Please help a newbie paint a heatercore
 

Hi all, i just picked up a nice heatercore from pep boys for my watercooling system and i would like to paint it a chrome color. I have never painted anything made of metal and any tips would be greatly appreciated! My questions would be what type of paint, how many layers, do i need a primer, clearcoat etc, does it need to be sanded, should i tape up the fins? Thanks in advance!

Re: Please help a newbie paint a heatercore
 

Clean it first with alcohol or some paintcleaner, then spray a thin coat of zink primer, after that you can then paint it with the colour you want to, 1 or 2 thin layers. If its rusty then you have to scrape of the rust first, before any painting.

Thanks for the reply Waterbug. I think i will just paint it black as a chromed look is nearly impossible without just going and having it chromed.

I will agree that you will get a better result with a black color, use a glossy black. I painted my heatercore glossy black and got a pretty nice look.

I will agree that you will get a better result with a black color, use a glossy black. I painted my heatercore glossy black and got a pretty nice look.

if you buy paint at an automotive store you wont need to paint it w/ primer. its like $3 to $4 a can. then just clear coat it if its not glossy black. for me what i did was cleaned the heatercore w/ by sanding it and vinegar. then just painted it. didnt use a primer or anything. the paint cost like $1, the cheap spray at home depot and i had some existing clear coat. looks great, paint is dark, and shiny. its not like paint is falling off of it or anything w/o primer and i've had it a/b 3 months now. no probs. dont paint the fins tho.