I was going to repaint my door handles and locks black and need some suggestions on prep work. Should I just tape around them, sand off the old paint, and start spraying? Or is there anything else I should do? Also, any tips on painting the rear hatch window trim?

[This message has been edited by BuckeyeROC (edited May 21, 2001).]

 

I would consider disassembling everything. Clean with a degreaser. Scuff sand everything. Then use a good epoxy. Short of lots of taping, I'm not sure what to do about the hatch.

 

Same thing for the hatch, just mask well to keep paint from hitting your car, or remove the hatch completely for the best results

 

I repainted my hatch strip last summer. I didn't really prep anything at all, but mine came out really nice.

Basically, I sanded down the metal strip seeing as I had some rust and rough paint. Just be careful to keep the sand paper on the metal and not get it on your car! Just go slow like I did and you wil do fine.

Then after sanding, I give the entire strip a coat of rustoleum to help prevent any further rusting.

After the rustoleum dried, I applied a few coats of gloss black paint. I think this was also the rustoleum brand.

When I painted, I used those small foam brushed that you get at the hardware store for a dime. Just remember to go really slow and you will do just fine. It really makes your car look a hell of a lot better.