plastic fender extender

[mike111]

I'm hoping to get a suggestion on painting this. These fender covers are going on either before or after I do the all over paint job. I have been going back and forth on if I should paint them on the truck or off. If I paint them on, I can cover the stainless steel screws with paint (they may rust someday). But also there will be paint on the small rubber gasket the goes between the truck and fender.(see pic) THis might not be good.
If I put them on after I paint them, the screws will not be painted. But maybe I can paint them and install them carefully.
As far as prep, I was going to clean them with prep-all and use SEM plastic addhesion promoter. My plan was to skip the primer on them but I wasn't sure if I should skip the sealer, and go straight to the base. What would you do? Thanks
Mike

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[Len]

Personally I prefer to paint something like that OFF the vehicle. I would mount them where I want it with the screws I'm going to use then remove them and paint them and the vehicle separately. I would probably give the screws a light blasting then epoxy prime and paint them using as little paint as possible so that I don't fill the screw driver slots.

The only time I do this type of painting on the car is when mounting the parts is difficult and the paint could get damaged, then I might mount them first.

[mike111]

THanks Len. Then that's what I will do. When you say "light blasting" what are you referring to? Adhesion promoter or something else? I was thinking I should scuff the tops of the stainless steel with a gray pad prior to the epoxy prime.
Also, as far as the adhesion promoter for plastic....there are some other areas I will be using that. Does it matter if some of it oversprays to the body or will that not hurt a thing? I could tape off the body if needed.

Personally I prefer to paint something like that OFF the vehicle. I would mount them where I want it with the screws I'm going to use then remove them and paint them and the vehicle separately. I would probably give the screws a light blasting then epoxy prime and paint them using as little paint as possible so that I don't fill the screw driver slots.

The only time I do this type of painting on the car is when mounting the parts is difficult and the paint could get damaged, then I might mount them first.

[Len]

THanks Len. Then that's what I will do. When you say "light blasting" what are you referring to? Adhesion promoter or something else? I was thinking I should scuff the tops of the stainless steel with a gray pad prior to the epoxy prime.
Also, as far as the adhesion promoter for plastic....there are some other areas I will be using that. Does it matter if some of it oversprays to the body or will that not hurt a thing? I could tape off the body if needed.

Scuffing the screws can work as long as you can rough up the surface. I find that some of that hardware can be pretty difficult to scratch so you may need something like 320 grit. I will sometimes blast it because it does a good job quickly but it's not always needed. After you prime the screws allow them to dry for an hour or two then apply your paint without sanding.

I would take the parts off the car and either lay them on some saw horses or hang them from the ceiling. This allows you to paint the vehicle under where the parts are to be mounted.

If they are rigid parts you can probably scuff them, apply epoxy primer then paint the same time you do the screws. Screw the screws into a piece of foam or cardboard to hold them for painting.

I doubt that you need adhesion promoter. Just be sure to use a grease and wax remover before you scuff them and right before you paint them. An anti-static tack cloth is also good to wipe them with before you start painting.

[mike111]

I started thinking about all this before I read the direction that came with the fenders. The screws are just for looks it turns out. They are installed before the fender are mounted, and dont even attach to the body.