painting exterior plastics

[VDART]

need some pointer's on cleaning up the grille of my son's truck, I do not have a spray gun but have an air compressor. Some of you guys do amazing things from your home & I would like to try my hand at it.


I'm going to have to rattle can some exterior plastic pieces on my son's f150
what recommendations for a decent finish- durability. (is duplicolor good enough?)

I read somewhere about a home improvement spray kit-- does anyone have info on this?
thanks Lawrence

 

[RedFish]

The most important part of painting is prep.
Any paint made for plastic will bond to it if it is properly prepped.
You can use most any household cleanser to wash the parts. Rinsing away all chemical residue is very important. Allow ample drying time since the rinse water also contains chemicals, chlorine, fluoride, etc..
A prep solvent is then applied. It is about the same as the PVC pipe cleanser found in plumbing supplies which serves the same purpose.
A paint store that sells SEM products etc.. will have the prep solvent but auto parts stores may not have it.

 

['64 Cuda]

Not quite the same thing but when my shop was built the windows were white vinyl clad & I needed them green to match other trim. I cleaned them (I think with mineral spirits) & then painted them with canned spray paint specifically made for painting plastic & its held up perfectly through 4 or 5 years of nasty winters & hot summers. No noticeable difference/fading/peeling etc.

I'm with RedFish, I think it's all in the prep & using a paint made for the plastic.