The
tool that you will need for this How To:
1. Liquid soap
2. Water
3. A pencil
4. A clean towel
5. Masking tape – Use fresh tape
6. Xacto knife
7. Lexan paint
8. Permanent marker
9. Denatured alcohol – (You can get this
at any hardware store, usually in the paint section).
10. Steel wool, wet sanding paper, or a scotch
brite pad
11. Unpainted Lexan body
When you have all these tools you are ready to
begin.
Prepare
the body for paint
Wash the inside of the body with liquid soap and
water. Then rinse off all the soap, and dry completely
with a clean towel. Find the window masks that
came with your shell and stick them on the inside
of the body using the window lines as reference
points. Firmly press down on the edges of the
window masks with your finger nails to ensure
no bleeding of the paint. Once the windows are
masked off take the steel wool, fine wet sandpaper
or scotch brite padand scuff the inside of the
body until it becomes cloudy. This step will help
ensure that the paint adheres to the body and
won’t be noticed after the body is painted.
(If you are using chrome paint do not include
this step, this will cause the chrome to have
a brushed finish).
Drawing
the Design
Draw the design on the outside of the body using
the permanent marker, and place a strip of tape
on the inside of the body over the area of your
graphics, overlap the tape if one strip isn’t
enough for you design. Be sure to follow the shape
of the body closely and that there is no air bubbles
under the tape. Hold the body up to a bright light
and trace the design on to the tape using a pencil.
If this is your first time at graphics, keep it
simple! With your Xacto knife, cut out the design
you have drawn onto the tape. Take your time and
experiment with the amount of pressure you need
to apply to cut the tape, yet not mark the body!
(Use scrap piece of Lexan with masking tape on
them to practice). Tape off the rest of the bit
you don’t want painted and write in pencil
what color you want it to be on the tape. Carefully
seal the edges of the cut areas of your design
using your fingernail, ensuring all edges are
completely stuck to the body.
Time
to Paint
Put the bottom half of the can of paint in to
warm water first. This will make the paint spray
more evenly and make it easier to stick to the
shell. Paint the darkest color first because you
don’t want it to show through. Then spray
the lightest last. It’s best to spray three
light coats, rather than two thick coats. This
will reduce the chance of ugly bleeding, and paint
flaking off in a crash! Peel
off the masked portion for your next color and
continue to paint each color, taking the necessary
drying time between coats, back coats, and colors.
If you are using light/metallic/candy colors then
back these with silver or white to give the best
finish, as to not let it be see through.
Decorating
it
When all paint is dry, remove window templates
and overspray film. Using denatured alcohol remove
any over spray, residue and design sketches from
the outside of the body. (You may omit this step,
if your body came with a protective film coating)
Final
Touches
Drill the body holes with a reamer or drill. Carefully
trim the body edges a little at a time. Some people
cut out the body after washing the body and before
masking it. This is all up to personal preference.
Final Tip
You can improve the added durability of the paint
job with a thin layer of Shoe-Goo on the inside
of the body after the paint has set for at least
two day. See our frequently
ask body questions page for help with applying
the Shoe-Goo to you body.