Painting Hard Top (SMC)
 

So, i just completed some repair work on my rear hatch and i am wondering what type of coating i should be using on it. Does anyone know if Gel Coat will stick to the hatch? Also, what type of prep work should i do to get the surface ready for paint or gel coat. Please feel free to post what you have done on your projects.

Re: Painting Hard Top (SMC)
 

From what ive seen, a bedliner like monstaliner or raptor liner work great, you can choose how thick you want to lay it down and its tintable. also very durable. depending on how you lay it down you can manipulate the texture of it as well

Re: Painting Hard Top (SMC)
 

Interesting...I just ordered some raptor liner the other day and am going to spray my top with it. I wasnt sure if anyone else has tried that before. My top has a ton of blemishes so I figured the raptor liner would protect it and hide the imperfections.

Curious if anyone else has sprayed their top with liner and how it came out.

Re: Painting Hard Top (SMC)
 

I use body shutz/chip guard, you typically see it on rocker panels to stop rock chips, but it's light weight and super easy apply, topped with base coat and satin clear coat it turns out perfect

This was my last truck, top had quite a bit of repair work done to it
https://s28.postimg.org/5vgikn1lp/IMG_4581.jpg

https://s28.postimg.org/nms4z3h0d/IMG_4582.jpg

https://s28.postimg.org/58hlv44pp/IMG_4585.jpg

https://s28.postimg.org/lkrnkuj19/IMG_4586.jpg


screen capture software

Re: Painting Hard Top (SMC)
 

I used a custom mix on all my plastic blazer parts. Top included...UPOL raptor tinted with white urethane base coat, the difference in my mix is 50% urethane basecoat, not the 10% recommended. Same amount of harder and 10% plus reducer to smooth it out. Sprayed with 1.8 tip from regular HVLP. Result is semi satin finish without the pebble grain.

Re: Painting Hard Top (SMC)
 

This is an interesting solution. What did you use to spray it and do you know how much you used? I was looking online and it's about $20 a quart.

Re: Painting Hard Top (SMC)
 

I used 3m's gun for it, the stuff is a cream color, it's not the rubberized black stuff.

I seem to recall it being 30-40 a quart and I used 3.5 quarts including the hatch. Prep with 180 on a DA, make sure you tape off when the window gasket goes, the bottom side I did really far away so it came out with far spacing and such, top side i did a nice even coat. Let it flash and base coat right over it

https://www.amazon.com/3M-08874-Rock.../dp/B000PEPJKW

Re: Painting Hard Top (SMC)
 

X2 on the Raptor liner. It has the same texture as the original Blazer SMC tops. I used this product on the inside of the fenders for my street rod, and after 25000 miles there wasn't one mark in it. I also tinted mine to get it close, but I would recommend spraying the entire top with a single stage urethane to get an even color. If you spray the final color within a day or so, the paint will still crosslink to the Raptor so you won't need to scuff the whole thing. I used a Shutz gun also like Classic Style mentioned.

Edit; I found a picture of some trailer fenders I made, and I also sprayed these with Raptor liner on the inside. Will give you an idea of the texture. Good luck !

Re: Painting Hard Top (SMC)
 

Thanks for the input guys, i appreciate it!!!

Re: Painting Hard Top (SMC)
 

Did you prime the top before you applied the shuntz or did you just scuff, clean and shoot?

1. Prime (high build)?
2. Apply rocker shuntz
3. base coat (gm 521)
4. satin clear

Re: Painting Hard Top (SMC)
 

Sanded with 180 on a da, wax and grease remover and shutz

A boat shop fixed the cracks and gel coated the repairs so all I had was gel coat, da with 180 and go to town

Re: Painting Hard Top (SMC)
 

HMMMMM, now I am thinking about just going the raptor liner route and just have it tinted gm521. Scuff and then apply in one step, it seems a little easier and cheaper.

Re: Painting Hard Top (SMC)
 

Between shutz paint and clear, 350ish in paint, I went this route because I didn't want to add a bunch of weight, and wanted a very specific sheen

Re: Painting Hard Top (SMC)
 

I need to redo my top and fix some cracks here and there. I know you should use epoxy resin for the glass work because the polly won't stick but what about the raptor liner? Will it stick to the bare smc or should it be primed with an epoxy primer first? I've got a raptor kit setting in my garage that I bought a few years ago to do a truck bed which never happened. Hope it's still usable. Not sure what the shelf life is on that stuff.

Re: Painting Hard Top (SMC)
 

For the repairs U-pol makes a specific SMC filler. I would visit a boat store and look for a two part epoxy for repairing cracks. West system makes good products. I did bedliner on bare and clean SMC, it sticks very well.

Re: Painting Hard Top (SMC)
 

I've got some west systems two part epoxy already... Didn't think about needing special filler too. Thanks for the heads up. That's some pricey filler.

Re: Painting Hard Top (SMC)
 

Good information on this thread, thanks a lot everyone.

Re: Painting Hard Top (SMC)
 

I like the chip guard

Re: Painting Hard Top (SMC)
 

Here's another good source for some epoxy resin and such
https://www.fibreglast.com/product/S...0/Epoxy_Resins

Re: Painting Hard Top (SMC)
 

How did it turn out ? I want to raptor line my top this weekend .

Re: Painting Hard Top (SMC)
 

I sprayed raptor liner on mine with the supplied shutz gun... Turned out great.

Re: Painting Hard Top (SMC)
 

That does look good!

Re: Painting Hard Top (SMC)
 

My top is almost to the paint point. Was looking at the work member Ironcanine did with his top using the U-Pol product Gravitex with a very nice result.

Re: Painting Hard Top (SMC)
 

...

Re: Painting Hard Top (SMC)
 

Anyone familiar with Zolatone and would it replicate the OEM texture?