My Easy, SImple, Not Hard Guide to Painting Your B-Pillars

[adidosc]

I don't know about you guys, but after a while I noticed my passenger side B-Pillar on my SC300 started to crack and peel off leaving me with a big silver spot that kept growing as more paint chipped off. One member decided to just take all the paint off on both sides leaving it all silver, but that just didn't look right to me. I like it the way Lexus made it to be -- all black. In fact, not just black, but black metallic. Whether you notice them or not, those metallic pieces REALLY make that B-Pillar. In fact, the paint that was used is such a close match to the original paint you can't even tell that we painted it. It's THAT close. So here we go, on to my easy guide to painting your B-Pillars. The job was done by my girlfriend's dad and I this past Thursday. I forgot my camera so I had to use hers to take pictures, then I forgot to take it with me when I left that night so I had to wait until yesterday to get the pictures. Ready? Here we go!

Note: Keep in mind this process will probably work with other Lexus models as well, but I happen to have an SC and I know it definitely affects SC owners. Plus, I wasn't sure so I just assumed this would be the best spot for my tutorial.

What we used:

1. Tape
2. Sand Paper (220 and 400)
3. 2HP Air Compressor
4. 2 Paint Spray Guns
5. Newspaper (B&W or color both work OK)
6. Epoxy Primer
7. Activator and Hardener (to use in paint)
8. Omni Medium Reducer
9. Silicon Drops
10. A Few Rags
11. Tack Cloth (to remove dust)
12. Lots of Time

Here are the before pictures, the first two of the worst side and the third of the driver's side, not so bad (but we did both to be consistent)





If yours is like mine, start by taping the edges of the pillar around where you will be sanding to avoid damage to the window or other areas.



Now go ahead and sand down the areas until you've successfully feathered the areas down to blend them together. You don't need to take ALL the paint away, just enough to ensure that the paint will go on smoothly. Start with 220 (or equivalent) sand paper and a block to wrap it around (if you have one) to do the feathering. Also, make sure you sand paper the rest of the B-pillar to ensure proper paint bonding. The driver's side was also sanded down to make the paint bond better. You can also move to a 400 sand paper if you want, and wet it down to maintain long life with your paper.

[adidosc]

Now this is important: Cover the car completely and put blocks of wood or other materials down to ensure the tarps (or whatever you used) don’t blow around if you're doing this outside. The last thing you want is to let your paint dry and have a tarp fly up and ruin all your hard work.





Before you primer, make sure and rub down the areas you are going to paint with a thinner to remove any waxes and silicone that may be present.

For a primer, we used Big Sky brand Primer and Activator blend (about a 4:1 mixture). You can substitute other brands if you'd like, all that matters is that you follow the right steps to get the right outcome.



And here are some hot action shots of the primer being sprayed on:



Now here's the part where you need lots of time. Let the primer dry for about 3 hours or so to make sure it’s thoroughly dry before you go spraying paint on. Use the time to eat a donut, play video games, or post your thoughts on Club Lexus about how cool you think adidosc is. You can also use the time to get your paint ready. We used a second gun to spray the paint, using a black metallic paint that has been used on some Petebilt trucks. We mixed it with a medium reducer (Omni brand) and added polyurethane enamel activator as well as silicon drops. Call us crazy, but it worked well together.



Now you're ready to paint! We did about 3 coats to ensure plenty of paint got onto the areas we wanted to treat.

[adidosc]

Now sit back and admire your work! Allow plenty of time for the paint to thoroughly dry. We had some extra paint left over, so we used it on other projects I wanted to address as well. We sprayed it on my wiper arms (they had chips on them and were showing their age, which they should be after 12 1/2 years) as well as that small metal bar going up on the car behind where the B-pillar meets up with the car. We painted that because you could see visible chips in it when looking at it from the rear, emphasized by the fact that the pillar was freshly painted.





Now here's the final product! If you want to see it in person, you better sign up for Lexfest! I will be there this Saturday and Sunday. If you can't make it, you'll just have to look at these pictures instead.

[adidosc]

Now I didn't want to split it into multiple posts, but I got yelled at when I tried to post too many IMG tags in one post. Also, can one of you mods decapitalize my I in simple? It's a small detail but that sorta thing bugs me.

[advan7]

Looks great! At least I'll know what to do if mine ever does that, but of course I'll need a paint gun.

[pilip99]

nice writeup!

[O. L. T.]

Dope DIY You're in the club. Check your PM.

[RiverRat]

Excellent!

Now to procure a paint gun.




Nice use of the vice

What did you use the air compressor for? You listed it in the items, but never mentioned it in the DIY?

[adidosc]

Originally Posted by NYLexSC

What did you use the air compressor for? You listed it in the items, but never mentioned it in the DIY?

the air compressor was used for a few things, including both paint guns and also to spray air over the areas to ensure they were clean.

Originally Posted by O. L. T.

Dope DIY You're in the club. Check your PM.

great minds think alike don't they?

[/Aerostar\]

Originally Posted by NYLexSC

What did you use the air compressor for? You listed it in the items, but never mentioned it in the DIY?

[mkorsu]

Great writeup!!! I need to do my wiper arms as well, and this is definately a better way to go than a spray can!!

[Koma]

Elite! I would do this if I had the time. Is the B-pillar body colored stock? I don't think I've seen mine with paint on it ever...

[ISFFUN]

All the picture links are down.

[SCboy]

Cause this thread is 4 years old.....

[ISFFUN]

I found it from the sticky DIY section, so I figured whoever maintained this would want to know.

Thx