Polaris Paint

[saxmo]

Hey guys,

If I wanted to refurb my ATV... what prep would I need to do to paint the plastic? Would I need flex-additive paint, or is there some magical elixir out there that makes it easy?

[hardlydangerous]

What color are you painting the plastics?

The best cheap paint out there is krylon fusion.
When applied properly it works awesome and is pretty durable compared to regular spray paints.
Here are a couple articles I wrote up on painting using different types of cheap rattle can spray paints.
hope that helps ya a bit.


PAINTING PLASTIC

Painting plastic is basically the same as any other surface however you need to use paints designed for plastics and that are flexable if being used on flexable plastics.
A cheap paint that works great on bike and ATV plastic is Krylon Fusion

Like any paint job, to have it turn out good take your time with the prep work and finishing. Just spraying over scratched up or shiny plastics will never give you good results and a shine like on my bikes and plastics you can't get out of a can.

For plastics in good shape wet sand them starting with 600-800 grit and finishing with 1500. The plasitc will be extremly smooth but dull. For deep scratchs and rough plastic you will need to start with a much lower grit sand paper and work you way up.
No primer is used for plastic when using krylon fusion paints.
Then lay down several light coats of the color. Do not try to cover it with color all in one shot, use several light coats.
I do not clear coat krylon fusion if it's being put on flexable plastic such as the dirtbike or ATV plastics
Then you need to wet sand the finished paint after it had cured for a week or so then PROPERLY buff the $hit out of it just like you would a regular paint job.

*** do not paint plastic fuel tanks *** you can paint plastic tank covers, or fairings but not right on the tank. the paint will blister and peel as the vapors from the fuel seap though the plastic.
Also do not pour fuel on the paint with out a resistant clear coat over top or it will eat the paint.

This fender and side covers are plastic, and painted with black krylon fusion but were clear coated because they are not flexable parts


This bike also has plastic rear tail and covers, even the tank was painted with krylon fusion (not clear coated)


My YZ400 was painted with fusion. The plastics were all stained and bleached white and badly damaged


The air dam on my truck was painted using krylon fusion as a base with a dupli-color color match as a top coat after a crack was repaired.

[hardlydangerous]

With the proper prep work and paint it will bond very well and not chip off. You get paint peeling and chipping off when you don't prep the surface under the paint for it to adhere to.

As for the painting, the best results come with the prep work and finish work. Don't think you can lay down a perfect coat of glossy color coat or clear coat. You can't. All finished paint must be sanded and polished

you will need 800, 1000, 1500, 2000 grit sand paper. Spray bottle of water with a cap full of dish soap mix in (for wet sanding)
Tack cloths
3M waffle pad and drill adapter or polishing bonnets
polishing compound

For the metal parts I like to strip them down and seal then with POR15 basecoat. But you can skip that step if you want.
Wash evertything well with a heavy degreaser so there is no oil orgrease on the surface.
Strip the metal parts down to bare metal then lightly sand then with 600-800 grit.
Spray a few light coats of primer
Very lightly sand the primer with 1000 grit just to remove the fuzzy feel. Repeat if you sand through any spots in the primer.
Now for your base coat/color coat
Lay down several very light coats of the color. Follow the dry time and instructions on the can between each coat. Once the part is completely color covered give it one last medium coat.
If you plan on doing several colors or two tone first wet sand the base paint with a 1000 grit before laying down your masking. Then shoot the color coats the same way (light coats only)
Now before you clear you want to put down any decals or pin stripes etc ALSO lightly wet sand any edges between the different colors of paint to try to blend them slightly. Don't try to remove the ridges completely just sand them down a bit smoother.
For your clear coat you want about 2-3X as much clear as you have base paint, so if you used 1 can of color paint you need 3 cans of clear.
Lay down the clear the same way again following the instructions on the can.
After the first several coats have dried completely wet sand the tank with the 800 grit around and ridges or pin stripes to remove the ridges. lay down a few more coats of clear and repeat. you know you have enough clear when you can no longer feel the pin stripes of overlapping paint colors through the clear.
Now comes the fun part.
Wet sand the entire paint job starting with the 1000 and working your way up to the 2000. Once you have the tanks paint perfectly smooth and free of any pits or bumps it's time to polish the paint and bring out the mirror shine.
Take your time and let the polish do the work. Don’t apply too much pressure or you will damage the new paint.
I use the Meguair's 3 step deep crystal system for polishing.

You will be left with a show room finish for less then $75

How this for a nice shine... it's all in the prep work and the finishing work. $hit you can shave with this reflection.

[saxmo]

that is awesome. I have done prep and paint on auto before, so I am VERY well acquainted with wet sanding. Thanks for the article.

Also, if you like POR15, you may try "chassis-saver", I've had excellent results with it. Does UV affect POR15?

[saxmo]

is there a good place to get all of the little "clips" and bolts that hold the plastic pieces to each other? For instance the fender flares attach to the side panel plastic... someone removed the correct hardware and put fender washer with bolt and nut there.

[hardlydangerous]

Yes Uv does affect some POR15 products not covered with a topcoat. However POR15 does make top coat paints as well.

For the hardware check you local automotive store, Some have a "help" section with hard to find clips and snaps, gromets, etc. you should be able to find what you are looking for in there.

[saxmo]

kewl, has anyone ever used spray-in bedliner material to coat their racks? I thought it might look kewl to do this, and paint the main body canary yellow. If I feel ambitious, I may tackle painting on the stickers..instead of buying them and lettin' them peel off later...

[Woody_YZF]

Originally posted by saxmo
kewl, has anyone ever used spray-in bedliner material to coat their racks? I thought it might look kewl to do this, and paint the main body canary yellow. If I feel ambitious, I may tackle painting on the stickers..instead of buying them and lettin' them peel off later...

I haven't seen anybody put the truck bed liner stuff on their racks, but I'm sure it would work. My father in law used that stuff on his rack that goes on his truck to hold his quads and it has held up for years.

[saxmo]

good deal.. I am gonna do it, so there will be a unique look to my ATV... functional, yet kool.:

[saxmo]

where can I get some of this Krylon Fusion?

[saxmo]

Hardly, have you done any powder-coating? If so, do you know what temperature is standard? I am thinking about getting a setup, and I wondered if I could use an extra electric oven I have sitting around....

[Woody_YZF]

Originally posted by saxmo
where can I get some of this Krylon Fusion?

Any motorcycle shop should have or be able to get some.

[hardlydangerous]

Powedercoating is somwhere in the 300o range. Yes an electric over will work. I've heard of a few people using them for small projects in the past.

Krylon fusion is available at almost any hardware store and home improvement stores like.
Check Walmart, Home depot, Lowes, home hardware etc.

[saxmo]

Kewl, thanks for the info bro!