Painting the Locking Fuel Door

I purchased a RR locking fuel door, but on Bright Silver the black look was too much! Since the cover is metal, this is a really easy mod to do. Time it takes is really just waiting for the paint to dry....or a couple of cold ones on a sunday afternoon.

So, I found matching paint (Bright Silver in my case), Primer, gloss clear coat,1000 grit sand paper, and painters tape and went to work. (While I was at it, I painted the mirror relocation plugs as well.)

Step One: The tools
Matching paint, Primer, High gloss clear coat, 1000 grit sand paper, masking tape, razor blade



First figure the areas that you want painted and tape everything else off. Since the inside of the factory gas cap is black, I left it black. Careful consideration was taken for the hinge in the open vs. closed position to ensure the paint covered the closed areas. I taped off the lock and hinges as well. (If you were bored you could tape off the faux rivets and leave them black.) I used the razor blade to carefully trim the tape.



Sand everything with 1000 grit wet sand paper and cleaned all dust afterwards. (comparison shot of sanded vs. unsanded)



Apply 2 coats of primer. Grey in my case. Nice light coats ensuring coverage of all the edges.



Then 3 coats of Bright Silver (or your color of choosing)



Then 2 light coats of gloss clear coat, followed by a generous medium coat. Allow to dry between every coat according to the directions on the can.



Install per manufacturer’s directions.

Enjoy the subtle look of a locking gas cover.

 

That came out very well.
I have the same fuel cover and the center cap has faded and almost looks grey . Ill have to do this.

 

Nice, since you don't have a straight on shot, how does the duplicolor silver (factory match) compare to the factory paint job? My Jeep is bright silver also so is it dead on or a slight difference?

 

It's really close. The thing that is off the most is the fuel door is not a true and flat surface, so once the clear coat goes on you can notice waves in the metal. It turned out really good, however. It's a little less obvious than the black door, so it works for me and thought I would share.

I'll try to get better shots and an open door.

 

One suggestion from working with painters in body shops:

Use 400 grit sand paper and then a self-etching primer. That way the paint really has something to bite into.

Looks good. I may do this, but have one of the body shops that I work with on a daily basis do it for me.

 

Where did you buy the fuel door? I've been looking for one for my 2-Dr Rubi for a while now. Having gas siphoned out of my tank is a bit troublesome!