Jump to content

Door Switch Refurb..... Need Help/Advice


fellsteruk

Recommended Posts

Hi all,

 

I had a go at doing my switch covers as they had a good few scuffs and scratches however its gone a little wrong and I need some pointers/help.

 

Both sides where sanded down and washed came out smooth as a baby bottom as was happy with the result so moved on to primer I use plasti-kote primer and applied as directed, leaving time in between coats then i took it in the house to sand down ready for painting "was doing them in my garage"

 

A good 40mins was left after last coat before i touched them, when i started to sand it down using 1200 wet/dry some of the paint was pealing off rather than it going into a dust as you would expect i also caught my finger on a few parts and the primer came off completely, the drivers side wasnt too bad so i decided to give it a coat of black and its drying now will see how it comes out...

 

Here are some pics "sorry they are big", any ideas why this has happened, i am wondering if the paint didnt dry fully? also i suspect i have to sand it back down and start again what ya think?

 

photo+3.JPGphoto+1.JPG

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Paint still soft at a guess , the paint in the second picture looks thick so takes longer to go hard. I've used plasticote in the past and it's good but doesn't like being sanded from what I remember. :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I 2nd it not liking being sanded however i am sure i read a thread on here where someone did...

 

TBH, the piece in the pic is still peeling when you pick it... Not looked at the other one yet that i painted with a coat of black as its still in the garage but i am tempted to rub this right down and start again but next time not bother sanding :wacko:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Looks like the primer is laid on too thick.

 

I don't know anything about plastidip primer, but the coloured stuff is a rubber based paint, if the primer is similar it'll not be sandable.

 

Also it seems a bit pointless to sand back for plastidip anyway, it's a textured finish.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

use proper paints, proper plastic primers, and dont spray in environments wher the temp is below 10-15 degrees paint does funny stuff in humid/cold weather. also use light coats built up slowly. if paint is to thick the delivery agent gets trapped and can't evaporate.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks everyone.

 

It was applied in thin coats did about 3 "maybe too many" TBH never used plastikote before so I guess it's a learning curve. Was expecting an end result like my wiper arms but I guess I used normal paint on them.

 

Gonna strip it down and start again and if that fails they are getting dipped!!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

If you're still not happy with the end result you could always get them dipped which is what I plan on doing.

 

I'm going to get them done in carbon fibre eventually. Vlad on here does them & there is also a company called AquaGraphix that can do it too. :thumbs:

 

http://www.350z-uk.com/topic/79089-hydro-dipping/

http://www.aquagraphix.co.uk/

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi mate I need to do the same for my switch handles. Was looking at getting normal Satin black paint but this plastidip sounds pretty good, especially given the rubber-like finish.

 

Quick question when priming and spraying - did you spray one side, let it dry then do the other side? I'm guessing you wouldn't be able to coat the whole thing in one go would you?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I just rubbed it down to get all the old rubberised coating off, took

It back to the original primer. I then cleaned it and smoothed it with a fine wet and dry (wet).

 

I did paint it all in one go, although one side of the cut out where your hand goes in was a bit thin, but I made sure on coats 2 & 3 (on the same evening, dries quick) that I gave it enough coverage in that area.

 

One thing I would say is that i think it would be quite easy to make it run if you spray too thick coats, so be careful. It's great stuff though, got mine off eBay.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I just rubbed it down to get all the old rubberised coating off, took

It back to the original primer. I then cleaned it and smoothed it with a fine wet and dry (wet).

 

I did paint it all in one go, although one side of the cut out where your hand goes in was a bit thin, but I made sure on coats 2 & 3 (on the same evening, dries quick) that I gave it enough coverage in that area.

 

One thing I would say is that i think it would be quite easy to make it run if you spray too thick coats, so be careful. It's great stuff though, got mine off eBay.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

Ok thanks mate - I'm guessing you can just wash your hands afterwards as you'll probably end up spraying the hand that's holding it?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 4 months later...

Hi,

Maybe this thread's a bit worn out, lol, but i recently finally got my zed, and it was pretty much perfect except for some laquer corrosion on inside of rims, slight driver seat scuff, and the obligatory scratches on the window switch covers...I followed this thread and decided on plasticote, mainly because it sounded easy for a novice:) after scraping the rubber coating off with a dull edged blade, I decided to remove all the original primer in the same way, then finish with 1200 wet n dry. I then primed with aclear plastic bonding agent that I got from a friend in the trade...2 thin coats, followed by 5 thin coats of matt black plasticote from hobbycraft, allowing an hour between coats.the finish looked great, but scrathed as easily as the original nissan shite!..the trick is to allow 48 hrs for the paint to dry, then hit it with plasticote clear matt sealer...I did 5 coats again, allowing an hr between coats...I'm well pleased with the result andthe finish seems durable now...I'll try and stick some picks on, but not very computer literate!....it took a wee bit of time and effort, but like I said, I'm a total novice...stuff cost less than 20 quid, which makes it much cheaper than 101 quid a side to replace with original parts that would scratch again anyway!..I realise they can be wrapped, or carbon fibred or whatever, but I wanted to keep it close to original spec.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks for the comment and welcome GMballistic, next job will be wheel refurb and new tyres at mot time, so I'll b searching the forum for tips and recommendations...had GY eagle f1's on a mk 2 golf gti years ago, and wonder if anyone has experience of the asymmetric 2 on a zed, also I'm thinking of using spit and polish for alloy refurb, so again I'll be checking to see if anyone has used them and particularly on gt4 wheels, as they have quite a unique look that I wouldn't want to lose.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks for the comment and welcome GMballistic, next job will be wheel refurb and new tyres at mot time, so I'll b searching the forum for tips and recommendations...had GY eagle f1's on a mk 2 golf gti years ago, and wonder if anyone has experience of the asymmetric 2 on a zed, also I'm thinking of using spit and polish for alloy refurb, so again I'll be checking to see if anyone has used them and particularly on gt4 wheels, as they have quite a unique look that I wouldn't want to lose.

You're welcome and this forum is a great source for information.

 

Regarding the tyre's the most highly recommended brand/type for the Zeds on here are the Michelin Pilot Super Sports.

 

Haven't used them myself yet as my previous alloys had Falken 452's on them when I got the car and by the time they needed replacing I had purchased new alloys which came with Falken 453's fitted.

Tbh I'm more than happy with the grip level I get from the Falken's but I'll definitely be looking at the Michelin's in the future. :thumbs:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yeah, pilot s/s would be my 1st choice if cost didn't matter, but the f1's totally transformed my golf in the wet, and they seem reasonably priced in zed sizes.the car has kumhos on, and while they're ok in the dry, they really don't grip much in the wet...having said that, they are near the end of their life, which is kind of ironic, coz I've been close to the end of mine, exiting roundabouts with them lol...

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...