Need painting advice on a rear diffuser...

[nUcLeArEnVoY]

I'm ready to pull the trigger on the Ohio Speed rear diffuser. To me, it's the best one on the board since it retains the stock style but with much more aggressive splines...

The most ideal scenario would be that it is textured like stock, but it doesn't come like that. Even unpainted in a flat or satin finish like a lot of the splitters on this board would satisfy me.

Thing is, it comes in primer, which would be all fine and dandy if I wanted to paint it with a glossy body color finish, but I don't. If I had to paint it, I'd want it flat black (The farthest I'll willingly go if I HAVE to paint is satin or semi-gloss). The problem with flat black is that it is terrible at holding up and is not a color I would cover an area such as the rear diffuser with when it gets so dirty. Flat black scratches, retains dirt, and marks very easily and I have heard little to no information on the "flat clearcoats" I've tried researching and in all honesty I don't understand how they could improve the situation. And obviously, powdercoating is out of the question even though I wish it weren't lol.

If anybody HAS happened to paint either their splitter or aftermarket diffuser flat black and it has held up exceptionally well, please let me know what you did, what brands you used, or where you took it. I really want the diffuser I'm looking and it's even on sale ATM, but I will not settle for a glossy finish only because it'll last longer when it's not what I want. Thanks.

[joeblow]

I had this same issue when i bought my rear diffuser from Havoc. My guys painted it with this black textured paint but i have no idea what its called or what the process is to doing it. But if you go to my pictures you can see it. Ill ask them what brand it was for you though..

[nUcLeArEnVoY]

Originally Posted by joeblow

I had this same issue when i bought my rear diffuser from Havoc. My guys painted it with this black textured paint but i have no idea what its called or what the process is to doing it. But if you go to my pictures you can see it. Ill ask them what brand it was for you though..

I'd appreciate it. Someone on the board used a truck bed liner on their splitter, but that's too coarse a texture for me. Your Havoc diffuser looks well done.

SEM makes a textured paint that looks like this upon curing:



Pretty damn nice, and I'm obviously not looking to duplicate the stock texture 100% since it's not a stock part. Does yours look kinda like this?

[Xedes]

A person on the C6 forum painted his aftermarket diffuser with Rustoleum bumper/trim paint. It looked great and matched the oem semi-textured finish. Plus he did it himself and save some $$.

Go to your local Lowes and check it out. You might be pleasantly surprised.

[nUcLeArEnVoY]

Originally Posted by Xedes

A person on the C6 forum painted his aftermarket diffuser with Rustoleum bumper/trim paint. It looked great and matched the oem semi-textured finish. Plus he did it himself and save some $$.

Go to your local Lowes and check it out. You might be pleasantly surprised.

Has it held up good to washes/sunlight? I know textured paint is a lot more safe to abuse than pure flat black, but has time treated it well?

[Xedes]

Originally Posted by nUcLeArEnVoY

Has it held up good to washes/sunlight? I know textured paint is a lot more safe to abuse than pure flat black, but has time treated it well?

Yes and he tracked the car every weekend (weather permitting). I just saw there's a YouTube video about the bumper spray if you want to look it up.

[mycamaro2011]

If your painting the rear diff flat black they sell rustoleum and krylon matte clear at Walmart.
But i would def suggest if you dont want it to flake off because of it flexing go to an auto paint store and get a base coat of flat black mixed up prob a quart and a quart of bulldog adhesion. Mix in some bulldog with the paint and mix some in with clear coat. Bulldog acts as a flex agent,
Then get some clearcoat and ask paint shop to get matte clearcoat.
Mite as well do it right the first time because those rattle can paint with flake off

[Xedes]

Originally Posted by mycamaro2011

If your painting the rear diff flat black they sell rustoleum and krylon matte clear at Walmart.
But i would def suggest if you dont want it to flake off because of it flexing go to an auto paint store and get a base coat of flat black mixed up prob a quart and a quart of bulldog adhesion. Mix in some bulldog with the paint and mix some in with clear coat. Bulldog acts as a flex agent,
Then get some clearcoat and ask paint shop to get matte clearcoat.
Mite as well do it right the first time because those rattle can paint with flake off

This would be necessary if he was painting the entire rear bumper but he's not. The part is a lower diffuser with fins. It appears to be fiberglass so there is no real flexing involved. Also, you are assuming he has an air compressor and paint gun because if he doesn't it would be cheaper to have a body shop do everything instead of spending $400+ on supplies.

The rustoleum bumper paint has more than enough flex for his needs. Also, if it does get scuffed for some reason it's a $5 fix instead of a $100 one.

Here's the diffuser the Z was running:

[nUcLeArEnVoY]

Sorry about this guys, but the seller of the Ohio Speed Diffuser is willing to sell it just like the stock texture/color for a nominal surplus. Thanks anyway!