Paint :yes

 

Hey how are all you guys painting your CAIs? Thanks

Paint :yes

:shiftyeyes

 

:shiftyeyes

 

haha i meant with what kind of paint. straight spray paint?? or what?

 

But really, here's a quick list of what it should take:

-Tape off areas you don't want painted (ex: openings going into the tube and air temp sensor grommet)
-Sand surface to provide something for the paint to grip onto (you don't have to take the finish off, just get it scuffed up)
-Apply adhesion promoter
-Apply primer
-Sand primer
-Apply more primer
-Sand primer
-Apply paint
-Wet sand paint
-Repeat the last 2 steps a few times
-Apply clear coat
-Wet sand clear coat
-Repeat last 2 steps a few times
-Wet sand final coat of clear, finishing with a 2000 grit sandpaper


Now I assume any good interior/exterior spray paint should work well. Dupli-Color is a good brand. I've heard small cans of clear coat don't work well, so look for normal sized cans. I really don't think you'll need high temperature paint since I can run my engine for an hour, pop the hood, and the CAI is nice and cool.

Edit: **Note on wet sanding: Make sure your surface stays well lubricated or you'll start taking paint off quickly. And don't use too fine of a sandpaper between coats of paint/clear. You want your next layer to have something to grab onto, but you want to get out any imperfections before you put the next coat on.**

 

thanks mcqueen

 

No problem bro. Post pics if you decide to paint your CAI

 

Will do

 

Powder coating.

 

Sounds like a lot of work, but i suppose if you want it to look professional that is what you have to do. I painted a bunch of stuff on my motorcycle. I just sandblasted them. Wiped them down with alcohol and a rag to get and dirt and dust off. I then applied a couple coats of primer. Then I let them dry, applied a couple coats of gloss black spray paint. It seems to look nice. I never sanded or used clear coat. That is just an easier way it may not last as long, I think it looks pretty professional.

 

Wet sanding brings out the mirror like finish in the paint Just applying gloss paint will make it shiney, but if you wet sand well you'll be able to see yourself pretty clearly when it's done.

 

i prefer krylon of dupli-color

 

whats krylon?

 

It's a brand of paint

 

Powder Coating.

 

^^^ +10000 way less time consuming!!!

 

And lasts longer, looks better in my opinion, and color matches, etc. etc.

 

how much is it to powder coat?

 

I got my intake and strut brace both coated for $120. I even took them both back to the guy when I realized the color just wasn't what I wanted. He re-sprayed it all for free, now it looks great, I love my engine bay.