Plastic-safe degreasers.

[Barbecue]

Hey, all.

I'm going to be re-painting the stock grille and headlight bezels on my '86 Silverado. The grille's plastic is a bit weathered. I'll be starting with a good wash, then some fine sanding. I have excellent plastic paint as a primer, which will be followed by silver. Question: after sanding, what should I wipe the plastic down with to remove and oils from my hands etc? I'm assuming laquer thinner would be too strong? What about alcohol?

Thanks in advance for your advice.

Cheers,

BBQ

[imjeff]

Hot soapy water, dry, tack cloth.

Jeff

[brakenit]

You can buy wax and grease remover at most parts stores in the paint section.

http://www.summitracing.com/parts/rl...FcI7Mgod02AAkw

[johnnyclack]

My 2 cents; hot soapy water, air blow, dry wipe & followed by alcohol.

Might be an overkill, but hey' better safe than sorry

[Barbecue]

Thanks very much for the responses, guys. With metal, I normally give a quick wipe with lacquer thinner just prior to painting; obviously that would be a risky endeavour with plastic. I wasn't sure about alcohol, but if it's safe, then that's what I'll go for after the wash and dry.

Cheers!

[franken]

I'd use wax and grease remover since that's what its made for. Rubbing alcohol may have oil in it.
Plastic is pretty tough. I've soaked plastic car parts for days in purple power, which removes skin...

[imjeff]

Rubbing alcohol doesn't have oil in it.

[Chevy1966]

Hi Barbecue... although your question has been pretty much beat to death might as well add my $.02. I have been in the plastics biz for 44 years (not that this would not necessarily make me any smarter than a kid right out of school) so here is what I can tell you...

First of all there are many different types of plastic and the appropriate cleaning technique and material used to paint the part must take into consideration the type of plastic. Most recent automotive suppliers will mark the material type on the part to meet regulations for material recycling and hazardous waste identification. Your grill is almost certainly ABS plastic.

ABS plastic has two major enemies: UV rays and contact with hydrocarbons. Exposure to both of these elements is what causes the plastic to become brittle. Shielding the part from UV exposure is a different topic, but should be considered if you are taking the time and effort to restore the grill.

Now as for the best method and materials to clean the part you must stay away from hydrocarbon solvents (or any cleaning solution that may contain such agents). Here is a link to a list of hydrocarbon solvents:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Categor...arbon_solvents

Other solvents that might be free of hydrocarbons might have components that would soften the ABS plastic and for that reason I would definitely stay away from lacquer thinner or acetone. Also I do not recommend a tack cloth as the chemicals that create the tackiness might be based on some of these enemies of ABS. You can't go wrong with soap and water for grease removal, but you must follow this with a good final clean-up with alcohol just as several folks have suggested.

As a final step you should use one of the ABS plastic surface prep agents that are available from SEM, DuPont or Rust-Oleum. These materials convert a very thin layer of the plastic surface to actively bond to the plastic primer or paint. Important note: remember the process for painting ABS is very different from painting other plastics such as polypropylene, polycarbonate or nylon, all of which can be found in vehicles today. Fortunately ABS is much more paint friendly than many other plastics. Hope my comments are helpful and not too boring. Let us know how the project turns out! --Rob

[esbstuff]

Dawn Dish Soap... Works perfect, its cheap and easy to find.

[Barbecue]

Thanks again, guys. Chevy1966, I especially appreciate your detailed and comprehensive opinion on the subject. I do understand that often topics on forums can be repeated time and again so I certainly do appreciate everyone's input; I do make use of the advanced search functions as much as I can.

My grille does seem to be in good condition; however, I'm intervening at a critical stage as much of the original paint has worn off and the plastic is now exposed to light. I've restored a 70's Mercedes grille in the past which has a much more complex design with very small openings, so I'm hoping that experience will help me here. I'll go with the wash n' alcohol routine.

PS: I'm sure everyone has experience with their favourite plastic-friendly paints, but if you haven't given Krylon Fusion a try, I highly recommend it - at least as a primer.

[imjeff]

Chevy1966, thanks for the inside info. Knowledge is rarely "boring"! Thanks again,

Jeff