Hi, I am in the process of fully restoring an 08 Solar Flare Orange SUT. Just finished up the frame, now one of the issues I have faced is what to do with the discolored plastic inner fenders. In the old day when inner fenders where metal you would simply strip them, primer and paint.

Not so with this plastic crap. I tried everything to try to clean and restore them but nothing works. I am looking for a product that is not snake oil and will last the test of time. Any suggestions?

 

do a test with plastic bumper and trim restorer paint. i treat mine every few months with zep z-shine silicone protectant and conditioner it's commercial grade and i cant find it anywhere on the net for some reason but a little goes a long ways. the number on the gallon is zep z-shine 6014 0119a but it will look like your chassis if you use enough of it but it is not a forever solution. but it works wonders on our black plastics gets rid of all the grey stains and goes back to black. kinda smells of elmers glue to me LOL

 

There is ONLY one solution, other than replacement.

Google plastic dye. It is a material that is solvable in mineral spirits. You basically paint it on or rub in with a cloth and wipe.
Lasts for years, even in extreme conditions (like in engine bay)

I have some made by a company a decade ago that is no longer in business. But there are other brands out there.
I use it on the bumper skins to bring them from gray back to black.

Avoid the temporary stuff like the black bumper restorers (Mothers, Maguires, etc). All junk.

Actually, there is another solution. Using a solvent like methyl ethyl ketone to melt the plastic surface. But that is a huge pain and it smears. But it can level gouges and imperfections. I can not recommend it unless you have prior experience.

What brand/color number paint did you use on the frame? Spray or brush? Nice! I do not see any overspray.....

 

Use sem trim black paint. I've seen people use a heat gun but I haven't tried that.

 

That frame looks amazing. Can I drop my rig off at your house for the same treatment.

 

Thanks for the positive re-enforcement, the frame work has been tedious and time consuming to say the least. On the inner fenders I did try the heat gun, no go on that and has no effect on the discoloration. I do have a can of SEM trim paint I might try, a friend of mine suggested something called Cerakote which I will also look into. I would think any wipe on treatment like 303 wont restore the dark black look or last for long. I am going to give SEM a call today and see what they say. I might have to use an adhesion promoter if I go the paint route.

 

Sem also makes a landau top black. It's more glossy but very durable. I painted my leather steering wheel 6 months ago and it still looks perfect. sem is pricey though. I painted all the black trim on my H2 with trim black without adhesion promoter 2 years ago and it still looks mint. The armor all type products don't last.

 

What product did you use on the frame?

 

So I will also ask again, as I see mcioci did: "What brand/color number paint did you use on the frame? Spray or brush? "

 

Hey Mcioci, finall, Here is the complete process, first I used a 4k pressure washer with a turbo nozzle to strip off the loose paint (someone else sprayed over the wax) and dirt from the frame.

After that the only thing left on it was the factory wax coating the factory uses. Most of this was removed using a flexible putty knife and scraper. I then used a light duty wire wheel to loosen up what was left and wiped of the residue with lacquer thinner. Any remaining surface rust was removed with a scotch bright pad. A final wipe down with an alcohol rag. I then primed the bare metal with Eastwood Extreme Chassis Black Bare Metal Epoxy Primer, followed with NAPA Chassis Black.

The finish is not a real glossy black but matches the original GM black they use to use on their frames before they switched to the wax based product.

I think it should hold up well.