I once knew a guy who restored hot rods years ago. If I remember correctly, he used a colored dye to get the proper color for door panels, dashboards etc. All of the parts are some type of plastic. Could this be used on atv plastic? I have white, so it would be easier to do than starting with a dark colored plastic. Anyone tried this or heard of this dye?

 

I have pondered this question for quiet a while, I havent come up with an answer though I feel I should warn you that white plastic doesn't show off stress marks as much as other colors do, so it might be a good idea to stay with the white. It would seem very possible that you could die it though, as it seems to stain fairly easily

 

Another option would be plastic paint. Not sure how it would hold up on a quad. But I've used it once for a dashboard and it held up pretty good.

 

i doubt any dye would hold up to the rigors of atv life(rocks,sand,mud,gear, etc).i know i can get all new plastic for my 'cat at about $250. i thought i cared it was red at one time. changed my mind. if you dye it and hate it later you'll end up buying new anyway, just my opinion.

 

Not sure if ATV plastic will take dye. I used to race Radio Controlled Off-Road trucks and would dye the nylon parts, which would take the color very well.

When you dye something, the color goes all the way through the part so it will handle scrapes form rocks and sticks very well.

The thing to do would be to find some scrap body pieces and experiment. The biggest thing to consider is you'll have to have a container large enough to hold the body pieces and the really hot water.

An interesting idea, let us know how it turns out.

 

When painting a bumper cover on a car a "Flex" additive must used. It theoretically can be used on ATV plastic but my first though is it just will not withstand the typical ATV uses. It's been a while since I've painted cars so I can't provide you with the product codes. If I remember it's technical term is Elastomeric. If you want to you could put a rock guard on over the paint. It's clear but would give you a ripple effect. It's called "orange peel" because that's exactly what it looks like. It typically is sprayed on the underside of fenders and doors just under the moldings. It can be wet sanded but you'll never completely get rid of the orange peel.

Check out the 3M website at www.mmm.com or here is a direct link to the chip guard product. One can be used before you paint or after

http://products.mmm.com/us/auto_mari...gvL5JZSMNQLNgl

 

Regular old fabric dye will dye nylon based plastics in boiling water. ATV plastic is a different story.

 

Back when I was in auto shop we had a demo on plastic dyes. They said they could color ANY color to be another. I don't remember the name of the product but it was available at the local autobody supply store. I think it is important to find out the exact composite of the plastic and then make a couple calls.