Bridgeport cowl

[punch bowl performance]

Can a bridgeport cowl be painted. I think there made out of plastic, not fiberglass. The one i'm geting is dull and i wanted to paint it and fix it.

[stvhelm]

I dont know if this will work but i was just in home depot and I noticed they now sell spraypaint for plastic. mainly for painting plastic lawn furniture and like. Im curious how it would work.

[Steven]

local body shop paint mine, looks great. they know what to use so it can be done. ;)

[RJSHADOW8021]

the plastic has to be prepped right with plastic prep chemicals form your local auto paint supplier,then beginning with the primer right through to the paint, there needs to a flex additive added ito every step so it wont crack off.
i run a body shop in jersey and i did mine. i ended up using Imron....very flexable and durable paint

[pyro]

Have you tried polishing the plastic? It may come back without a re-painting job...

[punch bowl performance]

what would be the best thing to use to polish it with?

[pyro]

any auto polish is worth a try. If you use some runny wet, ultra-fine-cut glaze compound on a rotary polisher, go SLOW or you'll burn the surface, it may polish up like glass. A lot easier to maintain that a painted surface.

[chynewalkr]

you might want to try polishing it with a polish made for lexan and polycarbonate windscreens for motorcyle helmets and such, you should be able to find it at the local auto chain. if it doesnt work your only out a few bucks.

also try megiures paint cleaner (step 1), ive used it for similar problems with good results too.

DOH pyro beat me to it ;)

[Steven]

the only thing that would help was wd40. car wax wouldnt do anything. i think the paint is oil based?? or something like that? :confused: :confused:

[jay j]

krylon makes a spray bomb paint called fusion coating for plastic chairs and such. shines real good, but no car shine. i use on flywheels, injector holders thermostat covers and such. just adds a little zip.

[Carter Powell]

I have painted over twenty BP cowlings and have used DuPont Imron on all of them, some over ten years ago and NONE have had the paint fail. Imron is a little dangerous so use a good respirator when painting. What I do is sand the plastic to get it scuffed up good and spray with DuPont Corlar epoxy primer and then lightly sand and then spray the Imron and then clear with Imron. I have heard all of the stories about good paint and paint adheasion but more airplanes are painted with Imron than all other paints put together.
The is NOTHING harder except Gelcoat then Imron. It will not fail! I have painted many boats ( bottoms also ) and have NEVER had any paint come loose, weird aint it!

Best wishes, Carter Powell

[Blizz]

If your gonna try and polish it try Flitz it works amazing on just about anything.

[Checkmate2.5]

Blizz is right flitz would be your best bet for polishing

[pyro]

I have painted over twenty BP cowlings and have used DuPont Imron on all of them, some over ten years ago and NONE have had the paint fail. Imron is a little dangerous so use a good respirator when painting. What I do is sand the plastic to get it scuffed up good and spray with DuPont Corlar epoxy primer and then lightly sand and then spray the Imron and then clear with Imron. I have heard all of the stories about good paint and paint adheasion but more airplanes are painted with Imron than all other paints put together.
The is NOTHING harder except Gelcoat then Imron. It will not fail! I have painted many boats ( bottoms also ) and have NEVER had any paint come loose, weird aint it!

Best wishes, Carter Powell

I would be leary about using Imron on any light-weight cowl, anything that can flex that much is going to eventually crack a hard finish like that.

I still want to know:
WHY does this cowl need to be painted?
Are you painting it a new color?

I'm amazed at some of the adolescent replies I'm reading. WD-40? A nice wet greasy coat to make it look shiny. Car Wax? same thing, less grease. Flitz? OK...

Polishing plastic to a level of shine you've probably never seen, must be done with a rotary polisher, not orbital or by hand, using progressively finer compounds and finishing with a polish or glaze with barely any cut.

Even after you wash off any residue, the surface will still look factory fresh.

[Carter Powell]

Trust me, it ain't gonna crack!

Carter

[peedeerooster]

I just had a 2.5 260 cowl painted by a good car body shop guy and he added what I think he called flexicoat. He said it is what is used on the flexible plastic areas on cars. He put 3 coats of clear on it and it is beautiful. He gauranteed it not to crack unless I beat it with a hammer. If you get a good repair guy to do it like mine, you will get it done right.

[SUPAJAY]

Single stage paint used for plastic bumpers. A friend of mine did his a few years ago. Still looks perfect. The bumper paint is flexable.

[pyro]

Why would anyone "paint" a black plastic cowl? If it's scratched, wet-sand it and polish it out by hand with automotive compounds and polishes. Paint isn't going to fix any blemishes that elbow grease can't fix. Black plastic is easier to work with than paint! Paint will look nice until it gets the first scratch, at which point you will no longer have the sand and polish option. ;)

[bassracr]

Why would anyone "paint" a black plastic cowl? If it's scratched, wet-sand it and polish it out by hand with automotive compounds and polishes. Paint isn't going to fix any blemishes that elbow grease can't fix. Black plastic is easier to work with than paint! Paint will look nice until it gets the first scratch, at which point you will no longer have the sand and polish option. ;)
i can see why someone would want to paint a black plastic cowling. i have had a bridgeport cowl on my boat since 1993 , i have wet sanded and buffed it many times, and it always looks great...for a very short time..once these are sun baked ...it always comes back. I recently ordered new decals and will paint my cowling to avoid the constant mantainence. I have seen these painted properly and they seem to hold up very well and look great.

[pyro]

I'll be damned if I let my stuff bake in the sun long enough to haze it. I wipe off the water spots and keep it waxed. It's a lot easier than letting it go to hell, then spray-bombing it and putting new stickers on.

A painted cowl holds up well, as long as nothing ever touches it.

[bassracr]

my cowling was baked when i got it. I take very good care of my stuff, but I also use it...alot, spending alot of time on southern lakes will take a toll on the plastic. again ,i have polished this cowl to a mirror finish many times.I also keep it waxed but the baked look always comes back. i would guess your cowling has never reached this condition. once they do the hazing always comes back . many people asking about painting their cowlings are not the idiots you try to make them out to be . I am looking forward to getting my cowl painted ,it wont be spray- bombed as you call it ,it will be done right,will look great and it will look that way for many years. fortunately for you, you have not had the pleasure of owning a good sunbaked cowling. polishing does not work on all of them. :D

[Carter Powell]

IMRON IMRON IMRON IMRON!

Carter

[pyro]

I thought Imron was a rock-hard finish for rigid surfaces that don't flex?

[bassracr]

Imron® - The industry's best performing polyurethane enamel <!-- If we have style names, the following will have to end the styles rather than using generic HTML tags. -->

<!-- Optional checkeboard line --><!-- End optional checkerboard line --><!-- When/if we have style names (class=" "), they'll go in the following case statement stuff -->
Imron® offers excellent exterior durability under many service conditions <!-- If we have style names, the following will have to end the styles rather than using generic HTML tags. --><!-- Optional checkeboard line --><!-- End optional checkerboard line --><!-- When/if we have style names (class=" "), they'll go in the following case statement stuff -->
Provides excellent gloss and color retention <!-- If we have style names, the following will have to end the styles rather than using generic HTML tags. --><!-- Optional checkeboard line --><!-- End optional checkerboard line --><!-- When/if we have style names (class=" "), they'll go in the following case statement stuff -->
Has excellent adhesion and good flexibility :thumbsup:<!-- If we have style names, the following will have to end the styles rather than using generic HTML tags. --><!-- Optional checkeboard line --><!-- End optional checkerboard line --><!-- When/if we have style names (class=" "), they'll go in the following case statement stuff -->
Solventborne Imron® provides excellent abrasion resistance <!-- If we have style names, the following will have to end the styles rather than using generic HTML tags. --><!-- Optional checkeboard line --><!-- End optional checkerboard line --><!-- When/if we have style names (class=" "), they'll go in the following case statement stuff -->
Product line includes primers, DTM's (direct-to-metal), topcoats and clearcoats <!-- If we have style names, the following will have to end the styles rather than using generic HTML tags. --><!-- Optional checkeboard line --><!-- End optional checkerboard line --><!-- When/if we have style names (class=" "), they'll go in the following case statement stuff -->
Is available in variable gloss levels - high gloss, satin gloss, semi-gloss and flat <!-- If we have style names, the following will have to end the styles rather than using generic HTML tags. --><!-- Optional checkeboard line --><!-- End optional checkerboard line --><!-- When/if we have style names (class=" "), they'll go in the following case statement stuff -->
Application by brush, roll or spray

[pyro]

Cooool.

[SUPAJAY]

Whats going to hit the cowl ??

[wing nut]

pyro why are you so ANTI-paint??

i had my origional lightweight cover sprayed black, then put the decals on and then cleared so they wouldnt fade. everyone thought it was FACTORY and i didnt have to worry about the plastic fading ever again.

the lightweight cowl i have now is not painted.. and i have buffed, compounded and everything else and the black ALWAYS fades back to that blochy crap.

if your going to have the cowl spray'd do it right... spray, let dry, apply decals, clearcoat. the decals wont fade, and the paint will make them even more shiney:)


scott

[150aintenuff]

I thought Imron was a rock-hard finish for rigid surfaces that don't flex?

shows you what you really dont know.... theres a reason Imron s used in the trucking industry.... do you relize just how much flex fibergalss hoods have, or plastic fenders on semi's....... a plastic cowl is nuthing...
and Phantom Black is mixable in Imron under the 1991 Lotus Spyder color specs... its an EXACT match

[pyro]

Neato, someone had told me wrong, thanks for joining in and taking a poke at me.