To paint or not to paint, body side molding?

I'm in the process of a total rehab on an 87 turbo coupe. The car is going to be red and the molding will stay black. I have to paint the molding on the bumper covers no matter what. My question is about the molding between the front and read wheel wells. It appears to be more like rubber than plastic and I am worried about the paint adhering properly. If anyone has experience in this matter please let me know.

they sell additives to put in the paint for rubbers and plastics, it helps it stick and flex so it doesnt crack. ive used BullDog flex agent and it works good. good thing to look into.

Good info. I always wondered how they paint those urethane bumpercovers and flexible parts!!

here is a link that will tell you about the product, ive used it before and it does work!

http://www.wmbarr.com/bulldog/bulldog_about.aspx

im not sure if the sight says this or not, well you apply the coat of bulldog first, but then i also add a little to the actual paint to help it work.

Thanks for the info, thats what I needed to know! The car is going to be lazer red. I'ts a metalic red color.I had a 94 mustang this color and always thought it was pretty sharp. The molding will be black with the stripe painted lazer red also.

FWIW, I painted my son's 87 TC and I painted all of the moldings, even the six moldings (three per side) between the wheels. I used a urethane primer/sealer and base/clear top coats. I did not use any kind of adhesion promoter or flex agent. I certainly will not try to talk you out of it because I don't think it's a bad idea at all. I am just saying I didn't use any. I was told the modern base/clear products are so flexible, you don't need additives. My main concern was if the finished product would be durable enough. For example, would there be any cracking over time? Well, the paint has now been on most of the car for several years and it still looks just fine. I had to replace/repaint the front end last year after an unfortunate Bambi incident. So far though, everything still looks great. I probably am not much help because I won't try to convince you either way. I just wanted to offer our experiences, so far.

http://i244.photobucket.com/albums/gg4/f...C05340.jpg

http://i244.photobucket.com/albums/gg4/f...C05324.jpg

^^ Nice lookin' Bird!

Many modern base coats do not require a flex agent. DuPont Premiere, and Glasurit come to mind. Spies Hecker has a flex agent that can be used in their clear (as do most others) that is absolutely amazing. Their reps show it off by paints a Nerf football. You can crush that football and the paint does not crack!

Look through the manual for any paint system you are going to use, and there should be a section on painting flexible parts that will explain when and ho to utilize their flex agent.

Shiny Side Up!
Bill

Originally posted by Protouring442:
^^ Nice lookin' Bird!

Many modern base coats do not require a flex agent. DuPont Premiere, and Glasurit come to mind. Spies Hecker has a flex agent that can be used in their clear (as do most others) that is absolutely amazing. Their reps show it off by paints a Nerf football. You can crush that football and the paint does not crack!

Look through the manual for any paint system you are going to use, and there should be a section on painting flexible parts that will explain when and ho to utilize their flex agent.

Shiny Side Up!
Bill

I used DuPont Premiere. I use DuPont 100%, primers, sealers, base, clear, reducers, activators, etc. I am not going to spend a bazillion hours sanding/prepping and then buy some "economy" clear coat. Anyway, the advice above from Bill about reading the manual is totally correct! If your paint manufacturer says to use a flex agent or adhesion promoter when doing trim, then I would do it. They will also give you the correct numbers to buy, so there won't be any guess work. Good luck and post pics when done!!

P.S. That football thing does sound amazing. That would be cool. I left some clear in a mixing cup and it cured almost like rubber. It is about 3/4" thick and I use it as a coaster in my shop. I enjoy bending it for guys and having them try to guess what it is. So far, no one has done it. lol.

The only thing I will say is that I have NEVER had good luck with DuPont's Mid Coat Adhesion Promoter. Seems the only thing it's good for is causing the paint to peel.

Shiny Side Up!
Bill