Well, I've done a search - and maybe with the question in plain site here in the title, will make it easier for others to find.

But I want to paint the plastic sidecovers on my FJ600 (and also Honda 1000 Hurricane - but I suspect they are very close to the same plastic).

I've read that they need careful prep work and priming before painting. There are no chips or dings, I just want a smooth gloss black finish.

So I suspect: scuff the finish with like, 200-grit wet or dry, then

Prime? with what?

Then Paint? With what? Like regular old Krylon acrylic in the rattle cans?

Anybody who has done this and can recommend the Right Stuff... THANK YOU!

I painted mine two years ago with rattle can rustoleum. First i filled th badge holes with bondo, sanded, primed (also rattle can) and painted. I never gave it a second thought.

Krylon has a rattle can paint line called "Fusion" designed for plastic surfaces. Supposed to bond to the plastic. They also have primer in the same line. Don't know if it works but they sure do market it well.

Loren

I wouldn't use anything as coarse as 200 grit; I'd use 1200 or MAYBE 800.

+1 on the 200 grit but i think maybe 400 wet then prime then paint
if you don't sand through the original paint (don't) your not painting plastic
just another layer of paint

I agree- - if you are applying expensive automotive paint, then 800 - 1,200 grit really is needed. If you are spraying rattle can paint then there's no point in going that fine. More important is to degrease and de-wax or you get "fish eyes".

The choices are many, You should use self etching primer after De-waxing/ De-greasing, the grade of sandpaper also depends on weather you hand sand or machine sand. With an orbital sander you can get away with a coarser grade of sand paper than by hand. 220 for rattle cans or generic enamel, by hand is a whole different ball game. at least 400 grit wet dry. I prefer to wet sand. Enamels are thinner than water and lacquers are thinner than enamel so a finer grade sanding method is required. Rest assured that if you can feel an irregularity with your most sensitive finger tip you will see it after it is painted. Paint only changes color. It soes not hide damage.

Thank you all! Great info here!

I will respectfully disagree with you Padre, self-etching primer would not be a wise choice on plastic. Self-etching primer is fairly active and may cause damage to the plastic surface.
Use a plastic primer (it's designed to work on plastic after all) and only if you are making a drastic color change. Otherwise, scuff the plastic surface lightly (200 would be fine) and hit it with a few light coats. As with most consumer products, follow the manufacturer's directions. Some colors require the use of a primer (reds, yellows, and oranges come to mind).
Remember, a good paint job is 99% preparation. Clean/degrease, scuff, clean with a tack cloth, paint. And above all, take your time.
Best of luck on those side covers.

Do a forum search with the following search string. "How-To do Custom Tank Paint w/ cans - pics"

Good step by step prep and paint hints. Don't use the quote signs in the search.

Loren

spray it in a "dust-free" environment...if the dust from your prep work is still flying around it will end up on your wet paint and buffing blemishes out of rattle can enamal sucks, i alway turn the heat up in the shop before painting and turn it off while spraying then it off for at least an hour after i spray to avoid airborn dust sticking to the finished product, everything shows in black paint, good luck NJrider