Respraying wing mirrors

[divlong]

I had both of the wing mirrors broken off my Calibra over the weekend. I plan to buy some second-hand ones but need some advice on how to prep the cowlings for respraying to match the colour of my car as I don't really want green mirrors on a purple car..

I have some appropriate paint and primer which I bought some time ago to spray some new parts.

Any advice would be welcome.

Cheers

Duncan

[Lakitu]

Green and purple is festive and apt for the time of year ;o)

[chas2008]

no matter how hard you try it will be impossible to get a factory finish with aerosols...

One of the tricks is to warm the paint tin with a hairdryer+ warm the mirror covers before painting,then once sprayed dry them with the hairdryer...All bodyshops use some form of heat when painting..

[Panic Button]

Why not buy new ones of the right colour?

[chas2008]

you cant buy pre painted, only in primer..

[Panic Button]

Or how about changing to black ones?

[divlong]

Thanks all.

Panic Button - I'm not buying new ones as I have been quoted around �600 just for the parts from Vauxhall. Also, the colour is Vauxhall specific so I'm unlikely to find any other brand with the right colour. I would consider leaving them Black, but haven't seen any second-hand ones that colour yet.

Chas2008 - thanks for the tip. I guess I need to buy a hairdryer then. Hmm, might have a heat gun somewhere - that should do it. Is there any specific prep needed to respray over an existing colour - other than a good clean?

Cheers

Duncan

[chas2008]

heat gun should do it, thats what smart repair guys use when working outside..just be gentle with it !!

to prep, just make sure they are rubbed down with a fine paper and they are grease free then use a grey primer and rub down again (fine paper)..after that its all about the wrist action with the aerosol..just dont try and put to much on at a time..and like i said try and keep everything warm ! You will never get a perfect match, there are sometimes up to 10 variations on one colour but because the mirrors are not directly against a painted panel it should not be to noticable.
Where it becomes easier in a bodyshop is the type of gun etc, thats used, just lays the paint on thicker something no aerosol can replicate.