Painting dash

I used rattle can paint when I did my dash the first time 30 yrs. ago. It looked ok. This time I sprayed it with a gun and it looks much better. It's base coat clear coat though.

A spray gun is better and it is a WHOLE lots easier if the windsheild is removed. I spent a week getting mine to look right.

Beautiful!!!

Roger, that looks GREAT!! Thanks for all the detail info on materials, process & equipment - that info is extremely important for many of us.:congrats:

Beautiful Roger !

Whew....that looks fantastic.

Dash looks great !!

Dave
:wavey:

I`d definitely use a spray gun to paint it with over the spray cans. I painted mine years ago with a spray gun but had a hard time getting good coverage over the instrument panel area with the glass still in. This time i had the paint shop shoot it while doing the body.
Terry

Rattle can or Spray gun

:confused0006:Rattle cans have their place and have improved greatly in the last few years. No argument that a spray gun is the better choice and more professional, but rattle cans can be used on smaller items. A dash board, i think, can be done with a can with better results if windshield is removed. As always, proper preparation is the key for good looking end results.

While having the facilities and equipment to do a professional job is nice, Not everyone has the money and/or equipment. For the guy who doesn;t, here is what you do.

First off, Rattle cans have alot more thinner in them than a paint gun, so when they dry the film coat is probably 1/3 the thickness of a spray gun coat. So you put three coats instead of one.
Secondly, They are right, 90% of the job is the prep, Sand verything with 180 then 320 and then 400. Go to your auto parts store and get sanding primer, (Not lowes or walmart generic) do the same thing with the primer.

The next important part is what kind of paint you use. I recently saw Acrylic Enamel in spray cans at oRileys. Acrylic enamel is much better than oil base enamel. If you follow these steps and take your time, you can get results that would challenge anyone to know it was painted with a rattle can.

Dupli-Color makes a very nice Acrylic Enamel in spray cans and I think alot of Krylon too. I agree that very good results are possible with a good quality spray can.