Vannin' Home Forums General Discussion Paint and Bodywork Painting a fiberglass air dam

I got lucky and found an independent air dam on eBay for $26. Trucknvans was have an inventory reduction sale and had some awesome deals. The air dam is in good shape, but shows a little shelf wear and is probably about 30 years old. The original finish appears to be white gel-coat.

I want to prep it and paint it the same color as my van, but I want to do a good job so the paint will bond to the fiberglas and last a while.

I have never worked with fiberglass, so I am wondering what prep work do I do to get a decent looking paint job on fiberglass gel coat? Thanks!

On mine which was white gel coat I sprayed it black for base coat then red so the color didnt bleed through.

Reed,

just give it a good scuff or sand with a fine grit sand paper before you paint or prime for good adhesion, and she'll last

Thanks guys. I am hoping to get the air dam painted and installed this week. I'l post pictures and show you how it goes.

Vanfun- my air dam looks just about identical to your red one. I love the front end of your van and I am seriously contemplating swapping the 75 round headlight grill and hood onto my 89 Ford van. My air dam is designed to bolt to the bottom of the bumper using the factory bolts, so i have to figure out a new way to mount my fog lights.

Even after 20 years on a shelf, there is the possibility that there is still mold release wax adhered to the Dam.

I would wipe it down good with acetone before busting out the 400 grit, and wet sanding with a slightly soapy solution. Otherwise the sandpaper could push the was deep into the pores and make secondary bonding an issue

Thanks. This is stuff I know nothing about, so I really appreciate the tips.

That's a great point, some thing I would not have thought about. . . .

Do all of that but don't use acetone. Use a decent pre clean and it will take care of the release agent. Acetone will soften and attack the gel causing the release agent to be forced even deeper rather than getting rid of it.

M_S- what would you recommend as a "decent pre-clean"?