So I got home from work tonight too late to start making good on my other sideskirt, and I'm going to have to save that piece for the morning. However, I did decide to post up the pictures to let you see what I've been doing thus far.
The first step I took is prepping the bumper. It is in pretty awful condition but the only good part is that there are no cracks anywhere on it. It just has some deep gouges that I will attempt to fill in.
So the first step is to take all the hardware off. As most of you have done in the past, the turn signals are taken off through a single screw that is accessible through the front grill. Once it is off, it leaves the JDM fog light exposed. Nevermind where the drill bit is on this screw in this picture, that's the adjustment part of it, you only need to remove the other two screws to take it out.
Now I'm taking out the cornering lights. and all 4 screws that hold it against the bumper
I bought these cheapie saw horses at Home Depot, but I'm not actually sawing wood, so I just got the basic ones.

I used the 60 grit sandpaper block for starters
This is ideally what you want, take off the paint in the areas the scratches are the cheapest, but leave on the paint in other areas, it'll act like a primer surface.
So, realizing that I should first focus my skills on the side skirts because that front bumper is a bigger beast to tackle than I thought, I set about last night destroying them, haha
First, we see a perfectly prepared Electron Blue Pearl Side Skirt from HandA
I am not going to start out with the coarse sandpaper, because the paint on this is already existing and there are no dings. So what I did do is elect to go with a 100 grit to get that clearcoat off, then I went with a 320 grit because that is recommended before the paint/primer goes on.
scuffed up surface before the cleaning begins:
Now according to all instructions, before you do any paint or any kind of layering, you need to make sure the surface is absolutely free of foreign debris. This is a monumental task in the outdoors, as you see I'm doing, but hey, when you don't have access to a paint booth, you take your chances. Luckily, there was no wind that day.
First, give it a thorough washing to remove everything large and visible and all the sanding dust
Next, find the kind of wipes that promise to get rid of dirt, grease, oil, and whatnot.
When I took the package out of the pouch, it felt like it had no moisture on it. I was initially like "WTF" but as I rubbed it on, it left behind a layer of what I can only describe as that of "lighter fluid" where it stays a liquid for a little bit before evaporating.
Now the directions say, while it is still in its liquid form, to rub it off with a lint free cloth. Here I am using one of those microfiber cloths...
Now to add a layer of adhesion promoter. The surface, with the paint still attached, is acting like a primer in my opinion, so I began after two coats of this (one light, one wet, like the directions said).
It leaves behind a finish on the paint/primer that I can only describe as "satiny"
Then the basecoat comes next. I've never been good at this, but I tried a new technique... I started at one end, holding the can about 10 to 12 inches away and made one swipe, careful to not go too slow or fast...
But I kept doing it for well over 30 minutes (i lost track) where I'd do my one line of spray and wait for a minute, then do another and this picture shows my result as I was getting really close. I think I did 2 more coats after this one:
Now I don't know if you'll be able to see it when this picture gets put up, but look at the very top of the white where it meets the black night backdrop. If you look closely, you'll see why it sucks to paint outdoors, mainly, you get little pieces of anything floating in the air that will stick on the paint. Right here you see a little bit of fuzz here and there
Now I was pissed off and I didn't think I had a solution to it... that is until I came inside, sat down and thought about it. Then I remembered I had bought these!
What that is is "Cheesecloth" or tack rags to everyone else. It is basically a material with a coating on it that will pick up absolutely everything it touches. So I put it to the ultimate test, which was waiting for 3 hours until I was fairly sure the paint was dry enough that I could blot it and lightly skim the surface. Much to my amazement, it picked up EVERY SINGLE PIECE of lint and stuff off the surface of the paint, without leaving any evidence it was on top of the paint! I was astounded! So now this one sideskirt has had a full 24 hours to cure and is dust free and it's been calling my name to receive the pearl topcoat followed by the clearcoat.
More on that later!