paintin bonnet louvre

Hi
I have fixed all the rivnuts to fix the bonnet louvre in position.
It is unpainted aluminium.
I would like to fix and fill it in position so it is all smooth and no gaps, but dont know if that will suit the painting process.
The body is unpainted fibreglass.

Any ideas?
Regards
Steve

After looking at a fair few cars with the various attachments fixed then blended in, what often happens is the sealant or filler cracks along with the paint. Looks awfull. My personal preference is to make all those parts fit well, paint seperately then fix back together, just as the original cars were.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by strat6v

After looking at a fair few cars with the various attachments fixed then blended in, what often happens is the sealant or filler cracks along with the paint. Looks awfull. My personal preference is to make all those parts fit well, paint seperately then fix back together, just as the original cars were.

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I would agree with you on that one John, given my past experience - not relevant for this build though....

I'd say the aluminium needs to be etch primed before fixing at the very least.
Also (not tried this, but feel it would work), if the louvre is primed and you really do want to fix it before paint, then make sure it is a really good fit in the opening rebate and then use a polyurethane adhesive sealer to fix the panel so that adhesive width is not excessive. Say 2-3mm at the very most. Tool off the adhesive bead using IPA or something similar or it will drag.

I fixed mine before paint, with rivets to the fibreglass. did not fill in the gaps but i did fix small rings between the seperate louvres to get all the gaps even.

Also remember that if you are painting before fixing to the car that you will get paint thickness build up....... depending how many coats you apply of course

Phil