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Written By: Gibson Hull
April 20, 2025
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I have painted some scuffed plastic bumper covers on cars in my youth. It was with cheap paint and left much to be desired. The real trick is that prep is the most important part. By far. A little patience, some quality materials, and you can get really close to the factory paint. Ideally you are not painting out in the open air with dust and bugs and family members getting stuck in the paint. But this really does prove that you dont need thousands of dollars in painting equipment and prohibitively expensive paintbooth to get a servicable paint job on your daily driver or weekend warrior.
Fig. 1: Helio prepped for paint.
Step 02: Scuff the area you plan to paint with 150 grit sand paper. I sanded the entire area with a dual action sander, some sand paper on sanding blocks, and with scuff pads for the small places around the air vents in the Bulk Head.
Step 03: Start laying filler. Follow the manufacturers instructions for mixing the filler and hardener then start laying it on. This was my first time ever laying body filler, but I have used similar techniques in wood working and home repair for years. Start with super thin layers.
Step 04: Sand and add second layer. After sanding down the initial layer with 60 grit sand paper on a block to get some shape, We add another thin layer of filler and sand it back down again.
Step 05: Fill, sand, repeat. After about 6 rounds of filling and sanding and filling and sanding, we now are getting to a nice flat surface. It takes a ton of time but it is actually satisfying getting this bulkhead back in order. Notice that we only have exactly what we need to make a flat surface, There is not much more than a millimeter of filler at most. This is important to ensure the repair lasts as long as the car. If it gets too thick, beyond a quarter of an inch, you risk cracking and shrinkage.
Step 01, 02, and 03: Tape off, Scuff panel, apply first layer of filler.
Step 04: Sand and add second layer.
Step 05: Fill, sand, repeat.
Step 06a: Prep the vent flaps as well.
Step 07: Clean the panel and lay down the first light layer of primer. Using wax and grease remover and tack rags clean the panel thoroughly. This is an important step because it is sooo easy to clean off dust before you spay. Much harder after. I was painting outside which was even worse, but we are working with what we've got. Now spray with primer. You can see in the picture that this is a very light dusting. It is important to take it slow and add a little bit at a time in order to ensure you have no runs and the paint sticks to the surface.
Step 08: Lay down progressive layers of primer. Build up the Primer until the panel is fully covered. I added another layer to give me a good amount of primer to sand down in the next step.
Step 09: Wet-sand with 200 then 400 grit sandpaper. (Not pictured). Now that the primer is layed and dry we can we sand. We use a special sand paper and block that is dunked in water, and spray the panel with water as we sand to reduce hot spots, too much friction and ensure we only take exactly the right amount of high spots down. This sounds like over kill But it is really important for getting a smooth shiny finish in the end.
Step 10: Repeat cleaning, primer, and sanding. I ended up back down to metal in a few spots so I cleaned, sprayed, and sanded it down again.
Step 12: Wet-sand putty spots and the rest of the panel one last time before the color layer.
Step 13: Clean the panel thoroughly again and spray the base color layer. Same as with the primer: start first with a light dusting, and 15 minutes later go back with another. And so on. I ended up with about 5 coats of color to get full coverage.
Step 13a: Spray color on vent flaps as well.
Step 14: Wet-sand the base layer with 1000-1500 grit to remove any imperfections. (Not pictured). Take your time, be methodical and check the panel really wet when complete. Clean really well with wax and grease remover and a tack cloth before going to the next step.
Step 15: Clean again and apply the clear coat. Same story. Start with a light dusting and move to progressively thicker layers until you have full deep coverage. I added about 6 full layers after the first light dusting to ensure I have a good layer to polish later.
Step 15a: Spray clear coat on vent flaps as well.
Step 12: Use Spot Putty to fill pin holes.
Step 13: Wet sand putty spots and the rest of the panel one last time before the color layer.
Step 14: Clean thoroughly again and spray the base color layer.
Step 14a: Spray color on vent flaps as well.
Step 16: Clean again and apply the clear coat.
Step 17: Lay down fresh seals. First we lay down the bulkhead to window frame seal.
Step 18: Next is the body side seals and body sides. This took a while to get cleaned up and prepped. Including removing the rear door. Again I wish I had more pictures but here we are.
Step 19: Add the side-to-top seals and the top. (Not pictured).
Step 20: Replace the top-to-windshield frame seal.
Step 21: Replace the windshield frame. This is a hard one that takes a lot of pressure to compress both the seals to the point that the window frame brackets can line up with their holes. Again, a strapping younger brother is a huge plus in this situation. Dont forget the fresh windshield bracket gaskets as well.
Step 22: Put the interior back together. (Not pictured).
Step 17: Remove the tape and plastic and let dry.
Step 17a: Remove the tape and plastic and let dry.
Step 18: Lay down fresh seals.
Step 19: Next is the body side seals and body sides.
Step 21: Replace the top-to-windshield frame seal.
Step 22: Replace the windshield frame.
Thanks for sticking with the article, it was a long one! Subscribe below for more coming soon. Catch you in the next one.
Step 23: Take photos from far away and enjoy!