Cleaning and painting fiberglass truck bed topper

[AJMBLAZER]

This is what $80 gets you. Pretty solid with all the ammenitites. This was the full boat fiberglass topper back in the 80's when it was new.

Guy I got it from had it sitting under a tree with about 6" of leaves and crap built up around it. Oh, and an ant colony and plenty of spiders.
I want to clean it up good, get rid of the funk, and then spray paint it flat black so it doesn't look sooo...well...completely, absolutely out of place like it does now against Big Ugly's NATO forest camo.

Anyone have any tips and/or advice to cleaning this thing up and then painting it?

 

[ryoken]

sorry I'm so late getting to this....

scrub a dub dub! I'm assuming this has a pebble grain to it?

hot (if you can) soapy water with a course scuff pad... you wanna get an etch to it... just a couple hrs getting wet with various scrubbing... I'd start with a good soapy cleaner, like Spray 9 or the like. With a combo of a maroon scuff pad for the gel, and stiff bristle brush to the weatherstripping, etc... rinse well...

I would then follow up with a wet scuffpad again with powdered ajax, comet, etc to the gel.. you can even incorporate a little light wetsanding in here with some 220/320..

then a good, soapy wash with a mit or rag and a thorough rinse...

When dry, tape off and squirt.. If you wanted to be anal, you could damp towel/dry towel with denatured, but it shouldn't be required...

topcoat as desired... balls to the wall correct would be a primer first..

and, I kinda, think, I like that thing....

 

[AJMBLAZER]

New you'd arrive here sooner or later.

Thanks dude!

Now if it will actually stop raining enough to do something with everything else on the list before it.

 

[ryoken]

hehe, I've wetsanded many a car out in the rain, harder the better!

 

[AJMBLAZER]

Yeah...I'm just a weenie. Sorta like a cat. Don't like being cold or wet and especially not both.

 

[ryoken]

eh, it was mostly out of necessity.... or, I was drunk.....

 

[AJMBLAZER]

Maybe beer would help...


...probably not...

 

[justwhatido]

Coca cola and aluminum foil will do a good job cleaning the back window sill. Does a super job on chrome or aluminum.

Fred

 

[AJMBLAZER]

Hey thanks. Forgot about that old trick!