HOW TO: DIY Painted Fenders

ChiefRitz2 · Jan 30, 2021

madsand said: ↑

Shyt not gonna lie I won't be able tell the deference from rattle can paint vs professionally done with your work. Your work is exceptional, it turn out great!
Click to expand...

That painted fender of your looks the same paint of my truck and plannng to buy a Bushwaker Pocket Fender that only shipped in color black. What type of paint, color code, did you use as they told me the fenders will come in ready to paint.

ChiefRitz2 · Jan 30, 2021

mjbtaco[OP] initial post: ↑

First off I'm not sure if this is the correct section so mod's feel free to move it if you'd like.

Second this is by no means a quick DIY project. If you want good results it will take some time. I know I could have easily had someone paint them for me, but I'm cheap. Also thanks to @Dmonkey for some of the tips along the way and actually pushing me to do this lol

STEP 1:

Remove all the paint from the fenders. I used aircraft remover. Dont use the spray on stuff it's crap. Make sure you use the stuff that you put on with a brush and use a heavy layer of the stuff.

STEP 2:

Once i removed all the paint from the fenders I sanded them down with 600 grit sand paper then wiped them down with acetone to clean them before primer.

STEP 3:

I primed the fenders with Dupli-Color Self Etching primer. I used two whole cans of it, all light even coats with 10 minutes between each coat. Then I let it cure for 1 hour and sanded it down smooth with 1k sand paper and wiped them down with rubbing alcohol before painting.

STEP 4:

I used 4 cans of Dupli-Color Perfect Match paint. Again light even coats with 10 minutes between each coat. Its very important you do light coats so you dont get any runs in the actual paint. Then i let them cure for 1 hour before clearing them.

STEP 5:

I used 4 cans of RUST-OLEUM Painter's Touch 2x Ultra Cover Gloss Clear (make sure its the non-yellowing and uv resistant one). Again making sure i did light even coats with 10 minutes between coats. I gave the clear a full 24 hours to cure before color sanding.

STEP 6:

Since my hands were dead by the time I clear coated the fenders, my control was a bit off and i got a few large runs in the clear. In order to knock those down I wet sanded the fenders with 1k. Then I moved on to 2k, then 3k, then a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser lol. Thanks to @Dmonkey for that tip haha.

STEP 7:

I polished the fenders using Meguiar's Ultimate Compound Automotive Finish Restorer and a Mothers Power Ball polishing ball on my cordless hand drill. And here you can see the results.

Im not going to lie, I didn't think they would come out any good. But at the end of the day I'm extremely happy with the results and wont hesitate to put these on my truck. I was always a bit hesitant to do this because of the results I've seen on youtube tutorials but really if you just take your time and use a whole lot of elbow grease you can get a pretty good result.

Hope this helps someone out there!
Click to expand...

That painted fender of your looks the same paint of my truck and plannng to buy a Bushwacker Pocket Fender that only shipped in color black. What type of paint, color code, did you use? as they told me the fenders will come in ready to paint.

Fight4Function · Jan 15, 2024

Great job @mjbtaco ! I'm just about to post some pics of the paint peeling off my fenders! Your DIY project is inspiring.

MztrBlonde · Feb 7, 2024

Looks great, well done!

mjbtaco · Mar 13, 2024

Painted some headlight fillers for a friend. Used 2k clear this time. Came out awesome.

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HOW TO: DIY Painted Fenders

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mjbtaco [OP] low and slow

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HOW TO: DIY Painted Fenders

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#64 MztrBlonde Well-Known Member

#65 mjbtaco [OP] low and slow

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#61
ChiefRitz2 Member

#62
ChiefRitz2 Member

#63
Fight4Function Slightly Mutant

#64
MztrBlonde Well-Known Member

#65
mjbtaco [OP] low and slow

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