Zongshen 200GY-2 Tank Plastic Mod

[DesertRider]

Originally Posted by SpudRider

Thank you for the kind words, DR.

You did a superb job repainting your entire Zong, including the tank shroud.

http://chinariders.net/modules.php?n...=custom+sierra

I see from your thread that you used automotive paint (PPG) and clearcoat on the plastics. Have you had problems with gasoline damaging your tank shroud? Can you offer any suggestions for the proper way to paint my fuel tank orange? Is painting the plastic tank shroud with automotive paint a simpler option? :?:

Spud

Thanks Spud, The way I painted my Zong is just like what you see on your car or truck BC/CC . Gas will do nothing at all and you can polish out scratches with a polisher., I have been in the auto paint industry most of my life, so I know a thing or two. Painting plastic can be a little tricky, mostly concerning adhesion. Here is a basic rundown

1. Thoroughly wash all parts that you are painting to get any contaminants/grease/oil/ect off with dish soap. I suggest this and not using ANY type of solvent degreaser or prep all. As these are made for metal and the plastic actually absorbs these substances.

2. Wet scuff light/med with " 3m Grey scuff pad" and Blend prep, making everything look dull and uniformed. DO NOT press hard, as this is plastic and you can end up making deep sand scratches that will show in the base.

3. Make sure all parts are VERY clean, dry, and lint free. Then apply 2 light coat's of "BullDog Adhesive Promoter" waiting 1-2 min in between coats --> http://www.finishingtouchinc.com/images/bulldog.jpg

4. Let adhesive promoter dry for 5 min and then apply 3 med/wet coats of a high build primer. let dry overnight

5. Now comes the sanding fun :roll: start out with 320 then 400 then 600, sanding smooth all the texture from the primer and imperfections in the plastic, Try to NOT sand through, as you will need to spot prime the areas if you sanded through, the goal of the primer is to make a barrier from the plastic and give something the BC to stick to.

6. after all is baby smooth, apply as many BC's (base coats) as necessary to archive the color desired. make sure your BC's are LIGHT coats, do not try to archive full color in 1-2-3 passes. Do as many as is needed, certain pigments are more opaque than others, so depending on the color it may take 4+ coats. Let the last coat of color sit for 30 minutes minimum and no longer than 24hr's.

7. Now comes the clear coat (CC), use a high solid clear that is compatible with the BC adding a slight amount of flex agent to the catalyzed clear. Now make your first coat light/med, wait a few minutes until tacky, then apply 2 WET (heavy) coat's making sure not to run it. Let dry overnight in the cleanest environment that you have.



Hope that helps you Spud, It is a pretty long process to make plastic look that of metal. It is also hard for me to write exactly what to do over the internet, there is so many variables. If a BC/CC paint job looks like to much, there is always the bomb can method (rattle can paint) it will look nothing near a BC/CC paint job nor will it be near as durable, and gas will smear it. But it is cheap, quick, and you can always touch it up if it gets damaged.