The 'E' Type Forum

Hi Folks

Has anybody here had any success with painting the plastic gearbox/transmission tunnel cover? Mine looks a bit tatty and could do with a spruce up following a couple of repairs to splits etc.

I know its out of sight most of the time but I'd like to give it a bit of a makeover.

Can anybody recommend or suggest a suitable paint for the job, please?

Regards

No response from you guys so I thought i would record what I did here.

First I abraded the surface with 240 grit then applied 2 coats of etch primer. I followed this with a couple of coats of satin black spray and it looks a lot more respectable with the scars less obvious to see.

Regards

Stuart Wrote:

Has anybody here had any success with painting the plastic gearbox/transmission tunnel cover? Mine looks a bit tatty and could do with a spruce up following a couple of repairs to splits etc.

I know its out of sight most of the time but I'd like to give it a bit of a makeover.

Can anybody recommend or suggest a suitable paint for the job, please?

and

No response from you guys so I thought i would record what I did here.

Hello Stuart,
Missed it due to the time difference.

DeBeers 8-746 High Production, Non Sanding Primer works well for your application. The Etch Primer you used would have had no affect whatsoever, as the etch doesn't react with the plastic substrate.

The 8-746 Datasheet states this product can be used directly over clean plastic than hasn't been sanded, but I still sand the plastic substrate to provide the "ploughed field" surface as extra insurance for adhesion. The 8-746 product was specifically designed to speed up the panel to paint process in the very time sensitive repair industry. I first used it to counter the appearance of scratches (not actual scratches) in a metalic paint that was slightly pearled. The way the paint laid down in the very fine sanding marks (P800 Grade Abrasive) gave the appearance of scratches via slightly darker lines that corresponded with the sanding marks.

After consulting with DeBeers, whether using 8-746 as a sealer would be a good plan, I now use this product under all metalic paint projects and when a consistent coloured substrate is desirable before applying Top Coat.

8-746 is applied as just one coat, allowed to flash off for 12minutes (min at 20degC), then the Top Coat process started. The Non Sanding, chemical link aspect of the product lasts for 48 hours; after that, it should be sanded to create the "ploughed field" effect.

The following picture shows 8-746 used on the bulkhead only of this S3 OTS Tub. The bulkhead has previously been coated with a Black Epoxy Primer. The purpose of using the 8-746 was to create a consistent coloured substrate without the necessity of sanding the primer used over the Black Epoxy.



Regards,

Bill

Hi Bill

Thanks for the very comprehensive reply.

I have painted and fitted my gearbox cover now. Paint has stayed put so far but I expect it to start flaking off as time goes by. At least it should look half-respectable for the next few weeks/months while I get on with the rebuild.

Cheers