Sanding/Painting Topper

[Hayduke]

hey there all,
recently i bought a topper off a fellow for $10. Since the topper on my Jimmy has some big chips and cracks in it, and it has funky brackets bolted to the top from the last owner. so anyway i want to fix this topper up and then swap 'em out. has anyone ever sanded and painted their top b4? i'm just looking to paint it matte black, is kind of a dirty grey right now...
thanks
HAYDUKE

http://haydukesk5.coloradok5.com

 

[Can Can]

My truck is getting repainted right now, and the shop is painting the topper too. Apparently they have to etch the surface with some sort of treatment to make the new paint bond. I've also heard some of the guys saying that they've rolled on bedliner or undercoating to freshen up the outer appearance. I'm not sure what's involved in repairing any damage to the top, but it's made of fiberglass, so I assume that a patch kit might work.

 

[70jimmy]

I HAVE PAINTED 2 TOPS SO FAR AND BOTH TURNED OUT VERY WELL. ALL I DID WAS WASH IT THEN USE A HARSH CLEANSER LIKE BORAXO TO SCRUB OFF ALL DEBRIS THE RINSED GOOD AND LET DRY. I USED A PAINT GUN AND AIRCOMPRESSOR AND ACRYLIC ENAMEL PAINT. STILL HAD A LOT OF THE TEXTURE. GOOD LUCK. ALOS IF YOU WERE JUST GOING TO RATTEL CAN IT CHECK WITH A LOCAL BODY SHOP THEY WOULDNT CHARGE MUCH TO PRIME IT AND PAINT IT FOR YOU AND IT WOULD LOOK A LOT BETTER THAN RATTLE CAN. GOOD LUCK.

 

[BigBadBowTie]

<font color=purple>I had mine sanded & painted to a gloss finish just like the metal. It takes about 5-10 "blockings" to get all of the waves out. However if you block the sides real good, & 2-3 times on the top I think you'll be pleased. I don't see the sense spending the time on the top of the cap since you can't really see it. Anyway Mine turned out great I feel it's a shiny as the rest of the truck. Keep in mind it is fiberglass, & it creates static electricity which makes it difficult to paint, I belive there is a paint additive to combat this. Make sure the shop knows this teqnique.</font color=purple>

<font color=purple>Rick
86 K-5</font color=purple>
http://www.BigBadBowTie.ColoradoK5.com

 

[90K5]

I painted mine with semi-flat black paint a few months ago and it looks great on the sides. The top was harder and since you cant see it much anyway it looks worse. I costs like $6

 

[PattBlue]

I just had mine painted also..Its now the Black (BLUE) Sapphire that was original. Looks good but the guy who painted it said it might flake off at about 200 MPH. All we did was clean with soap & water, then sand it, then use a pre-paint cleaner before spraying. I'll see how it holds up.