Got an OB with black door handles. Would like to match the handles to the body color. Any tips or tricks? Rattle can color with a couple of clear coats or have a pro do it? Any issue with adhesion?

I would be concerned about adhesion, wheather you painted it yourself or had it done at a shop. Paint never seems to adhere as well as the original from the factory. If the paint starts chipping or pealing off after time, then the door handles start looking like sh*t.

 

If you use rattle can that is an exact match as original, the color still won't exactly match because of subtle fading of the original paint from exposure to sunlight and weather.

 

My opinion is to leave well enough alone. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

I would have a pro do it... they can match the factory color and bake the parts so the paint stays on (if the part is metal)...

 

if you use a rattle can and clear coat it'll start getting dull within the year and then flake off... and factory-matched rattle can paint doesn't have the same setting properties as the paint they use in the shop, so it never gets as tough...

 

you want door handle paint to last a long time, since it sees a lot of use... have a pro do it if you want it to look good...

 

 

--Spiffy

To have it done "the right way" you'd want to take the door handles out of each door, sand them, prime them, and paint them. Personally, I'd go with a straight acrylic instead of base coat/clear coat two step, as I think the one step would be more durable for the kind of action door handles see. I'd stay away from spray can from Wally-World, and buy a little paint from an automotive paint store (same for primer too), and spray with an airbrush or a small touchup gun. There's some serious time involved in removing door handles and putting them back on imho, but maybe I'm just lazy. If you want to pay someone to do it, it should be fairly cheap if you do all the removal and prep, as the actual painting part of paint jobs isn't the headache.

 

If you were planning on just painting them on the car, it won't look as good as what you have in a little time, and maybe right away when you consider you'll be spraying the black gasket that's between the handle and the door metal. So, do it right if you want it to look right. I painted my whole car this past year (white 95 LSi) and I was too stinkin lazy to take all the door handles off, so my black gaskets got shot white too. Overall, the paint job was good, but that's a detail I don't like but was not willing to avoid. I wished mine had not been painted from the factory, and then I could have masked around them and the gaskets...

 

Personally, I like the black handles better. My newer Sube has the non-painted handles and I like it. I used some good plastic cleaner/treatment on them and spruced them up quite a bit. They show less wear and tear than painted handles, especially on the driver's door.

 

But, if you wanna go painted, go for it. It looks sweet too, and there's that pride factor involved in personalizing your car.

OK I'm sticking with black.