cutlass47

On my 1972 Cutlass, I need some tips on how to best paint the headlight surrounds and what paint to use. I assume the only way is to mask off the silver line with tape and trim with exacto knife. Is the original color of the '72 surrounds flat or satin black and is Krylon paint better than Rustoleum or does it matter?

On painting the taillights, in the last few months I read an excellent post on this website that described in detail how to prep and paint them, but my searches to find it have been unsuccessful. Any help on locating this post or giving me your tips would be much appreciated. When other posts have said use precleaners and lightly sand before painting the taillights, what precleaner and what sandpiper grit should I use. A YouTube video that demonstrates painting these parts would be great. This will be my first attempt at painting auto parts, especially plastic, and I want them to look as close to NOS/professional as possible when finished.

rocketraider

The headlight bezels are stamped aluminum. Clean and prep them, then use a satin black on them. You can mask the outline if you want, but I'd use a cloth dipped in thinner to remove the paint from the outline, followed by some fine brass wool to give the aluminum a little sparkle.

On the taillights, it's gonna be mask and trim. I'd use a good plastic polish on the lens surfaces to get them as glossy as possible, then scuff the silver painted areas with a green Scotchbrite before masking, trimming and painting. Krylon Dull Aluminum was a real good all-purpose silver for automotive applications, but it ain't easy to find anymore. You need to go light coats with the silver- if it's got a hot solvent I've seen it craze and melt the plastic.

cutlass47

Thanks Rocketraider for the tips on painting the headlight bezels & taillights on my '72 Cutlass. I used 0000 steel wool to prep the headlight bezels before painting. The surface is very smooth and I am concerned it may be too smooth for paint to adhere to the surface. Should I use 600 grit wet sandpaper, 3M Scotch-Brite Ultra Fine or General Purpose pad to scuff up surface before painting or will the paint adhere well without this step? Is brass steel wool better for polishing the aluminum strip on the bezel than 0000 steel wool or any other aluminum piece on the car? Any suggestions for best paint to use. I have plenty of Rustoleum semi-gloss paint on my shelves, but if Krylon, Dupli-Color or some other manufacturer's paint would be better for this application, I will buy any recommended paint.

On the taillights, should I remove all of the silver paint still left before painting the part and if so, should I use the 3M Ultra Fine or General Purpose pad to remove the old paint? Then after removing the old paint, which 3M pad should I use to scuff the plastic tailight before painting? Finally, does it matter which 3M auto masking tape I use to mask off the red lens portion of taillight to paint the silver - I have one with a "sharpest" paint line and "high" adhesive strength and one with "sharper" paint line and "medium" adhesive strength? I keep reading posts that say how careful you need to be in applying the masking tape to keep the paint line pristine clean. Sorry about all of the **** questions, but I want to do it right the first time!