I'll have to double check at lunch, but I'm pretty sure the code was AQ?

I think the 2003 was different. The Ford touch-up paint I got and used for to cover a scratch in the bed before I put in the Bedrug was WAY off. Glad I found out in the bed and not the outside!

I'll prolly place my paintscratch.com order today, get it next week and make a go at the tailgate first on the weekend. If the results are hot, then off with the handles!

If it looks great, then I might have the paint but and consider the mirrors?!

 

if you're ordering from paintscratch.com, be sure that you choose the plastic option so that they put the flex agent into the paint.

Tony

 

Ok, the order has been placed. Hopefully I get it before next Friday so I can have me some fun next weekend. Plus, these nasty-**** handles are driving me loco. Treating them with 303 has been near-fruitless since the dew build-up on the passenger side of the truck overnight. A lot of it runs off. Grrrr... Hurry up paintscratch.com!

 

Well, got the stuff, removed the tailgate handle & bucket and sanded primed and just painted. I assume after an hour or so I'll be able to clear coat it. After the clear coat, it says to wait 3 days before using the polishing compound! I'd like to put the handle back on the truck and use it. Will the cool evenings, dew, or regular use hurt it? Am I going to have to leave my handle off for 3 flippen' days!?

 

d,

Personally, I'd hold off on installing it until you know the clearcoat is almost fully dried. I'd mostly be concerned about dew/moisture affecting its clarity. BUT, I'm no paint expert.

How difficult was it to sand the handle and bucket? You sanded by hand, I assume? Were you able to get it completely smooth?

Finally, are you happy with the results so far? Where's the picture????

 

D,

If you know that the clear coat has dried, you should be able to mount the handle back on the truck again. You'll have to let it fully dry for a couple of days before you wet sand and hit it with some rubbing compound. Just remember that you can do this while it's mounted on the truck, it just takes more time because you'll have to be extra careful not to ruin the paint around the handle by being sloppy. I polished my handle while it was on the truck, but before I did that, I taped off the area around it with some masking tape.

As you see, painting can be a pain, but the results will look absolutely wonderful if done correctly.

Biggest challenge you'll have now is getting the other handles painted on the doors. Now that you know the process and how long it take for the paint to dry, you'll have to find a good window of opportunity to do this on your truck w/o leaving it down for a long time. Alternatively would be to buy a set of new handles from the dealer and paint them. Then once they're all ready, do the swap-out with the ones currently installed. You'll end up with some extra handles, but who knows, you can probbaly sell 'em on e-bay (or paint those too and sell em on ebay) and make some money to recover your costs.

Tony

 

Ok, I slapped one final coat of clear coat on and will put in back on the truck in the morning. I guess I was worried about the cold temps overnight & dew on a few paint job. I took it all inside to dry overnight at normal temps.

Sanding was kinda a pain since its not a nice flat surface. I took more time on the handle itself than the bucket, and it shows. They say 90% of painting is prep, and that is SOOOOooooooo true. I'll be sure not to slack on the doors. The end product is still nice, and since I'll rarely see it it will be more than fine! I'll get some pics after I get it on the truck tomorrow.

OH yeah, I did sand by hand. Started with 150 briefly to take off most of those stupid bumps, then 250, then 600.

And one last thing, getting the tailgate handle off was a snap, seperating the handle from the bucket WAS NOT. They have this long ping & spring for the handle to pivet on. Well, the way they made it was so the pin had a 'flared' end, larger than the holes in the bucket & handle. Obviously made so it doesn't fall apart. It won't! I finally busted out my torch lighter, heated the plastic and had to conan-it off. Thankfully without breaking. My god I hope the doors are not the same.

One minor gripe I know already is the paint doesn't have enough metal flakes. The factory paint is LOADED with 'em. Oh well, we'll see...

 

I never seperated my handle from the bucket. I just inserted a big wad of paper up in the handle area to compress the spring. It gave me plenty of room to shoot the paint on the front and backsides of the handle and was able to get enough up into the bucket to cover everything up. Sure there are sections inside the bucket or behind the handle that never got painted, but you'll never see it unless you're some sort of contortionist. I felt better about doing it this way after looking at how Ford had painted the factory handles. (I'm guessing a similar method).

Tony

 

I shoulda done that Tony, but I'm a glutton for punishment. Oh well.

Here is the results, one down four to go! Keep in mind it really doesn't shine yet since I can't polish it for 2 more days! Still, a nice match. I can't WAIT to bust into those doors!!!

 

Lookin' sharp so far! Like I said earlier, I'd wait to see how the tailgate polishes up before starting on the doors. That way you can modify your painting technique (if you have too) before putting in all that work to only learn that you have to redo it.

By just looking at the picture I'm wondering if you have enough clear on it as it should be somewhat shiny? When you shot it, did you let it build into a milky coating, or did you just do a couple of light passes?

Tony

 

Wow d, looks good so far. That's a HUGE improvement over the black plastic.

John

 

Looks good D, cant wait to see it after its all shined up and the rest of the handles are done.


Hmmmm..time to go get some Blazing Yellow paint and some sand paper

 

I made 4 light/medium passes over with the clear. I'll polish it on Wednesday more than likely, and should the results be good I'll rip apart the doors Friday & sand them to paint on Saturday, re-installing Sunday.

I'm pretty happy with the paint technique, but I really need to focus more on the prep of the buckets. Worst case on the tailgate I'll have to mask it off and shoot some more clear.

If I didn't get enough clear, this raises the question: Do you lay the clear coat on thicker than the primer & basecoat? I assume clear would go the same way and yield better results out of multiple passes...

 

Shooting clear is usually the most difficult part of painting....don't spray enough and you get the infamous "orange peel" texture, shoot too much and you get a runny mess.

Usually (at least when I paint and I'm no expert here), when I shoot clear, I run it a bit on the heavy side to the point that it looks milky (don't worry it dries up clear). Shooting clear is different than primer or base coat in that you want to get a uniform thickness that covers the entire part. You can't rely on catching another section "later" with another pass if the first layer has already dried/set as the clearcoat just doesn't bond the same way with multiple thin layers.

To practice your technique more, you can always pick up a few cans of Rust-o-leum and clear and practice on some scrap metal/plastic. Try different methods and see which one works the best for you and comes out to your satisfaction.

Tony

 

Tony,

Interesting. So, based on your experience, it's better to shoot the clearcoat all at once, and not go back over it at all?
I'm trying to learn more because I'm getting ready to paint my mud guards and hope to avoid "newbie" painting mistakes. The instructions from PaintScratch.com say: "Let the clearcoat dry thoroughly. If necessary, wet sand out any imperfections with 1000 grit, then apply a final coat of clear coat."...which leads me to believe that spraying a "final" coat of clear would be no big deal...?

Thanks,
John