Painting Mirrors To Match

[GAINMOB]

ok...so...i went to the nearest paint shop and they told me that because the mirrors on my truck are textured, they cant paint them...they could but couldnt warrant anything. so i asked about the bonding agent that could be used for textured plastics...they looked shocked that i knew that but said it wouldnt help...

SO WHATS THE DEAL!?!?!

please advise

 

[ELVATO]

LOL

I spray painted mine, and they've held for quite a bit with no signs of chipping.

As you may or may not know the caps pop off rather easily. Granted, when sanding, you may want to keep them on the mirror, so as to make the job easier. Once you start painting, though, you'll want to take them off.

Sand until smooth, clean, spray 1-2 coats of adhesion promotor, spray 2-3 coats of base, wet sand slightly, spray 2-3 coats of clear, wet sand, buff and polish. Should take more than a couple hours, not counting letting the clear dry over night before polishing.

I used the adhesion promotor in a can sold at Autozone/Advanced, though you may want to look at the Bully Dog one. Apparently, it's pretty good. For base coat, I used the duplicolor spray can. Same for the clear. Overall, cost around 20 bucks to do over the weekend (I already had sandpaper).


OR, if you don't feel like painting it yourself, sand it smooth and take the caps back to them. They'll probably do it no problem. That's what a lot of people do. They get it done at places that, before they had sanded smooth, wouldn't even touch them because of the texture.

 

[joezek]

Does anyone have some pictures of the truck with the mirrors painted? Sounds like a good idea. I saw someone with the same color explorer as mine, and they not only painted the mirrors, but they painted the piece that goes between the hood and the windshield. That looked awesome. I really don't like that piece being black plastic, it really needs to be painted.

 

[GAINMOB]

Does anyone have some pictures of the truck with the mirrors painted? Sounds like a good idea. I saw someone with the same color explorer as mine, and they not only painted the mirrors, but they painted the piece that goes between the hood and the windshield. That looked awesome. I really don't like that piece being black plastic, it really needs to be painted.

check out WHOISMOOTOO...he has his painted and that really sealed the deal for me as i was contemplating on doing it.

***SIDE BAR***
i visited a 3rd shop who said they'll do it...i asked about the adhesion promoter and they said absolutely...pricey...$45 per....$90 total...i'll see how they turn out and if its good i'll get the keypad sill and the other sills that run horizontal at the bottom of the windows PTM as well...

 

[ELVATO]

I do seem to like to ***** out this pic

 

[WHOISMOOTOO]

AHH WHAT THE HELL ILL ***** OUT MIN TOO LOL
BEFORE

AFTER

 

[WHOISMOOTOO]

I did mine at a paint shop, im not by any means good with a paint can, so i dont trust my self to rattle can nothing, the shop i went to was working on a wrecked f150 that just happened to be oxford white so he told me that he would hook me up cuz he had extra paint and i told him about the texture and he said it wouldnt be a problem all, he does this alot for local customers. All he would have to do is paint it sand it primer it then re paint it then put 3 coats of clear on it for $40 i thought he was full of shit so i ordered pizza sat and watched! Sure as shit after the third coat of clear and a 6 pack of shinerbock i left so the mirror covers could dry overnight. I had them done in feb and havent had any issues. Since there white now thy attract bugs which i have been picking away with no chips whatsoever.

For the window sill trim i going chrome just having a hard time finding the strip that goes on the back side window (i guess this would be the 3rd window) like the 07+ navi's, and im going chrome on the door handles not the whole surround piece (like the 07+) this should accent my rims without over-chroming my ride.

Holy shit this is long,
joezek ,that piece between the winshield and the hood is the wipercowl and i do blieve street scene makes this piece fiberglass and painted

 

[Expedition]

^ basically you're going to run the same stuff i have lol

 

[joezek]

I can't wait, another fun project. The only thing is that on mine, it's Medium Wedgewood Blue, which is a darker color. The mirrors are already dark. So when I do before/after pics it won't be nearly as noticeable as a white vehicle, but I do think it's gonna look the way Ford should have built it.

Mirrors always used to be painted, didn't they call it "color keyed"?

How does the lower reflector come off? looks like the screw is hidden.

 

[WHOISMOOTOO]

Yep expedition you got me, but i was looking for the chrome strip for the 3rd window so im not biting yours too much lol!

You dont have to remove the reflector to get the mirror cap off, but heres how you take it off:
The reflector is kind of tricky, you have to fold the whole side mirror half way then theres a torx screw, once you take that out then tilt the mirror so its looking at the sky then there are 2 clips holding it in, pull it out and down cuz theres a tab on the outer portion that secures it into place, let me know if you need pics.

 

[rick chitown]

I did one better... I made my old '05 EB ALL monochromatic... mirrors, lower body, bumpers, grill... loved it.

 

[Expedition]

^ how much did that run you?

 

[rick chitown]

oh, and did Limted headlights too... I'm sorry to tell you I don't remember
If memory serves me, it was like $1200... a friend of mine owns a body shop, I'm not sure if that was good or bad.

 

[402 Motoring]

oh, and did Limted headlights too... I'm sorry to tell you I don't remember
If memory serves me, it was like $1200... a friend of mine owns a body shop, I'm not sure if that was good or bad.

Thats cheap for all that work. Your friend gave you a good discount.

 

[WHOISMOOTOO]

Thats sweet! Ive wanted to do this since i got my expy but now the pueblo gold is growing on me

 

[GAINMOB]

LOL

I spray painted mine, and they've held for quite a bit with no signs of chipping.

As you may or may not know the caps pop off rather easily. Granted, when sanding, you may want to keep them on the mirror, so as to make the job easier. Once you start painting, though, you'll want to take them off.

Sand until smooth, clean, spray 1-2 coats of adhesion promotor, spray 2-3 coats of base, wet sand slightly, spray 2-3 coats of clear, wet sand, buff and polish. Should take more than a couple hours, not counting letting the clear dry over night before polishing.

I used the adhesion promotor in a can sold at Autozone/Advanced, though you may want to look at the Bully Dog one. Apparently, it's pretty good. For base coat, I used the duplicolor spray can. Same for the clear. Overall, cost around 20 bucks to do over the weekend (I already had sandpaper).


OR, if you don't feel like painting it yourself, sand it smooth and take the caps back to them. They'll probably do it no problem. That's what a lot of people do. They get it done at places that, before they had sanded smooth, wouldn't even touch them because of the texture.

Duplicolor doesnt make my paint code in spray cans...i emailed them to see if they can do it...i may try to do it...

 

[Expedition]

oh, and did Limted headlights too... I'm sorry to tell you I don't remember
If memory serves me, it was like $1200... a friend of mine owns a body shop, I'm not sure if that was good or bad.

damn i guess i'm cheap lol my friend said he'd charge me $600 for the whole trim and i think thats alot

 

[402 Motoring]

Duplicolor doesnt make my paint code in spray cans...i emailed them to see if they can do it...i may try to do it...

If your not prepared to remove all the mldgs from the truck and prep them properly don't even try. You'll end up with a disaster that no one will want to fix for you. If you do not prep raw plastic mldgs the correct way the paint isn't going to stick and you'll ultimately ruin the mldgs. Replacement ones aren't cheap either.

 

[joezek]

Mine had the paint falling off the door moldings. The center metal part of each one is actually chrome, with black paint on top. The paint flakes off and leaves smooth shiny chrome behind. I can't believe it's not even scuffed or primed, no wonder the paint falls off. I looked at several expeditions that had the same problem before I bought mine.

I wouldn't (myself) ever try to paint rubber moldings, they're too flexible. The center parts I'm just scuffing with scotch brite, priming and painting black.

 

[GAINMOB]

I did one better... I made my old '05 EB ALL monochromatic... mirrors, lower body, bumpers, grill... loved it.

i'm not feeling it...