parts, off course is more difficult than a solid piece. Since my mirrors are electrical, i had to get into the door panel to disconnect it.
After the tape up i sanded them lightly with the sand paper just to scuff 'em up a little and wiped them down with a damp cloth. I bent the mirrors halfway so i can get into the tight spots.
After laying down a good 2 coats i waited a bit and bent the mirrors back into normal position. This guarenteed i hit every spot on the assembly.
I read online that aerosol cans can be better than paint guns because of the consistency in pressure. to me, i'd rather have a gun so i can adjust the pressure. ive airbrushed before but this is my first automotive attempt. the first thing i noticed is that automotive paint is thick. an example is spraying primer. it lays thin and it always looks nice and even when we do it. auto paint seems thicker and whether it was the quality of the paint i got, the spray tip or whatever that sucker was spraying in little dots even with my hand spraying a foot away.
i layed down 3 coats and realized that it got shinier as it dried. the paint shop must have mixed in the clearcoat or something because he said i wouldnt need it, but offered to sell it to me if i wanted. these are pics as they dry and they look pretty damn shiny to me. after there dry i'll put em back on the car and see how good the match is. i dont think theyll be perfect because ive had my car for 2 years and i know its gotta have faded a bit.
the result: perfect match! high five!
