The wheel arches were looking a little sorry for themselves - rough around the edges and wearing a few scars from their initial fitting. So in the garage/workshop/paint booth/storage area/anything else it needs to be until I somehow manage to afford to have a large work area this week... I got on with the job of prepping and painting!
Painting is a tricky task. It's a fact often overlooked until a rushed job results in a bad finish but with the right guidance a decent finish can be achieved using modest tools and equipment. Sadly the budget doesn't yet stretch to a professional set up so spray cans were the order of the day.
Preparing a surface for primer requires a 'key' for the primer to stick to. The idea being that if the surface is completely smooth before you begin the primer won't want to stay where you're spraying it. Roughing up the surface ever so slightly provides bumps and ridges, a bit of texture to aid the process.
At the point of the above photo it's probably quite normal to be having second thoughts about the mess you're potentially making.
A few coats of primer. It dries quite quickly and providing the spraying action is as smooth as possible it gives a smooth, even covering.
A very fine grit sandpaper will smooth out any minor runs/lumps and prepare the primer for the next stage. This is over 24 hours later though, having allowed the primer to dry thoroughly.
Lovely, glossy black! For a spray can job they've not turned out badly at all.
I've used a small finishing strip to sit between the arch and the body. Purchased for around £1 per metre it just gives a nicer finish than the edge of the fibreglass and provides a little rubber buffer to achieve a better fit against the body.
That's all for now!
