Paint worthy of a golf cart?

[sgtsandman]

Pretty sure this is not meant for paint. It's use is for penetrating fluids and other sprayable oils.

I was going to make the same comment. I’ve only seen those used for that and brake cleaner.

 

[Blmpkn]

Something else to note... These are plastic panels. They aren't super rigid. They're probably 3/16" thick plastic. There will be some flexing that the paint will have to be happy with. That's one reason I'm leaning toward the tractor paint. I figure that ought to be tougher than a nicer looking car-type paint.

Your probably going to want to be mixing in flex additives then. I woudnt trust it not cracking without it.

 

[Chapap]

An update. I finally got to it. These body panels are incredibly thin. The front is probably thinner that the rear cause it has a framework supporting the entire thing. It feels like those cheap, disposable paint cups and the hardware store, though that has allot to do with their size. I decided to buff them out since they're solid white all the way through.

I've never buffed before, and the foam buffing pads don't remove large blemishes. I ended up doing a good bit of sanding with 400 grit (cause that's what was in the drawer). There used to be a large sticker on the hood that is almost unnoticeable now. The pin stripe decal protected the plastic and is still fairly obvious that it was there. I removed a good bit of material till I figured it was good. I think this is the way to go. These pics don't do it justice. It's not a mirror finish, but is much nicer. Look at the clarity of the flood light under the eve.

The rust stains on the rear panel will probably be really deep in the plastic. I have low hope that those will come out without some serious sanding... to the point of making a weak spot. I'll give it a go tho.

I used the top-of-the-line DA polisher from HF.

 

[Lefty]

Something like these? When you say a little extra solvent, you mean for a sprayer right? I can't imagine a brush giving a smooth finish.
View attachment 98106

Yes, use spray, but do it with a cup gun. Rustoleum is not a very good paint, not at all. It just isn't durable.

 

[Lefty]

Buffing is wonderful, but only after you paint. A buffer is finer than the finest sandpaper. 400 grit is meant to be used before you paint. You might want to examine the surface in the sunlight. The buffed areas probably do look shiny. The parts you sanded with 400 probably look different. They would look dull.

A buffed surface is too smooth to paint. The texture of a surface sanded with 400 grit is better. It will permit a better bond with the primer. Otherwise, you can expect runs and drips.

I would recommend sanding everything with 400 first, even 800. Then one or two coats of primer, then 800 grit to create a uniform texture, then several coats of top coat paint.

If you want a supershine, wet sand with 1,000 grit after that. then 2,000, then 3,000, then 5000, then buff. You will get very good results with just one pass of 1,000. Wet sanding goes vey fast.

Wait a day or more, then buff.

I still recommend those rattle can two part epoxies. They will adhere the best and last the longest, even on a somewhat flexible surface.

 

[Chapap]

Buffing is wonderful, but only after you paint. A buffer is finer than the finest sandpaper. 400 grit is meant to be used before you paint. You might want to examine the surface in the sunlight. The buffed areas probably do look shiny. The parts you sanded with 400 probably look different. They would look dull.

A buffed surface is too smooth to paint. The texture of a surface sanded with 400 grit is better. It will permit a better bond with the primer. Otherwise, you can expect runs and drips.

I would recommend sanding everything with 400 first, even 800. Then one or two coats of primer, then 800 grit to create a uniform texture, then several coats of top coat paint.

If you want a supershine, wet sand with 1,000 grit after that. then 2,000, then 3,000, then 5000, then buff. You will get very good results with just one pass of 1,000. Wet sanding goes vey fast.

Wait a day or more, then buff.

I still recommend those rattle can two part epoxies. They will adhere the best and last the longest, even on a somewhat flexible surface.

"The buffed areas probably do look shiny. The parts you sanded with 400 probably look different. They would look dull."

I meant that I sanded and then buffed. Just buffing didn't take off enough material to get rid of the blemishes left behind by years of sun damage (when contrasted by the portion protected by the pin stripe decal).

Really what happened is I buffed and buffed and pondered, then sanded, then buffed, then really sanded hard, then buffed again, and a couple more times just to see what happens. I was really just playing with the buffer since I'd never used it before. Tried heavy cut compound, final polish compound, foam pad, microfiber pad, and plastic specific polish.

My ultimate takeaway was that a buffer (and any product related to buffing) takes so little material off the surface that it's surprising... which really makes sense since it's meant to just treat the surface of one layer of paint (or clear coat). My goal was to shave the surface off of this body panel... like... measurable with vernier calipers. This was a good thing to experiment on since there are no coatings on it. It's just white plastic that's been polished to be shiny.

 

[Lefty]

Got it