cant you paint the out side of the body

[hollywood5150]

does anyone know if you cant paint a body if already painted. was thinking about painting the outside.if so which kind of paint. alos can you paint the shock springs and shock caps and plastic a arms upper an lowe if they are plastic also? i want to custome paint my car. or should i buy a clear body?

[HarleyDan]

Originally Posted by hollywood5150

does anyone know if you cant paint a body if already painted. was thinking about painting the outside.if so which kind of paint. alos can you paint the shock springs and shock caps and plastic a arms upper an lowe if they are plastic also? i want to custome paint my car. or should i buy a clear body?

1) the reason that the inside of the body is painted is the outside takes abuse from roll overs as well as spilt fuel. So the answer is yes, but it probably won't last long.
1a) Use any kind of paint rated for Lexan. Most paint works best in a surface that is not perfectly smooth. Use a 500 grit or more sandpaper prior to painting.
1b) I would suggest buying a fresh set of body pieces.

2) Shock springs would be a tough gig because paint is only slightly flexible. When the springs begin to compress and rebound, the paint will crack and flake off. Plus you would have to scuff the springs surface.
2b) Rather than paint the springs, use some Bad Horsie shock covers which are available in different colors:
http://shopping.netsuite.com/s.nl/c.885035/sc.12/.f (search for bad horsie). These are primarily used to protect the shocks from dirt and dust, but since they come in different colors, you are killing two birds with one stone......

3) Shock caps can be painted but again, you will have to scuff the surface with 400 or 500 grit sandpaper. During roll overs and such, they will become scratched. Paint is no where near as robust as powder coating or anodizing.

4) The arms can be painted as well, and scuffing is also necessary but because arms tend to take some serious abuse, you will be doing this frequently.
4a) Rather than paint, buy the white RPM arms (if you have the money) and dye them what ever color you want using RIT dye. These RPM arms can also be found at ddm (link above)

Hope this helps........

[hollywood5150]

thats great harley thanks alot. big help

[HarleyDan]

No problem. Tell us something about your Baja. Pics if ya got em......

Would love to see pics after you are done the the modifications......