Paint won't hold to grey plastic on bumper...HELP!

[HeavyHauler]

Ok guys, become highly-trained body shop men for a few minutes and help me out on this one. Before I got my dually, I had a 96 Dodge gasser. It was black and I decided that the grey plastic trim on the front bumper would look 100% better if it was painted to match.



Long story short, no kind of paint that 2 different painters (inlcuding the best body man in my town) tried would stick to the bumper. In a heavy rain, or over the course of a few weeks, the paint would eventually start to chip off the grey part. I had the bumper repainted 4 times using different methods only to yield the same results.



What can I use to prime and paint my bumper on my new truck? It's a white truck and I'm going for the chrome on white look so I want the grey part of the front bumper painted gloss white to match the truck.



Anyone got any experience with this or have any ideas? Help me out here, I want this to work out.



Thanks guys.

 

[Casey Ray]

HeavyHauler,



Try a paint from Krylon by the name of "Fusion". It is made to adhere to plastic. It is available in white as well as 15 other colors.



Best of luck,



Casey

 

[Jeff H]

I've heard good things about that Krylon fusion

 

[rrausch]

Also, a flexible primer must be used. Normal primers are not flexible enough which results in adhesive failure of the top coat. I've bought flexible primers at Pep Boys. Its not difficult to find.

 

[Sticks]

There is somebody here that did the Krylon Fusion paint job to their bumper, with no additional prep work. Krylon paint thread

 

[JR2]

I used the fusion paint on my PDC cover, the APPS cover and the plastic fuel filter cap... good results all around. Take your time, do several coats and it will look good.

 

[illflem]

Had a similar experience on my daughter's wrecked Accord. Paint wouldn't stay on a replacement front bumper, four times with a high quality shop that specialized in custom paint jobs. They paid for an OEM bumper to replace the aftermarket one, no more problem. Some plastics just won't hold paint no matter what you do.

 

[BGDUMMY]

I did my grey plastic on my bumpers with a paint I found at Wal-Mart.

It is made especially for plastic. Only comes in black or brown. It is in the body repair section. I can't find my can to give you the exact name, but if you look there at the body filler etc. you should see it.

I went to their website last year to see about it and they had an article reprint from a motorcycle magazine where they sprayed a seat with it and it would not wear off. It is still doing great on my bumpers.

 

[Trizae]

or you could buy the paintable piece for a 94-98 sport, we have done several like that

 

[curatchko]

Well,



Any goog body man should be recommending that etching primer be used on these parts given the history of a problem. Once the primer is acid etched into the plastic, there won't be much possibility of it flaking off.



Chris

 

[RJ2]

In the same light is there any paint that will etch to the chrome. thanks RJ

 

[jzaremski]

If you can't find Fusion (never used it myself) look for anything called Vinyl/Plastic dye. It's a slightly hot base lacquer that will "bite" into the plastic slightly. I've used both Dupli-color and SEM dye with good results.

 

[MO'Donnell]

When I painted the plastic trim on my running boards, I scrubbed the plastic with Purple Power or Bleach White, then sanded it with #400. Used plastic adhesion promoter (PPG, I forget the product number, but it's in their Deltron paint line). Primer, then color then clear. The trick to painting plastics is thin coats.

 

[fyrescott]

If the plastic ever had a protectant sprayed on it forget it! This stuff seeps into the pores and will never allow paint to stick.

 

[aphat426]

If you want to do it right first decide what paint system you are going to use ( Dupont, PPG, BASF, Sikkens, Autocolour, etc) Then get the "tech" Sheet for given system. It should go as follows.



1-scrub with plastic prep and a grey scothbrite, don't be afraid of getting carried away it will only help the paint stick.



2-"wash" the part with plastic prep( some system use 2 different types depending on what you are doing).



3-Wipe part down with wax & grease remover



4-this step may vary-some systems have a final wipe specifically for plastics.



5-seal the part with appropriate sealer WITH flex additive.



6-after proper flash time apply base coat ( or if using single stage apply until desired coverage and gloss)



7-after flash time apply clear coat WITH flex additive.



this of course is just a quick overview if you go to any auto body supply store they can get you the tech sheets that will tell you in more depth the process of painting plastics and if done right the finish can last for a very long time. hope that helps

 

[John]

I had great luck using SEM Plastic Prep as well as Sand Free in the preparation of my PDC cover which I painted with a bright yellow PPG polurethane. I have had no cracks or any imperfections in a year and a half.



BTW, did I mention that it looks like a yellow mirror?



One other thing, (IMO) a flex agent should be added to the primer/paint on something like the plastic front bumper piece. Although I didn't use it on my PDC cover, or when I painted over the Line-X I had sprayed on my Air Bulldog induction components, I would if using "normal" automotive primer/paint. The PPG polyurethane that I use doesn't require it and still provides excellent adhesion to the substrate.





Also something to consider on a second gen. Ram...



the Sport models have a color matched plastic lower bumper panel instead of that cheesy gray one used on SLTs. Even still, the black (in my case) plastic bumper piece is painted at the factory.



DISCLAIMER: I'm just a "backyard" painter that is a novice in the grand scheme of things.