Dodgezilla

So, I got a truck topper for a great price. Thanks Dan (Cmnspwr). The problem is that my truck is white and the cap is patriot blue. A body shop wants like $600+ to shoot it in white for me so I plan on wetsanding it and spraying it with spray cans. Fortunately I can get Dodge Factory Bright White paint at most auto parts stores. I will probably have to hit each one of them and clean out their stock in order to get enough to finish the project properly. Now I know most of you would not go this route because you are perfectionists but I will have a very nice cap for a fraction of the price of a new one when I'm done even if it is not exactly perfect. I have been waiting for someone to sell a white one for over a year with no luck.
So, my real questions are, since it's already painted and it's fiberglass, can I just wetsand it once with like a 1200 grit and then spray it? Will I need to wetsand it after I shoot it to get a gloss out of it that may be closer to matching the paint on the truck? Can you get clearcoat in spray cans? Finally, it's been so long since I wetsanded anything that I can't remember if I sand it in straight lines or in a circular motion and if I need a sanding block or not???
Now, If there is someone locally that will shoot it for me for a couple hundred bucks then I would definitely consider that too.....

Help a brother out.........

t-boe

Wetsanding is done after you've shot a base coat or clear coat. I can't remember what grit right off the top of my head, but it's no more than 300 grit. Keep the sanding lines straight and don't sand too much in one spot. After you sand it blow it off with an air hose and then wipe it down with a wax and grease remover. Since your going to white from a blue you may want to shoot a coat of primer over the top to prevent the blue showing underneath and then you won't need too many coats of white for complete coverage. If you've got an air compressor if might be worth it to buy a spray gun (preferably gravity fed, 1.3mm tip) and the paint by the can. I wouldn't think you'd need more than a half gallon of paint to do a topper. Rattle cans work too, but your finger is going to hurt when you're done. Also, go to a book store or library and pick up a book on automotive painting. That can give you a ton of tips. Do some searching on the internet too. There are sights that have free "how-to" video clips. Good luck!

P.S. Companies like Leer will do a color change on one of their toppers for around $300 if you send it to them via Leer dealer.

Wolfeman

I got my snugtop done for $200 by a dealer. It was $100 for shipping back to factory ( Austin, TX to California ) and $100 for painting. Check with a dealer.

Sea:\>Drive

Years ago I had a really bad looking MustangII that was 4 different colors. I got mad it and cleaned a store of 19 rattle cans of flat black, and got pretty good coverage on the car. You shouldn't need too much paint for only a truck cap/topper.

I would agree on a gray primer though to cover the blue, it will be cheaper than the color as well. Then go to the color.

Dodgezilla

Don't they make white primer too? Would I need to sand the primer before spraying the white on?
I never painted a whole car this way but I did have a flat black 6BBL hood on my 68 Road Runner and it looked great when I was done. I agree that the topper doesn't need to match perfectly but since the truck is still pretty new I do want it to look good.

t-boe

They sure do make white primer.

Dodgezilla

Oh well. Autozone didn't have any so gray primer it will be.......