Painting fenders

[ntjones]

What is decent approach at painting fenders?I have self etching spray paint that says it good for plastic and then just regular spray paint. Does anyone think this will work ?


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[Homeless Dave]

Don't paint your fenders....it always looks hideous and never sticks well.

[ntjones]

Is there anything else I can do. My problem is that the 3wheeler sat it the sun for almost 25 years and the plastic is really chalky. I sanded it down to where it’s smooth and no longer chalky but it’s worn this in some spots also. I’ll try to put up a picture. https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20201010/58d5c557b01eefad7f14cfd7d3d3e397.jpg
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20201010/49bcaae5b661bd4607ce2d47b3b14ffe.jpg


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[knappyfeet]

TPO..PPO plastics are harder to paint but can be done......many have done it. Plastic Adhesion promotors work well

Maybe it's my sleepy eyes but by the pictures it looks like a one piece fiberglass fender\seat?

Edit.........last time I painted fenders that bad I used a pressure washer to remove all the flakey white stuff. It made the fender not as smooth as I would like but a skim coat of filler fixed that up. All that white stuff needs to be removed or it will make the final coat chip and separate even faster.

[ntjones]

TPO..PPO plastics are harder to paint but can be done......many have done it. Plastic Adhesion promotors work well

Maybe it's my sleepy eyes but by the pictures it looks like a one piece fiberglass fender\seat?

The gas tank cover does blend in good with the rear fenders but it’s actually two pieces. It’s all plastic though. I’m not sure what kind though.


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Sorry. I miss read what you said. It is one piece fender/seat. It’s plastic of some sort.

[BOB MARLIN]

I would also agree that painting fenders doesn't work that great. But after seeing your pictures I think anything would be better than what you have. Rattle can paint will be very temporary and doesn't hold up to even the slightest bit of gasoline. Best bet for paint is an automotive type paint that takes a hardener. I painted a headlight shroud on my 350x about 10 years ago with auto paint and it still looks great, but a headlight shroud doesn't see any flexing and its up out of the way so it doesn't hit anything. If you don't have the means to spray auto paint your next best option might be to get a couple of spray cans that are auto paint that has a chamber in the can that you puncture to release the hardener into it internally. I've never used it but it sound like a great alternative. I've seen it online at places like Summit Racing and Amazon.

[El Camexican]

If you go to a professional automotive paint wholesaler and take the smallest piece with you they should be able to offer you a system that will hold up as well as any plastic bumper does on a modern car. It will be the preparation of your fenders that will determine how good it comes out, and by my eye you’ll need about 10 gallons of elbow grease to get them ready for paint.

Please post your results.

[ntjones]

Thanks for the good suggestions. I do have some prep work to do. Lol. I think I’ll go to a paint store as suggested and let them tell me what they have. It may seem a little crazy to fix such a piece of junk but so far I have very little money in it and it been a fun project to rebuild. Thanks again guys.


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[El Camexican]

Thanks for the good suggestions. I do have some prep work to do. Lol. I think I’ll go to a paint store as suggested and let them tell me what they have. It may seem a little crazy to fix such a piece of junk but so far I have very little money in it and it been a fun project to rebuild. Thanks again guys.


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Take your time, you’ve got a little gem in the rough there. Hopefully it ends up being something you keep for many years.

[kb0nly]

I gotta agree with all the posts here so far, painting fenders really sucks but in your case i don't see them coming back much better. I have taken really chalky white fenders and sanded them pretty hard before, starting at something as rough as 60 grit to really blast through the layers of dried out chalky plastic, then just working through the grits finer and finer to get to a point its smooth and back to color, but those look really rough. What color are they supposed to be even at this point? I see red and blue and white, has someone repainted them previously or rattle canned them? Either way you got to get down to the base material plastic before you can do anything or any old layers is going to make all the work you put into painting a waste.

Get a cheap dual action rotary sander, they are so cheap these days from places like Harbor Freight, and get at it sanding and see what you got there. I thought they were fiberglass at first as well by the looks of them in the picture.

[Quinc]

I just ordered some smooth hydro turf I am going to put over my fenders. I also have a lot of cracks and holes as well that I am hoping to cover. Comes in a ton of colors and holds up to abuse and gas surprisingly well.

https://www.hydroturf.com/request-pwc/

This is what it looks like on a jetski:
http://www.freerideinnovations.co.uk/uploads/1/7/3/8/173814/8438211_orig.jpg

[ntjones]

I gotta agree with all the posts here so far, painting fenders really sucks but in your case i don't see them coming back much better. I have taken really chalky white fenders and sanded them pretty hard before, starting at something as rough as 60 grit to really blast through the layers of dried out chalky plastic, then just working through the grits finer and finer to get to a point its smooth and back to color, but those look really rough. What color are they supposed to be even at this point? I see red and blue and white, has someone repainted them previously or rattle canned them? Either way you got to get down to the base material plastic before you can do anything or any old layers is going to make all the work you put into painting a waste.

Get a cheap dual action rotary sander, they are so cheap these days from places like Harbor Freight, and get at it sanding and see what you got there. I thought they were fiberglass at first as well by the looks of them in the picture.

I think it was red and then painted blue with rattle can paint. It’s definitely a mess right now.


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[badasskfx]

I have a 200 with the plastic paint it’s holding up very well
I think it’s called plastidip