Painting Aftermarket Aero Parts

[conchan]

Hello all,

When you have add on aero parts do you paint them separately and then attach them to the body Or do you attach them first to the body then paint everything as one?

Thanks for your advice.

Stay safe and enjoy!

 

[jaymcminn]

I prefer, whenever possible, to attach aero parts/fender flares to the body before paint or final assembly. This allows me to use cement for a strong bond and to fettle any fit issues before paint as opposed to getting any nasty surprises during final assembly. Often add-on body parts won't have positive mounting locations on the body, which can lead to problems at the end of a build. Take, for example, the 1/12 Tamiya Datsun 240zg. The flares are separate parts and aren't the best fit to the body. Even though they're a different color on the car, I decided it was a better idea to attach them before paint and then mask and paint after the body color was applied. The result was a perfect fit and a durable joint I never have to worry about breaking. 

[ctruss53]

I always glue together as much of the body as possible before paint. Like if the body can get put on with the bumpers on it, fender flares, and all that.

The only exceptions to this rule.

I paint the hood seperately, but at the same time, so I'm using the same batch of paint.

I leave wings off and paint them seperately unless they are lips that are mounted directly to the car and they are the same color.

And I leave the bumpers off only if they are a different color than the body.

But to specifically answer your question, wheel arches or flares, and side skirts always get glued on first. It is too easy to mess up putting them on because there usually aren't any locating pins. So I glue them on first in case I need to fix any glue mishaps.

Edited May 22, 2023 by ctruss53