Painted front bumper (plastic part)

[JKing]

Has anyone painted the grey plastic part of the front bumper on an SLT? I'm talking leave the chome but paint the plastic like on a Sport. The other GM & Ford are doing this and I think it would look good on the Ram.

 

[HEMI®Dart]

JKing,



I did this along time ago. Its easy to pull the grey plastic facia off. I painted my fog light bumper inserts body color too. But, I messed up and tried to paint & clear it with spray paint I had mixed to match the truck. The base coat came out ok. The clear never adhered right. Never got anywhere near the gloss the factory paint had. I didn't use a primer on the plastic, so the paint started peeling in a week. In a nutshell, I didn't do it right. I ended up just getting a new facia from the dealer.



If its done correctly, it will look REAL NICE .

 

[JGabl]

In Silver...

JKing,

Just painted mine last week... side moldings too. I love the 'one color' look of the Sport, but dig the look of chrome and the Brite Silver ... My . 02. . Jim... ..... Here's a pic:

 

[JGabl]

Here's another...

 

[RottnDogue]

JKing

That looks great Did you do yourself? Explain the process for us.



Darren

 

[Archive]

Re: In Silver...

Originally posted by JGabl

dig the look of chrome

That does look sweet! Explain how ya did it...

 

[JGabl]

It was actually pretty easy... Went down to my local auto paint supply and bought a can of PPG's 'Acryli-clean'(cleaner,wax and residue remover), 1 can of 'Bulldog' adheasion promoter, 2 cans of spray mixed in my color to my paint code (PS2). NO primer needed.

Clean part(s) with Acryli-clean (or comprable) , mask off.



Pay attention to detail when masking. Pre-mask as close as possible with just tape, then go back and tape newspaper/kraft paper to that. Take your time. The key to keeping the paint on the plastic is the adhesion promoter.



Spray 2 light coats of Bulldog and let dry. Spray med. /light coats of paint about 10-12 inches away overlapping with each coat, not too heavy. Let the paint become 'tacky,' then re-coat. I put 6 coats.



BTW- If you paint the parts on the truck, after you mask with paper but BEFORE you paint, apply wax to remainder of truck and do not wipe off. Do NOT get any on 'to be painted' areas. If you do, re-clean with cleaner. This process will facilitate any overspray that might settle on your truck while you are painting. Wipe of wax after removing masking (when paint's dry), stand back, have a beer and admire your handiwork. Don't forget to post those pics!! Sorry for the long post, Jim.

 

[JGabl]

Another little touch...

Here's another item in my quest to be a little different... ..... pinstripes that change colors... teal?

 

[JGabl]

purple?...

 

[JGabl]

burgandy?... . goes all the way to orange/gold in low light ... Jim.

 

[illflem]

JGabl, I truly hopes it works for you. A friend of mine had his done at a body shop that is well known for it's top notch paint jobs. Even with excellent prep work and adhesion promoter the paint would spider web crack after a few weeks then start falling off. The body shop guys were baffled and redid the paint job three more times (for free) with different methods and paints, none would stay, they finally gave up. Their best guess was that the plastic expanded and contracted with temperature too much causing the cracks. Good luck with yours.

 

[JKing]

Are the Sport bumpers painted or is the color impregnated into the plastic? Can you purchase the part already the correct color from the Dodge dealer?

 

[JGabl]

I'm pretty sure that when you purchase a part from the dealer it comes unfinished and you have to finish to match... at least that's the way it was for my Caravan... Jim.

 

[Cooker]

I'd like to do the same thing. I was asking a good friend of mine who works for a large specialty body shop where they paint many custom and show quality paint jobs. He said no matter what, the nice finish wouldn't hold up too long under the elements. I feel confident that I can trust his opinion. With that being said, I'm still going to paint it eventually. If I have to repaint it every year I guess it was well worth the extra detail it adds to the truck.



-Ryan

 

[Doc Tinker]

Nice truck and job, JGabl



And thanks for giving the details of how it was done.



Doc

 

[JGabl]

Illflem,

Sounds like the body shop didn't prep right and didn't use flex agent(enough?) the first time. Then perhaps with subsquential paintings became too thick without taking it all the way down, on top of bad prep.

This may be a very good and reputable shop. They just might not do this sort of thing every day. My . 02... Jim



Thanks for the compliment, Doc.



..... now... does anyone know where I can get a Pace Edward rolling bed cover for a good price??... ... ... Thanks,Jim

 

[John]

Just a point of correction...



the body colored plastic (pre '99) Sport lower bumper fascia (gray portion on SLT models) is in fact, colored through and through to match the remainder of the vehicle... NOT painted! I know this as I recently drilled through this area (using a hole saw) to install my trick block heater receptical.