i have never painted before, i do not own a spray gun and have no clue what im doing.

lol but im willing to give painting a go (my console). what do i need to do, what do i need to use, how much do i need etc....can someone please englighten me, searched and read a few posts and they helped a little, but they missed some finer details, ie grit of sandpaper, what type of paint etc...

also could i paint my grill with a spray can? orr would i need a proper spray gun?

thanks, Chris.

edit*: say i wanted to colour code my outside under the doors (3rdgen), how would i get the colour?

when you sand the centre console and surrounds use something like 800/1000 wet'n'dry. co**** enough to scratch it up without shredding it. its also a good idea to get some automotive scotchbrite to get into all the nooks and crannies where sandpaper wont go.
use plenty of water when doing this as thats how the paper is designed to work. once done give it all a good wash with soap to get any sludge and contaminants off. wash the whole thing, underside as well. when its dry it will need to be cleaned with prepsol(wax and grease remover). wipe the prepsol on and then with a clean rag wipe the excess off. it is important to get all the prepsol off as otherwise it will leave a film on the part. I wipe my parts again with another clean rag to be sure. if you have rubbed through to to plastic(likely) put down some plastic primer first as this allows the paint to stick to it. follow the manufacturers instruction with that. when you lay down your colour remember that it probably wont cover straight away, be patient and do it in a few coats. if you are using a colour with poor coverage(green,yellow,red) put a white base down first to avoid a transparent finish. its probably a good idea to put some clear on to protect the surface as it is a high wear area.
you can use a spray can or a gun which ever you prefer. some of the members have achieved some good results from spray cans. make sure you get automotive paint, not any old acrylic. yes you can paint the grille and lower door moulds but the finish wont be as good as the rest of the car which is painted in 2 pack. if you choose to paint the lower moulds make sure you plastic prime them before painting or the paint wont stick. plastic primer also comes in pressure packs. as for getting the paint some paint shops can mix up automotive paint codes and put them into spray cans for you which is the easiest way, if you cant find anyone who does that you might need to get some auto paint and spray it through a gun. the third option is to get a colour that is close to yours from the off the shelf stuff, but this probably wouldnt look real good. phew!
just remember that a good paint job can be ruined by poor preparation. have patience my young padawan learner, the force is with you.

thankyou very much i used this advise today and am very happy and excited with the results. I will post some pictures 2morrow after i fit the console back in. :)

The last few times I have painted plastic (console, side strips, synthesiser...:D ), I haven't used plastic primer at all, and it's still worked well. Paint has shown no signs of poor adhesion, even under heavy use.

Awesome. Glad someone could use the info stored in one of my 3 brain cells.

The last few times I have painted plastic (console, side strips, synthesiser...:D ), I haven't used plastic primer at all, and it's still worked well. Paint has shown no signs of poor adhesion, even under heavy use.

sometimes the sanded surface is enough for the paint to stick to. depends on the plastic and the product used. with some products the solvent base will eat into the plastic and help the paint stick. i always plastic prime just to be on the safe side as what i'm working on isn't mine and i dont want customers coming back with flaking paint.

Well if someone else was paying for it, I'd use the primer too!:D

when you sand the centre console and surrounds use something like 800/1000 wet'n'dry. co**** enough to scratch it up without shredding it. its also a good idea to get some automotive scotchbrite to get into all the nooks and crannies where sandpaper wont go.
use plenty of water when doing this as thats how the paper is designed to work. once done give it all a good wash with soap to get any sludge and contaminants off. wash the whole thing, underside as well. when its dry it will need to be cleaned with prepsol(wax and grease remover). wipe the prepsol on and then with a clean rag wipe the excess off. it is important to get all the prepsol off as otherwise it will leave a film on the part. I wipe my parts again with another clean rag to be sure. if you have rubbed through to to plastic(likely) put down some plastic primer first as this allows the paint to stick to it. follow the manufacturers instruction with that. when you lay down your colour remember that it probably wont cover straight away, be patient and do it in a few coats. if you are using a colour with poor coverage(green,yellow,red) put a white base down first to avoid a transparent finish. its probably a good idea to put some clear on to protect the surface as it is a high wear area.
you can use a spray can or a gun which ever you prefer. some of the members have achieved some good results from spray cans. make sure you get automotive paint, not any old acrylic. yes you can paint the grille and lower door moulds but the finish wont be as good as the rest of the car which is painted in 2 pack. if you choose to paint the lower moulds make sure you plastic prime them before painting or the paint wont stick. plastic primer also comes in pressure packs. as for getting the paint some paint shops can mix up automotive paint codes and put them into spray cans for you which is the easiest way, if you cant find anyone who does that you might need to get some auto paint and spray it through a gun. the third option is to get a colour that is close to yours from the off the shelf stuff, but this probably wouldnt look real good. phew!
just remember that a good paint job can be ruined by poor preparation. have patience my young padawan learner, the force is with you.


thank you master, you have taught me well!

here you go guys. the car is dirty so never mind that bit.

http://img162.imageshack.us/img162/6986/bluesmaller8.th.jpg (http://img162.imageshack.us/my.php?image=bluesmaller8.jpg)

even tho this is a bit off topic, im just gonna ask an opinoin, i jsut photoshopped the front of my car with para's, letterbox (which im currently making), and mesh, the question i ask is, should i mesh the lower parts of my bumper?

http://img524.imageshack.us/img524/8353/mycarchoppedjn3.th.jpg (http://img524.imageshack.us/my.php?image=mycarchoppedjn3.jpg)

even tho this is a bit off topic, im just gonna ask an opinoin, i jsut photoshopped the front of my car with para's, letterbox (which im currently making), and mesh, the question i ask is, should i mesh the lower parts of my bumper?

http://img524.imageshack.us/img524/8353/mycarchoppedjn3.th.jpg (http://img524.imageshack.us/my.php?image=mycarchoppedjn3.jpg)
No, no you shouldn't.

nope. :nuts:

Nooooooooooooooo!!!!!:D

magnagic- looks good. i like the blue theme your going with, looks cohesive and brightens up the interior.

thankyou( v )much thats 1 to magnagic 0 to critics lol

lolll just checkingg! haha

:( Im paintin my console and i left it over night, and my brother picked it up and smudged it...? The bit that smudged was the headunit facia from a tr,, should i just sand back all the paint with the 800grit Wet 'n' Dry sandpaper i bought and go again...?

to get the best result i would say sand it back and start again. :)

Also after doing my front bumper in the last few days ill explain what i did
sanded back bumper as smooth as possible (didnt take off all the paint)
Primed it and sanded it back with 1500
Applied color
Applied clear
Let dry a day
I tried sanding back with 1500 but took a while i found the kitten cutting coumound in the black tin worked a TREAT and got the clear coat dead smooth
a bit of a hand polish and omg comes up looking PRO AS

And also can anyone tell me about clear coating over the top.. will it give it a shiny kind of finsish, protect from scratches... whats the point of it.. do i need 1?

And also can anyone tell me about clear coating over the top.. will it give it a shiny kind of finish, protect from scratches... whats the point of it.. do i need 1?

yeah its gives a shiny finish, but it comes out lumpy, so if you cut it down (its like sandpaper really but i found it easier to work with) with some cutters and then polish it, it should look like the paint on your car, and im guessing the paint on your car is in good nick if not well it comes out really shiny

you don't NEED a clear coat but i don't see why you wouldn't put one on

Clear adds protection, and adds some depth to the appearance. Kinda regreting not putting clear on my interior, doesn't look too bad, but I think clear would have added a little more professionalism. I didn't want mine to be shiny, more a matte silver, but you can always lightly sand the clear to take the shine off it, and still keep the depth effect.