Greetings, So I searched and I found some information, which answers my first question: Will one of the polyurethane lips from ebay work well and are they an inexpensive option to purchasing one through a vendor. But, will it need to be painted? From the look of it, it appears as though the way the lip is shipped is with a dull gray plastic color, similar to the bottom of the 5th gen Accord bumper. Is this the case? Would I be able to install the lip and have it match the bottom of my bumper without a problem?

If it is the case that it would need to be painted, is there any cheap way to paint it and what color would match a stock Heathermist Beige? Could I just grab a can of Rustoleum or some such and give it a spray down, having it look alright? If it looks like crap, I suppose I'll just have to wait until I can get it painted "for real." Much appreciated

Edit: My sig doesn't appear to be showing: '96 Accord LX Sedan

 

They're usually shipped with a glossy white/black/grey finish and look like crap until they're painted.

Unless they specifically say "prepainted or color matched" you need to paint it.

Sand it with 400 grit sand paper, wet or dry, wash with dish soap, towel dry, and spray with Duplicolor color matched spray paint or color matched spray can from Sherwin-Williams?. A small can of Duplicolor is like $6 and a regular sized can of custom matched paint is around $25.

 

Also, spray it with a glossy clear coat after the paint has dried. Wet sand and buff if needed.

 

Thanks for the tip,

it sounds like it's much easier to paint than I had assumed. I was under the assumption that it would probably be more difficult than I could handle.

 

Its much easier than painting a body part.. As in quarter panel, hood..etc..

Good luck

 

you could go to an auto paint store and tell them what you want to paint and they'll get the necessary supplies so you can DIY for about $50.

thats whut i did with my oem sides back in the day.

 

When wet sanding, what grit should be used? And how would one go about buffing?

 

If the lip comes in a dull, gray color there's no need for sanding. If it's shiny see finch's comment.
Wipe clean/degrease with wax/grease remover (Autozone) or mineral spirit, wear some non-powder gloves. Use non-lint terry cloth for wiping.
Apply 2 coats of paint, follow instructions on the can and keep your hand moving so you do not get any paint runs.
If you do get runs, allow paint to dry and wet sand (800-1000 grit) to remove paint run. Then recoat that area.
Clear coat at the end, make sure you do not touch the paint in between all this. Normally you do not have to wet sand, unless you have runs. If you do get them just do as before - this time use 1000/2000/3000 (start with 1000 and finish with 3000) grit and be carefull not to sand thru clear, use a block. You'd have to buff that section after sanding.

As for wet sanding - it depends on what you're sanding. On a base/clear system, if it's factory finish there's no much need for sanding. If it's got orange peel - for some reason - you will start with a 800 grit and sand the area smooth as you can see covered with water. Use few drops of dish soap in water and a medium/soft block. Then do this again with 2000 and finish with 3000. Use a squirt bottle to keep area wet. Factory clear is very thin, so check your work often so you won't sand thru.

Buffing: need a variable speed electric buffer, speed bonet (foam), and 2 grades of compound: a fast cut and a finishing one - Meguyar's good (Autozone). Start with the fast cut and low speed, poor a drop on the bonet and work a small area of the car. After the compound is gone, increase the speed and go over the area again. The purpose is to remove all the swirl marks that you can see. Then use the finishing compound.

Now, if you just want to remove swirl marks from all that car washing, etc., you just do the buffing part - can even start with the finishing compound depending on how bad the surface is. Again, after the compound is gone increase the speed and go over the surface again.

First timers: do some experimentation first, and go slow.

 

Thanks for the good information! I appreciate it!

 

What do you guys think of this rear lip?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/96-97...spagenameZWDVW

I think it is okay, but am thinking about cutting off the lower part of the lip (the slots). What do you think?