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First Post - Painted Plastics (flat black)

13K views 49 replies 26 participants last post by  jonp 
#1 ·
Hey everyone, I'm slowly but surely getting things done on my X to get it presentable looking and decided to share. Lots of sweet rides on here and hope one day mine will be close.

I used SEM Trim Black (#39143) and it came out great! Besides the adhesion promoter coming out crappy I'm satisfied. It's a 10 footer at least :)



Now it's finally all one color besides faded!







I couldn't get the dent out of the back completely but I was able to sand down the rough spots some.

I plan on spraying the whole roof rack the same and removing the side steps.

Has anyone painted the stock steely wheels as seen in my second photo (Front After pic)? I'm thinking of going gloss black but not sure if it's worth it.
 
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#27 ·
@ Racer

I wondered how that stuff would hold up....but I figured it would def. hold up better than paint. We coated a couple truck beds at work with it and I swear by that stuff, but it's probably thicker than what is typically put on wheels.
It holds up fine. The places where it is scraped off it also gouged the aluminum rims so nothing would have stood up to it.
 
#28 ·
I used silver vht brake caliper paint on the silver bar going across the grill. It turned out really good. Most people think I never painted it in the 1st place.
Alot of people also use vht nightshade on their tail lights


I say try doing the pinstripe and if you dont like the way it turns out you can always paint over the top of it. I mean your never stuck with it
 
#32 · (Edited)
I bought some course and fine sandpaper (cannot remember which) something wants me to say 35 and 80 but I dont remember. I then sat and wet sanded them all 4 about 1 HR each tire. First use the course and then use the fine. I did it by hand. I did all 4 at the same time. Laid them next to each other and did coat by coat. 4 Cans of Rustoleum Bedliner. $6.99 a can. $3 for the sand paper and water is Free in my apt. After that I even rushed and put them back on the truck after only 6 hours of drying and none has come off up till now.

 

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#33 ·
yea my trim is all faded and different colors how did you guys prep your trim before you painted it i plan on doing mine real soon
I used a light scotch pad to scuff up the plastic but not scratch it. Next I used a virgin solvent to completely clean each part. Since its plastic it is a good idea (but not necessary) to use an adhesion promoter. I used Bull Dog but that day it gave me problems and spit a few times, it might have been an old can or something. Finally I used SEM Trim Black and the final result came out VERY smooth. It took my dad and I about 4 hours to strip, clean, prep and paint all the plastics bumper to bumper. The nice thing about my paint is 30 minutes after spraying i bolted everything back on dry to the touch.

If I remember correctly we used 2-3 coats per part. The most was on the grill assembly and front bumper.

When I can afford to buy another can or two of black I plan on doing the roof rack as well. I'll update the post accordingly.
 
#37 ·
Looks good! I had a dent in my back bumper once, found the replacement for it online for like $30+shipping. Too bad you already painted it, but if you still have some left over..... I think it was USAutoparts.com or something like that. Google Xterra rear bumper and it will pop up
 
#39 ·
Painting bumpers

I have an 07 X and the bumpers are faded already I've been reading all the posts on bumper painting. When warm weather returns I will be doing mine. From what I gathered a lot of X owners that have done theirs wish now they had used bed liner paint... I'm thinking different path...and was wondering if anyone has painted theirs the same color as their X? Except the rear bumper top portion which would be black.. any input on this?
 
#40 ·
Keep in mind that matching the paint color is going to be a heck of a chore. The body is painted using paint that is specifically designed for aluminum. So the same paint would not have the same color when used on plastic. The bumper covers would require a completely different kind of paint, and a lot of patience to blend it nicely with the body. Then it would still need lots of clear coat to give it a similar shine to the rest of the body.

It's doable and I'm sure it would look awesome, but that's more of a professional job than most people would want to deal with in their back yard.

It would definitely make for a unique X, but get some advice from a paint/body person. Good luck!
 
#42 · (Edited)
That's a great site they've got everything I will need.. $20 a can is pricy but I believe the end result will be worth it. I will start a thread on the project whenclosure I begin...thx for the info...I want to find a pic of an xterra with matching painted bumpers before I start.. wonder if there are any out there? I've never attempted to remove the bumpers before either...is it an easy thing to do?
 
#45 ·
Well I can attest that mine are just as bad. How many cans of paint did it take to do the bumpers?
 
#46 ·
Wow, I didn't know this thread was still alive and kicking! Sorry for the delay in responses, a lot has changed in the last year (had a baby) and my free time has been cut short.

Xterra81632 - Because I was pressed on time I actually didn't pull any parts off except the side rear bumper parts. I just taped everything else off really well to avoid over spray and went to work.

lddfarms - I don't recall exactly, but I think it was 4 cans that I purchased and ended up with a little bit left over after doing 2-3 coats per part.

I still haven't painted the roof rack, however, once my tax return comes in I am going to buy some paint and just get it done.
 
#49 ·
Yes, Many have painted them aka Stealthed them. If you look around there are tons of DIY on painting them.
I personally sanded my rims then used Bed liner for a rougher off-roady look. Turned out VERY nice.

Look at my profile Picture.
Looks excellent! I plan on doing all my plastics and wheels with spray on bed liner, is the spray going to work okay? Is there any advice you can give me on using bed liner on the wheels??? Thanks!
 
#50 ·
Just bought some bed liner for my plastics and roof rack, ill let you know how it goes once its finished!
 
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