Treatment for my shark gills

[DMC-Ron]

OK, so I don't know what to call the various louvers in the rear of the car that add to it's distinctive look, are black, and made out of some non-metal material (polycarbonate, fiberglass, plastic, ??). Mine are in good shape but I bet they looked a lot blacker when the car came from the factory. What should I use to protect and restore? I used to be an ArmorAll user but I'm less enamored now and I think it would leave a film should it get on the stainless. Any suggestions?

Thanks,
Ron

[sdg3205]

Back to Black works great.

[iflights]

I've tried a few different products and found Solution Finish Black Plastic & Vinyl Restorer to be one I'm most pleased with. I was on a mission to find something that would bring my body side rub strips back to life. You'll find it on Amazon. A little pricey but I'm thrilled with the results. Just did my "shark gills" today as a matter of fact. They look new.

[Lwanmtr]

SEM Trim Black works great...I've gone through tons of it during my resto of 4877

[MikeWard]

Autoglym bumper and trim gel.

[DMC-Ron]

Back to Black works great.

Which product are you using:
Back-to-Black® Heavy Duty Trim Cleaner Kit
Back-to-Black®Trim and Plastic Restorer
Back-to-Black® Trim and Plastic Restorer Aerosol

Thanks,
Ron

[DMC-Ron]

I've tried a few different products and found Solution Finish Black Plastic & Vinyl Restorer to be one I'm most pleased with. I was on a mission to find something that would bring my body side rub strips back to life. You'll find it on Amazon. A little pricey but I'm thrilled with the results. Just did my "shark gills" today as a matter of fact. They look new.

Do you have to be careful to not get any on the stainless? Or should I ask what happens when some gets on the stainless.

Thanks,
Ron

[DMC-Ron]

SEM Trim Black works great...I've gone through tons of it during my resto of 4877

This looks like a spray paint. Do you have to mask the area to avoid over-spray getting on the stainless?

Thanks,
Ron

[iflights]

Do you have to be careful to not get any on the stainless? Or should I ask what happens when some gets on the stainless.

Thanks,
Ron

It's an incredibly thin application, unlike a paint. If it gets on the stainless which is inevitable, it wipes right off if you are fast. If you are not fast, some stainless cleaner will take it off. I wasn't overly careful.

[Lwanmtr]

Yep, the trim black is spray paint. I masked off the car cause I was painting all the black areas, rocker panels, etc...frog tape and paper....

Just sand the areas, using up to a 320 grit (depending if yours are pitted and gouged like mine were) and use 2 in 1 sandable primer filler (also a spray)..it works to fill in light scratches..couple coats there....then I put 5 or 6 coats of the trim black.

[DMCMW Dave]

And don't go crazy with the "Gel" stuff as it makes the parts a huge PITA to paint later, as the paint doesn't like to stick to anything with silicone in it. Best answer is really to paint, especially the fiberglass parts (upper side "gills"). Masking is not difficult.

[novadmc]

And don't go crazy with the "Gel" stuff as it makes the parts a huge PITA to paint later, as the paint doesn't like to stick to anything with silicone in it. Best answer is really to paint, especially the fiberglass parts (upper side "gills"). Masking is not difficult.

one of my side louver "gills" has a few scratches in it that I'd need to fill with some sort of putty/epoxy 1st before sanding and painting. color wise, they're nice and black, but i want to rid my self of the unsightly scratch.

any recommendation on what sort of filler to use? 2-part epoxy? bondo body filler putty?

[Brian_SS_TT]

Eastwood Plastic Resurfacer Matte Black Aerosol
Item #15089Z Brand: Eastwood

Best stuff for plastic. Painted mirrors, side vents 2+ years ago and still look great! Highly recommend!

[Lwanmtr]

one of my side louver "gills" has a few scratches in it that I'd need to fill with some sort of putty/epoxy 1st before sanding and painting. color wise, they're nice and black, but i want to rid my self of the unsightly scratch.

any recommendation on what sort of filler to use? 2-part epoxy? bondo body filler putty?

UPol 706 for the filler. I used it on my fascia, works great and easy to work with If the scratches arent too deep you might also try a primer filler, as its pretty decent at filling in light scratches and imperfections.

for the paint I still recommend the SEM Trim black.

[Kevin 02530]

The trim black worked awesome for me. Very easy and an exact match to the factory color.


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[novadmc]

UPol 706 for the filler. I used it on my fascia, works great and easy to work with If the scratches arent too deep you might also try a primer filler, as its pretty decent at filling in light scratches and imperfections.

for the paint I still recommend the SEM Trim black.

thanks for the recommendation!
yeah the 2 main scratches are too deep for primer filler. and yup - SEM trim black to repaint once filled sanded and primed. used SEM to rejuvenate my frunk and engine bay, rock screen, window cowling.... love the stuff.

[David T]

If you are redoing the "gills" aka rear sunshade, aka rear louver, you should repair any cracks to the center brace and install the S/S bracing to strengthen it before painting. Make sure both struts are in good shape and always open and close it evenly so you don't tweak it. Some owners (me included) have added a third brake light to it. I mounted mine with double-stick tape so there are no holes. I like a product called "Black Again" but the use of any of these kinds of products makes it much harder to prep and paint because most of them contain silicone.

[DMC-Ron]

All,
I appreciate all the recommendations. Choices seem to be paint verses silicone based products. If I go with the silicone product for now but decide later to paint, am I screwed? is there a product (acetone) that will remove the silicone base? Or is it such a PITA that I should just go with the paint?

Thanks again for the advice,
Ron

[Nicholas R]

For what it's worth, I've never had any issue getting overspray off my stainless. That's not to say that you shouldn't mask off the stainless, but dont agonize over it. A little acetone and any overspray should wipe right off.

[David T]

There are ways to remove the silicone and there are additives to minimize any silicone contamination. Using products containing silicone will not prevent you form painting in the future but it will require more prep.