okay well...I used to have a ViS kit, and the front bumper would always get all these nicks in it from daily driving, and a bunch of white spots don't look too great on a black car...so I was wondering, was this just due to a bad paintjob? I've seen lots of daily-driven showcars that don't seem to have this problem. I'm gonna get my Kaminari clip-on kit painted and installed next week...any idea what I can do to maintain the paint on my next kit?

first of all make sure the shop includes a flex agent in the paint on the kaminari kit cause its urethane, so not only would it chip if they didnt it would spiderweb and peel off.

http://www.geocities.com/blue2gnt

mine chips around the bottom a lot cause i drive on the interstate and i get lots o rocks. i gotta use a lot of touch up paint.

Chris Dishmon
coming soon:
PAINT!!!!(any donations of paint code p88 would be highly appreciated)
chrisdishmon@hotmail.com
http://klipzracer.homestead.com/index.html

Its normal to get paint chips no matter how good the paint job because it seems that any aftermarket piece will still chip more than the stcok one. Especially fiberglass...your only solution is to try to drive really slow. Of course, a bad paint job will chip more easily than a good paint job. Most show cars do have a lot of chips if you look closely, and the other ones that are perfect actually don't drive daily with that bumper on. I also know some crews that only put on a bumper for show, and when driving to the show, they tape bubble wrap or plastic all over the front bumper so it won't chip...

eclipse804@hotmail.com
http://www.importvenom.com
Import Venom

cyan--actually, the kaminari kit is fiberglass, i only wish it was urethane =)

eclipse804--haha yah i know people who do that too...since i work with import showoff i know a lotta the guys from the big crews, like autobots, hybrid, flux, techna, etc. and a lot of em do that bubble wrap trick. But on the other hand, I do see a lot of daily-drivens with near-perfect paint, even when I look up close. I heard that right after you get it you should put like 3-4 coats of wax on the front. This way it only scuffs instead of chipping. I guess a couple of extra coats of clearcoat wouldn't hurt either. Other than that I don't know how I could prevent the unsightly chips. But I'll have to decide where to get it painted soon, I'm gonna do a full color change to that new gunmetal bronze color from the current mustangs. Hope it comes out okay =)

I can speak first hand since I have painted stuff. Clearcoat is HARD!! Wax the hell out of it! first use a rubbing compound, then wax it to death. Wax is like a paint lubricant, it lets it mold and flex with time and temp. Chips are unavoidable--best advice was already said drive slow and don't hit sh*t. Also spend money on good paint -- I recomend PPG

There are actually a couple of things that you'd have to do. First make sure that the surface is prepped properly. This is the biggest thing. If it's not prepped right the paint won't adhere. All urethane and fiberglass parts will have some sort of solvents on them. For fiberglass make sure you sand it down with 320 grit paper, and fill any pinholes. Then use what's called Fine-L Wash to remove any solvents that may still be on the piece. When you start to paint, the bodyshop should put a very light coat of something to help the paint adhere to the part. Then they'll put the basecoat and finally the clear. Like Cyan said, I would put a flex agent in the paint. Even though the parts are fiberglass, by adding a flex agent the parts will still be able to flex somewhat and over time won't crack or spider web as easily. If you're not doing the job yourself and are paying a business you don't know. You'll get what you pay for. Ask and see what they'll do to prep the parts. Cheap Maaco jobs are just that. They don't prep properly at all! By buffing a piece that's been painted won't matter if the part wasn't prepped right to start with.

There's a guy in my town that had Maaco paint his fiberglass bumper and anytime a gnat hits the thing paint chips off. Don't cut corners when painting, find a decend place that does good work. Maybe even ask to see if you can help with the job. That will save you money, and you'll get an awesome paint job while overseeing the entire thing. That's what I did recently with my car. I got the entire thing painted Northstar White with a ghosted in blue pearl fade all around the bottom of the car, and it only cost me $2,600. Normally it would have cost someone $5,000. Good luck with the painting.

HeDog

'95 Nstar White GS (AT) w/blue fade

Performance:
Iceman Cold Air Intake
Thermal R&D 3" Turbo Exhaust

Suspension:
Focuz RSII Dual Spring Coilovers
Tokico Blue Struts
Front Upper Strut bar

Exterior:
'99 Front & Rear Bumpers
Chrome/Clear Projectors
Catz Zeta 00 Headlight System
PIAA Platinum Low beams
PIAA 1100x Driving Lights
G2 Altezza Taillights
Clear Corners
3 Piece WW Midwing Spoiler