Painting Your Faded Trim...
A quick thanks to Lynn with the Toronto club, who at the September 2001 mini-meet asked how this had been done on others cars. That was the inspiration for me to start doing this little cosmetic upgrade too.
The Problem, and the Solution:
We all hate to admit it, but our cars are getting old. The youngest at this point would have been a late delivery '92 making them between 11 and 17 years old. That is also about all the time our wipers and other metal trim pieces at the windshield corners will hold their original satin finish in good condition. So the question becomes, how much to replace them. I didn't bother checking. After replacing the parking brake light switch at just shy of $50 CDN, I figure that these items are over $200 for the set. So, I began looking at alternatives. Here's a couple pictures of the fading and pitting and although from my old truck, they are in about the same condition as the Supra's were.
With my old VW Golf, I used a satin finish paint from Canadian Tire. This involved chemical wax and tar removal, rust removal, sanding, wire brushing, priming, and then painting. Really, to do everything at once it would have been a 2-3 day ordeal to really do it right. And you know these results are going to give you perhaps a 3 year reprieve on the looks. Although if they're done right, the look is as close to perfect as it can be. So, I drove over to the store, and grudgingly began collecting the supplies. It was during this visit that something caught my eye. Tremclad now makes automotive paints (can't see them being much different from the regular Tremclad metal paints, but what the heck). Even more, they make a flat black paint. I decided that I couldn't pass up on trying this. The cost savings alone were stupendous, and should Tremclad look alright, then I also save much of the prep work on the metal. If not, I'm out $8 and another trip to the store.
I picked up the can and home I went. After fighting the wiper arms off the car, I proceeded to sand them with some 280 grit to get much of the flaky original finish off, as well as the rust. Then, wiped each down with acetone, ensuring a wax, and rust free start. Then, spray away. A couple of light coats vs. hammering on a half a can at a spray goes a long way to finishing the arms properly. Overdo it, and you get the runs (no not from chili...but just as embarrassing. Be light with the paint and do more coats. You'll be happier with the results.
The Results:
Holy cow...I can't rave enough. This went as well as the satin paint that required priming and all sorts of other steps. And knowing it is Tremclad, the arms won't rust any time soon again (and conversely don't have to have all of the rust removed from the tiny little corners and pivot points...the Tremclad will stop them cold). I compared them to the sill plate under the windshield as it is the satin finish we are aiming for and the closeness stunned me. I have to say, this is perhaps one of the cleanest jobs I have yet to see out of my garage (obliged to take some of the credit, after all, I held the paint can). If you are in the market for a cheaper alternative to the dealer, and have a little patience and time, this is for you. Total cost $8 CDN, total time 3 hours on and off (allowing the paint to dry between coats...do it during the football game...pre-game show...boring, so paint...halftime, yawn...paint a second coat. After the game, paint again as the next game's pre-game show comes on, then halftime again, and after that game install them on the car if they're dry!!). Once you are done, you can try painting the little corners of the windshield and the hatch glass should yours require it. However, the satin match is only a close approximation of the original parts, as those parts had a moderate shine to them originally...however, find a semi-gloss paint for your car...not easy, at least I have yet to find one...let me know if one exists however at my email address: Bob.
After pictures...sorry for the quality...dark garage and bright camera flash leads to poor pictures...but you get the idea...they are matte black, very even, and smooth as new. Bye bye pitting and fading, and a year into it, they still look as they did then!
Happy home brewed projects as always!