The windshield trim was getting pretty spotty on the White One, so I decided to do something about it. I did not do a web search first.

Here's what it looked like:



I used some medium then fine steel wool soaked in isopropyl alcohol to remove any loose paint and smooth the surface, then I wiped it all down with an alcohol soaked rag.

Next I ran the masking tape along all the edges, pushing the paint edge in and leaving the other edge loose so I could put the newspaper in after. With the tape in place I slipped the newspaper in, folding it to fit the curves:



Then the fun part, I hit it with some Rustoleum spray paint:





Be sure to remove the tape and newspaper soon after painting, especially if there is any breeze. The newspaper can come loose and mess up the paint. Ask me how I know.

Here's the after (I did the wiper arms and blades while I was at it):

 

Been there done that, sure makes a big difference for little $$$$$. Good job!

 

i did that to mine awhile ago.
haha it looked the same as yours.
i used krylon high gloss black and came out nice and smooth

 

Wow, huge difference!

My car does not have the spotty problem, but it could use a shine.

 

looks good. I painted mine before the last seven stock. I prefer the flat black look. I took mine off the car to paint them and had a few of the plastic clips on the inside brake. i couldnt find new ones.. Make sure you have all the clips on before you go on the free way..ask me how i know =)

 

I always thought it was amaxing how much a small thing like that does. I mean, even something as simple as cleaning your tires (lacquer thinner works great btw) makes a huge difference.

 

that's pretty nice. i'm gonna have to do mine soon

 

Ray I love how it turned out. Good job.

How does the gloss compare the orginal on some of the other parts that weren't painted yet? I was worried that it would be close and also would stick good. I like the steel wool idea, I bet that smoothed down the transitions from paint to bare metal some.

 

Hmmm, not sure what you mean about the "original" black Tim. You mean the rubber side strips, the black strips on the bumper or one of the other plastic or metal trim parts that's supposed to be black?



It's all kind of black, like the tires, that's why it looks so cool. The pinnacle of car design, black on white.

So I dunno, I picked a semi-gloss black for the windshield trim, that stuff in the bar-B-Q grill paint can. Kind of looks like everything else and I figure it will hold up well out in the parking lot.

And yes, it's all in the preparation. The steel wool/isopropyl trick worked pretty good.

Thanks guys!

Now get your butts out in the driveway and paint yours.

 

When I had the Turbo FB repainted, I did all the trim myself. I mixed flat black and semi-gloss black to do mine. I definantly need to redo the trim on the SA, but I think I need to worry about the paint first

 

good job

 

looks awesome

 

Man ray been busy I need to do this to my car to but I dont think the apartment complex whould like me to do it here.

 

looks much much better!

t_g: if you buy a new peice, they are semi gloss black. the early 79's are greyer, err fade grey

 

Haha, okay. You inspired me.

 

Ray!!! It officially looks like a brand new car. I agree, Formula White with black trim and moldings looks perfect

 

Thanks guys for the compliments, makes the effort even more worth while.

Now what can I do next?

 

Looks good ray. I did that a few years ago when I had the windshield replaced. Amazing how much of a difference it makes right?

I can think of a million things I'd do next, but you like to keep your car basically stock.... Have you considered losing the beehive for a front mount oil cooler or something like that?

 

Nice work, Ray. I had the same issue before I had the car painted. Did the trim myself, first, and it helped a lot.

Those medium-small details all being cleaned up make the car look new & well-maintained.

I've decided that I've got to re-paint my waffle rim centers now - - they've been paintless for a long time, but it just doesn't look "right." Kind of the same effect.

 

Funny, I fixed the problem by removing all the paint. Now, it's just shiny chrome

 

You can see the "stainless" look in the red 84 GSL in the background of this photo from the above post:



Here's another view of the same car:



I'm kind of partial to the black trim but I've got to admit the stainless is lower maintenance.

Same with the beehive, along with the stock fan clutch, I will probably be the last one to have these classic items on my cars (now the RB exhaust, that's something else!).

But DivinDriver has got me thinking, maybe it's time to do a full reconditioning on a set of my "x" wheels. So far I've just been maintaining them with Krylon acrylic clear coat.

I think I'll strip a set and see how it goes. Watch for a "I stripped and refinished my x wheels" post.

 

Copy cat!

I think I have to go out now and paint my trim, later ...

 

Yeah, I've got the stainless look but I'll probably end up having it painted.

 

Damn, looking good! I need to get on that with mine soon!

 

hell yeah, looks great, i broke down about 3 weeks ago and repainted mine, along with the mirrors and the rear/front bumper trim, it looks better eventho i didn't much care but to get the a bit of shine on, so its got a few spots where the paint ran here and there :P