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Hi all, I finally got around to painting my bodykit. I'll have to say, I learned a lot while doing it. Also my old man had some handy advice to give as well.

Here are some of the things I found

The thinner you make the paint, the less likely it'll run but need more layers. The thicker paint makes it easier to get that nice shiny look but boy it was hard to keep it in one place

The side skirts i painted had thicker paint and it was easier to get that glossy look if done right. By the time I got around to doing the front bar, I was running low on the paint so I had go easy, couldn't afford to ruin it and sanding back and wasting more paint.

First time around I didn't seem to mix the paint too well, it all came out blotchy, so make sure you mix it up for a good 10 minutes.

Also handy to have a CLEAN garage. Mine was so dusty no matter how hard I tried to clean it, it was ridiculous but it still worked out in the end.

I applied one coat of flexi primer stuff, about 3 coats of the color paint and 2 coats of clear coat. I had to go hard on clear coat, it seems to work well if you give it THICK layer, it'll give off that shiny look. Didn't seem to do much if you just sprayed it thin. So I might have to go find myself another couple of cans clear coat for the front bar.

Also added the mesh grill, the front mesh make the car look soo good....

Edit - Added some Nismo Stripes on the side !!!!! like OMG...

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its come up nice mate

well done

i had the same problem of a dusty garage when i was spraying my old mans rodeo ute

but in the end came out good.

yeah...lots sanding with 2000 grit paper.......damn nightmare....the front bar needs a bit more polishing but it'll become shinier in the coming weeks.

Front bar was from Ebay, from a guy called mybodykit. I was skeptical about it but thought I'd try it out all the same. Turned out really good with some very minor trimming to clear the reo bar.

As for the paint/mixing - I started off with a roughly 1part thinner 5 part paint. It sprayed niced and thick and it was shiny but was so hard to keep it together, so basically ended up having to do a once over spray and had to get it perfect. After 10 years of not having touched a spray gun, the control was bit rusty, so I ended up wasting a bit and having to sand it back again and restart. Second time around, I added more thinner about a 1 to 3 or 1 to 4 ratio, much much easier to control, you needed more layers to get a better effect.

Base coat I used the flexi primer (recommended by the paint guy), it actually clear, so its not the grey primer we're all used to. It came in a can, one can lasted me 2 side skirts, a front bar and most likely a rear bar if need be.

Clear coat came in a can as well.

Color was 1 litre tin $50

1 coat of base, followed by 1 coat of paint, followed by a bit of sanding (dusty garage), followed by another coat of paint, followed by more sanding, followed by excessive amount of clear coat to get the shiny look. I ran out of clear coat fro the front thats why it looked a bit dull. Another generous application of that with some nice wax should brighten things up.

I got my paint from Auto one, they were 1 minute away from me, and I wasn't too fussed about the brand of paint since the car is 12 years old and having super shiny front and side would only make it look strange.

All in all, GREAT FUN!!!! I was a bit high on the paint at the end of the day though.

Still got more to do, trying to find a 400R rear bar and a GTR wing to put on. That would probably need antoher litre of paint.

I'll definitely need to have some good photos taken after I'm thoroughly done with the exterior.

  • 1 month later...
Schweet. Did it come out less glossy as expected? Looks a little matte in the pics, but could just be the photo quality.

The black wing blade looks a little dull because I didn't want to waste money buying a tin to paint to mix up so I bought the pre mixed spray can. It doesn't give enough spraying power hence the dullness...I guess a couple of more coat of clear coat would help.

The wing itself I used the spray gun, a little wweak now that I've grasped the concept of spraying. the silver part has been sprayed in two layers and very shiny. The camera is crap so it dulls the look. I'm trying to decide whether or not to sand it down for clear coat............and I'm feeling lazy these days so I might wait until the rear bumper comes before I fire up the compressor again. Parents always kick up a stink when I work on the car.

Currently working on making front canards and possible side skirt canard for shits and giggles.

Stay Tuned and Rice HARD!!!!

Get some GTR rear pods for your backbar to complete the GTR look.

Also, what's with the two different indicators for your front bar? lol Also get the thing tinted.

However, it's looking good mate.

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