Fuel door project

[BMRbrnSNRbrd]

So I got this fuel door from a member of another forum who attempted to paint it NUMEROUS times but couldn't get it to turn out like he wanted. I've never painted anything before this truck, but the antenna base and tailgate handle have both turned out well and are still looking great...I guess I'll give this a shot now.

Here's how it looked when he had it:
http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj60/BMRbrnSNRbrd/2010%20Dodge%20Ram/100_2852.jpg

This thing had like four coats of primer, paint, and clear EACH. I used some mineral spirits and a few dremel attachments to take care of that crap.

http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj60/BMRbrnSNRbrd/2010%20Dodge%20Ram/2011-09-07224628.jpg
http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj60/BMRbrnSNRbrd/2010%20Dodge%20Ram/2011-09-07224642.jpg

The back isn't perfect, but it doesn't matter as you won't see it.

Hopefully I have enough color match paint to start painting soon, otherwise I'll have to order some for the ridiculous price the stealership gets for it.

[ramthis9501]

Awesome! Keep us updated on the progress, I bet it'll look great when it's finished

[myoung84]

Going yo look great! I got some spray paint mixed at Oreillys that's suposed to be a perfect match. Not sure if it is yet...

[ramthis9501]

What did that cost for a perfect match?

[myoung84]

I think it was $25 for a standard size spray can.

[BMRbrnSNRbrd]

Here's my current status...I've already primered, sanded a bit, cleaned, and sprayed color...that's when I noticed an issue. I'm not sure if I did this when I sanded or should have sanded the primer more, but there are small grooves that are visible from the right angles.

I'm not sure if I should lightly wetsand the color or layer on a bunch of clear (which I'll do anyway) hoping that it will fill the grooves and then wetsand the clear...anyone?

http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj60/BMRbrnSNRbrd/2010%20Dodge%20Ram/2011-09-09104735.jpg
http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj60/BMRbrnSNRbrd/2010%20Dodge%20Ram/2011-09-09104745.jpg
http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj60/BMRbrnSNRbrd/2010%20Dodge%20Ram/2011-09-09104816.jpg

[ramthis9501]

I like it! You can't expect perfection out of a spray can lol cant even really notice the indentions. looking good man

[BMRbrnSNRbrd]

I can definitely expect perfection out of a spray can. The antenna base and tailgate handle came out perfect and those grooves have nothing to do with how the paint was applied, it has to do with grooves that were in the primer that were most likely because of the metal.

My problem is how to get them out...either wetsanding the color or clear.

[ramthis9501]

Haha I must suck when it comes to painting then lol I forgot about those, they do look good. Wetsand might work... not sure though

[Matt]

i don't think you'll be able to sand the grooves out of clear not visually anyways

[BMRbrnSNRbrd]

Yeah, I'm talking to a guy on RF right now who has some experience with this (even the soft aluminum of fuel doors in particular) and he says I'll have to wetsand the color before clearing.

[Matt]

yeah you should honestly have all you grooves sanded out while in primer bc primer has a high build but you can still knock them down in color only problem is sometimes you have to go too far and then you end up having to shoot color again ...

[BMRbrnSNRbrd]

Yeah, I didn't see them in the primer because it didn't have the reflective quality that color does...I should have looked closer.

I'll just wetsand until they are gone and, if necessary, re shoot the color. The main thing that sucks about that is I'll have to order more as mine ran out which means I won't get this done until next week or later instead of tomorrow.

[OklaHemi]

maybe restart with some self etching primer. that is what i used for my stereo bezel in my 05 and it came out smooth. i used a orange primer it was easier to see the imperfection.

[BMRbrnSNRbrd]

They aren't bad enough to resort to starting over...they look worse in the pic than they actually are. I think wetsanding the color, buffing it, spraying another coat or two of color, and then clearing will fix everything.

[OklaHemi]

yeah i can ionly tell on the 2nd one with the light hitting it. i hope it all get sorted. are you leaving the screws chrome?

[ramthis9501]

I say paint the screws black

[BMRbrnSNRbrd]

The screws are already painted black as that was the plan before.

[916Timmy]

Filler primer?????

[BMRbrnSNRbrd]

Well I did some serious wetsanding (actually cut through in one spot on an edge) but the ridges are all gone. Obviously now I'm going to have to shoot a couple more coats so more color matched paint will be here in the morning since my stealership has to bring it in from Dallas.

[ramthis9501]

Cool I bet it'll look good!

[BMRbrnSNRbrd]

Here's where she stands now. I wetsanded the hell out of the door mainly and did some on trim ring as well. I have some more to do, but the ridges are almost completely gone. I have more paint coming in tomorrow morning so that I can get a few more color coats on it and then clear.

http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj60/BMRbrnSNRbrd/2010%20Dodge%20Ram/2011-09-09160817.jpg

[ramthis9501]

Looks much better

[BMRbrnSNRbrd]

Stupid piece of shit dealership....I swear a monkey fucking a coconut could do a better job...they charged me the $17 for a 5oz aerosol can but ordered a paint pen. The kicker? There is nowhere else I can get color matched paint today. Yay customer service!

[Matt]

mfc is this you? lol sorry dane my bad

that sucks man have you not tried getting oreilys to mix you up a can ?

[BMRbrnSNRbrd]

Oreillys mixes paint?
What is mfc and who is Dane?

[myoung84]

Yes they do. I have a spray can of Inferno Red waiting to go on my headlights. It was about $20-25 I think.

[myoung84]

There's only one store in Tulsa that mixes is though. So you'll have to call around and see who does it.

[BMRbrnSNRbrd]

Found one close but they want $32.50 for a 4oz can! And I thought Mopars $17 for 5oz was insane...guess I'm waiting until next week.

[nightmatt]

Dang that's crazy. It will be nice when it done tho

[Matt]

mfc = monkey fucking a coconut ... ya gotta listen to dane cook's old standup lol

[ramthis9501]

Did you call oreileys on Western? They're the only ones I know of that mix paint around here

[916Timmy]

O'Reilly's on 55th and Western mixes paint in aerosol cans!!!

[BMRbrnSNRbrd]

Yeah, I called them and I posted above what they said...over $30 for a 4oz aerosol...f that.

[916Timmy]

Ouch!!!!!

[myoung84]

That's insane!

[BMRbrnSNRbrd]

Alright, wife picked up the new can of paint (that was ordered correctly this time) and I've sprayed two final coats of color. All the blemishes are definitely gone! Waiting until about 8pm to start spraying clear.

[myoung84]

It would have looked fine with the paint pen. :D

Can't wait to see some pics!

[ramthis9501]

Its 8! Get to clearing! Lol

[BMRbrnSNRbrd]

I have other things to do than spray a layer of clear and rush back to say I did so...pull the reins back just a bit.

On that note, the clear is done and drying. Hopefully tomorrow night or Thursday I can do some wetsanding and buffing.

[ramthis9501]

I was just messing with you dude haha can't wait to see pics

[BMRbrnSNRbrd]

Checked out the fuel door this morning on the way out for work and it looks pretty good. I did a few light coats of clear and then a few very heavy (just short of running) coats so that I have plenty to wetsand without damaging the overall finish.

I do have some orange peel, but I'm pretty sure I can wetsand that out without a problem. The clear didn't lay down as well as I normally can..but then again I dropped the can at one point which popped the actual nozzle off and sent it flying across the garage...then I realized a small piece actually broke off and was stuck in the can so I couldn't just pop the nozzle back in. It still worked but it created a small geyser of clear from the bottom of the nozzle every time I sprayed so I'm not surprised the clear didn't come out as well as normal.

I'm going to check it out some more this evening when I get home and see if it needs a couple more coats to insure I don't sand through while wetsanding.

[BMRbrnSNRbrd]

Here are the pre-wetsanding pics. I took them at different angles to show that the ridges are gone and the orange peel is crazy:

http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj60/BMRbrnSNRbrd/2010%20Dodge%20Ram/2011-09-14184853.jpg
http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj60/BMRbrnSNRbrd/2010%20Dodge%20Ram/2011-09-14184903.jpg

http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj60/BMRbrnSNRbrd/2010%20Dodge%20Ram/2011-09-14184938.jpg
http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj60/BMRbrnSNRbrd/2010%20Dodge%20Ram/2011-09-14184949.jpg

The only problem I thought of (all the sudden today while at work) is that the fuel door will all be color matched and black screws....except I forgot about the freaking lock! I thought about plasti-dipping the front, but it will scratch after the first few uses (it's a locking cap and teh lock is all that holds it closed). The only other thing I can think of is using black vinyl like they do on our squad cars at work to make the truck lock go away.

[(S.M.R) 101]

Looks good dude

[BMRbrnSNRbrd]

Eh, that first pic drives me crazy because the orange peel is so bad. I left them out in the garage all night and all day today but because it was so warm in there they never really hardened. They were still too tacky to wetsand today so I brought them in the house where the cooler and dryer air should help them harden by some time tomorrow.

[(S.M.R) 101]

yeah no doubt.. Did you get that from bighorn? I know he was having some problems getting it the way he wanted?

[ramthis9501]

Looks good man, nice job

[BMRbrnSNRbrd]

Yeah, Bighorn gave me a hell of a deal on it.

[(S.M.R) 101]

Score!!!

[myoung84]

Looking good. I think vinyl will work great on the lock.

[OklaHemi]

is this thing on yet? pics or stfu

[BMRbrnSNRbrd]

Nope. It is completely wetsanded now so I need to buff and polish it and put it all back together.

[OklaHemi]

sweet. i want one but i think painting it black would make it pointless

[BMRbrnSNRbrd]

Why? In that case painting mine color matched is pointless, right? Just because a mod doesn't jump out and smack you the second you look at a vehicle does not lower it's value...to me it actually makes a better mod because someone has to either really look at the truck or appreciate a custom truck to catch it...

Oh, and here's the finished pics. I'm not going to bother mounting it tonight...I'll just do it tomorrow:

http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj60/BMRbrnSNRbrd/2010%20Dodge%20Ram/2011-09-15210935.jpg
http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj60/BMRbrnSNRbrd/2010%20Dodge%20Ram/2011-09-15210948.jpg
http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj60/BMRbrnSNRbrd/2010%20Dodge%20Ram/2011-09-15211008.jpg

By the way...have I ever mentioned how much I HATE wetsanding? I love the effect of it, but just when I think it's done I find another spot or two that need a little more. There are even a couple imperfections still but I didn't want to continue to sand and go through the clear.

[ramthis9501]

Dude that looks amazing! Guess you can expect perfection out of a can lol

[BMRbrnSNRbrd]

It's really just about taking your time...you have to lay down good coats of paint and clear, carefully wetsand the color if necessary, and then very carefully wetsand the clear to get rid of imperfections like runs and orange peel. Normally I don't end up with so much orange peel but, as I said, the clear can was focked...I should have just bought a new can but that one was still pretty full and I knew I could just lay a bunch of heavy coats down and then even them up with wetsanding.

[ramthis9501]

I guess that's my deal, I'm not real good at wet sanding

[myoung84]

That looks great!

[OklaHemi]

that does look good. i really like the way the keyhole and bolts look. ill see if i can pick one up after florida

[BMRbrnSNRbrd]

The lock and screws were done with everyone's favorite product so that it matches my wheels (if the rain ever stops) and grill.

[Matt]

The lock and screws were done with everyone's favorite product so that it matches my wheels (if the rain ever stops) and grill.

:rockit:

[BMRbrnSNRbrd]

I know you don't like that stuff Matt but I love it...

Installed:

Before:

http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj60/BMRbrnSNRbrd/2010%20Dodge%20Ram/2011-09-16151418.jpg
http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj60/BMRbrnSNRbrd/2010%20Dodge%20Ram/2011-09-16151426.jpg

After:

http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj60/BMRbrnSNRbrd/2010%20Dodge%20Ram/2011-09-16152843.jpg
http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj60/BMRbrnSNRbrd/2010%20Dodge%20Ram/2011-09-16152836.jpg
http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj60/BMRbrnSNRbrd/2010%20Dodge%20Ram/2011-09-16155535.jpg
http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj60/BMRbrnSNRbrd/2010%20Dodge%20Ram/2011-09-16155525.jpg

[(S.M.R) 101]

F'in sweet dude! That looks good Dave

[myoung84]

Awesome!

[Matt]

i like it and i like the stance

[OklaHemi]

that looks amazing

[BMRbrnSNRbrd]

Thanks guys.

[ramthis9501]

That's awesome! Great job on the paint

[Terrence]

looks great. you do some really good work David....