Tips on painting my first lid...

[SaVaGeR21]

hey, i am getting a new body for my savage to fit my rc-solutions cage and had a few questions. i think i am just going to go with maybe 2 colors and have just maybe all black with grey bottom or something simple since this is my first lid and i have no experience. but do i put on the decals first and then paint or does it not matter? and the decals go on the outside right? one more, does anybody just have any tips for a paintin newbies first paint job? thanks.
savager

 

[itsme]

Hey Savage I just Got Done With My First Body Its Really Easy, Now Are You Getting Decals Or Internal Graphics Because Internal Graphics Go Down Before You Paint. I Suggest Cutting The Whole Thing Out First Before You Paint Then Give It A Nice Soapy Bath And Let It Completely Dry DoYou Plan On Rattle Can Or Air Brush If Rattle Can Dont Hurry It, Just Fog The First Coat Dont Worry About Getting It Completly Covered On The First Shot You Want Enough On There So That Second Coat Will Stick But Its Easy To Get The First Coat On Thick And Then You HAve To Deal With Sagging And Runs. So Just Take It Slow You'll Be Happy You Did! Have Fun!

 

[SaVaGeR21]

well I'm not really sure, i think its decals because they peel off of the sheet just like a sticker so I'm thinking they are decals. i got it precut off of ebay so i wont have to cut it out. i will be using rattle can since i dont have an air brush. ok thanks for the help. any other tips?
savager

 

[itsme]

Just Take Your Time Dont Rush It You'll Be Happy In The End

 

[4u2nv]

yep thats about it. Thin coats to avoid runs. Its hard to be patient but pays off in the long run. let us know how it goes. Good Luck!

 

[KillerWabbit]

Are Those 13 Sentences With No Periods? That's hard to read and I imagine it's harder to type. Ha.

Ok, here it goes.
1- The first thing you have to do is apply the window masks to the inside of the body.

2- You can choose to cut out the body first, then paint, or you can paint first, then cut out the body. Whatever you do, just make sure you leave the outer protective film on for now.

3- Painting the body.. If you're going for the two tone look, always paint the DARKER colors first. If you mask a design and paint a light color first, when you put the darker color on, it will show through the lighter color. So for your black/grey look, what you need to do is tape off the bottom of your truck, paint the top part black, then remove the tape and you can just go ahead and spray it grey. You don't have to worry about not spraying grey over black. The grey won't show through the black.

4- After you got it painted, you can take the window masks off.

5- If you already cut out the body, you're ready to take the outer film off and apply decals. If you haven't cut out the body, leave the film on and cut it out. The best way to cut it out is to first roughly cut it out with curved scissors (get em at hobby shops) and then use a Dremel on a low-medium speed setting with a rotary sanding bit to make the edges nice and smooth. Once it's cut out and trimmed up, take the protective film off.

6- Now you are ready to apply decals. You need an Xacto to cut the decals off the sheet. Try and cut as close to the design as possible to keep the clear excess to a minimum. I suggest you have a bowl of soapy water and a rag on hand. For bigger decals, you'll want to get the body and decal wet so you can put it on the body and slide it around. You just press it on and work any air bubbles out. Once it's dry, it will stick really good. If you put a big decal on dry, if you misalign it and try to adjust, you'll probably tear or stretch it because it will want to stick easily. I'd do that for headlight decals and stuff bigger than that.

I think that's it. Got it?

 

[ImBroken]

Nice write up killa...
Let me just add, that it is real important to wash the inside of the body with soap and water before painting/masking.
Most importantly, you better sit the lid on the truck, & trace out just where you will cut out for the cage... Dont cut it out until your done painting..
You can buy some blue painters tape from your local hardware store for the masking. Light coats of paint make the job come out so much better. If you find yourself impatient, you can use a hairdryer to speed up the drying process...
Good Luck..

 

[Candyman]

I just wanted to say that I agree with all of the above. And if you're going to go black/gray, go with a perimeter fade. That will look sweet. And it requires no masking. Wash out the body. Apply the widow masks (don't forget. You'd be amazed how easy it is to forget this step). Then if you want it black on top, spray the black so that it just starts to come down the sides. It will leave a misted edge. Just make sure the edge runs around the body where you want. Try to apply a couple light coats. Then just back the whole thing in gray. When you look at it, the black will fade into the gray from top to bottom. Then cut the body. Use fine sandpaper to take some of the sharp edges off. Off with the overspray film and on with the decals. Simple. And you'll find it looks incredibly cool....

 

[robmob]

Here is a tip:

As long a you are not painting chrome, you can scuff the inside of the body using circular motions with a scouring pad used to wash dishes. This helps the paint stick better. If you plan on keeping the windows clear, then you will want to avoid scuffing them. Be sure to wash the body after this process.

You will not be able to see the scuffing from the outside of the body after painting.

Chrome however, would show all the scuffing.