Best paint for louvres?

[rjd2]

Hey folks, so I am in a great place with my car now-all mechanicals that needed it have been refreshed, the car is reliable and runs great. I am ready to tackle minor aesthetic stuff. My next thing to do is paint my rear louvres. I've found threads on the process, but not much on the actual paint. What's the ideal product for this application? Thanks!

[dmcman73]

Hey folks, so I am in a great place with my car now-all mechanicals that needed it have been refreshed, the car is reliable and runs great. I am ready to tackle minor aesthetic stuff. My next thing to do is paint my rear louvres. I've found threads on the process, but not much on the actual paint. What's the ideal product for this application? Thanks!

SEM Trim Black

[MrChocky]

SEM Trim Black

Let me fix that for you: multiple cans of SEM Trim black. I bought 3 to do my louvers, and ended up using a bunch elsewhere. I suspect I'll go through 5 more before I'm done.

[dmcman73]

Let me fix that for you: multiple cans of SEM Trim black. I bought 3 to do my louvers, and ended up using a bunch elsewhere. I suspect I'll go through 5 more before I'm done.

I bought a case of it a while back. If you have a spray gun, they sell it in quarts as well to save money.

[ssdelorean]

SEM Trim Black


Let me fix that for you: multiple cans of SEM Trim black. I bought 3 to do my louvers, and ended up using a bunch elsewhere. I suspect I'll go through 5 more before I'm done.

Ditto & Ditto.

And if you are like me, driving your car to work every day and it sits outside in the sun during that time, you may want to add a coat of clear to help it last a bit longer. I noticed that without the clear, the louvers will fade a bit quicker than everything else since they are on the top getting the direct sunlight. Same for windshield trim.

[rjd2]

Thanks you guys!!

[cdrusn]

Dupli color sells the clear in either gloss or flat in quart cans. Any auto store with a paint selection has them. Need a cheap gun from Harbor Freight to properly apply.

[TTait]

You'll get more durability with a 2k clear, you can get it in gloss or satin, but you MUST use a full N95 or better respirator when spraying it.

I chose to use SEM Texture coat on the louvers before the black. It was too much texture, so I then knocked it down by lightly sanding it down. Depends on if you still have, or want any texture. Strongly suggest that you experiment on another surface before spraying the louver. I used this technique on the louvers and side mirrors. I have not applied clear but I have 2 cans of the satin and may apply that in the future.

[glockworks21]

thought i would try and bring out spots and discoloration with some wax and made it worse. the wax ended up taking off most of what po had put on. I wet sanded it 1200 grit and ordered the same paint suggested from this thread. goes on pretty smooth. worth the xtra money. here is before and after with one light coat.. I will hit it at least one more time... Pretty happy with result..
I ordered some of the ceremic coat that LSC uses. I will send before and after pics once received. going to go over all the black trim and louvers. Im not going to do the stainless






Dave

[Helirich]

Depending on condition, you might try to restore it rather than paint it. It?s not clear to me if the louvers are painted from factory. If it?s just the actual material they are made of, I prefer to bring it back. Kind of like the bumpers. You can check this thread if you like.

https://dmctalk.org/showthread.php?19861-Gtechniq

[r00b]

The louvers are painted black from the factory, underneath they are white.

[glockworks21]

Depending on condition, you might try to restore it rather than paint it. It?s not clear to me if the louvers are painted from factory. If it?s just the actual material they are made of, I prefer to bring it back. Kind of like the bumpers. You can check this thread if you like.

https://dmctalk.org/showthread.php?19861-Gtechniq

too late for that anyways now.
ceramic coated it.. came out ok.. hopefully holds up for awhile

[dmcman73]

There was a post on Facebook about the louvres and someone used a textured paint prior to painting them with SEM trim black to mimic the original texture of them? Every car I've seen had a smooth surface on the louvres, not textured. Were they textured from the factory and over time, lost the texture?

[Timeless]

There was a post on Facebook about the louvres and someone used a textured paint prior to painting them with SEM trim black to mimic the original texture of them? Every car I've seen had a smooth surface on the louvres, not textured. Were they textured from the factory and over time, lost the texture?
My louvre is original and doesn't have a texture to it.

[82DMC12]

There was a post on Facebook about the louvres and someone used a textured paint prior to painting them with SEM trim black to mimic the original texture of them? Every car I've seen had a smooth surface on the louvres, not textured. Were they textured from the factory and over time, lost the texture?

Probably talking about my car. David sprayed a texturizer on the louvers first before spraying SEM trim black in a paint booth. The texture is very subtle and shallow, not enough to catch on your fingernail or create lint specks from a total. I had my louvers refinished once with no texture about 20 years ago but I actually like the texture instead. I used to always feel the need to spray tire shine or something on them when it was flat. With this finish I just wipe them clean with my drying towel and don't need to put anything on them for a good look.

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[Rich]

My louvre is original and doesn't have a texture to it.

And my louver is also original but DOES have a texture.
- Not a lot of texture but def not smooth
- The car is an early VIN unit

The questions are what the DMC louver finish specs were and whether the specs changed during the factory run. The answers may lie in the specs/drawings/records DMC Classic holds. The DeLorean Millenium Concours pdf. says only that it must be a uniform black color.

Based on seeing Ds over the years with either a smooth or lightly textured black finish a guess is that the louver supplier made them with varying texture whether it was specified or not.

[82DMC12]

And my louver is also original but DOES have a texture.
- Not a lot of texture but def not smooth
- The car is an early VIN unit

The questions are what the DMC louver finish specs were and whether the specs changed during the factory run. The answers may lie in the specs/drawings/records DMC Classic holds. The DeLorean Millenium Concours pdf. says only that it must be a uniform black color.

Based on seeing Ds over the years with either a smooth or lightly textured black finish a guess is that the louver supplier made them with varying texture whether it was specified or not.

Ha, I too consulted the Millennium Concours pdf before responding but it was not definitive. I have heard from others there were two styles of louvers, one slightly textured, one smooth. Not sure where the VIN cutoff is. Maybe it was random production variation as you say.

[outatym2001]

I agree with ssdelorean Shannon Y that it will be better to apply a clear coat SEM Satin Clear Color Coat on top of the SEM Trim black. The black paint on the fiberglass louvers and the black paint on the fiberglass engine cover will last much longer with a clear coat.
I tried SEM Trim black on the three metal trim pieces that surround the windshield. Tiny rocks thrown in the air from vehicles in front of me chipped away at the paint. Later I removed the metal trim pieces and had all three powder coated semi-gloss black. The powder coat is now over ten years old and still looks fine with no defects.

[Timeless]

I tried SEM Trim black on the three metal trim pieces that surround the windshield. Tiny rocks thrown in the air from vehicles in front of me chipped away at the paint. Later I removed the metal trim pieces and had all three powder coated semi-gloss black. The powder coat is now over ten years old and still looks fine with no defects.
That's the best way to tackle the windshield frames - powder coat. I'm thinking I may even install some satin PPF on my windshield surround when they get coated.

[82DMC12]

That's the best way to tackle the windshield frames - powder coat. I'm thinking I may even install some satin PPF on my windshield surround when they get coated.

I had my windshield side strips and header powder coated like 20 years ago, still looks great with no chips. I have read from reputable vendors that powder coating the top strip can be an issue causing irreversible warpage during the baking process. I did not experience that myself, but they say they have seen it. So perhaps some caution is needed to keep the temp low in the oven, if that is possible. I don't know enough about the process to comment any further.