They Don't Have to Stay White - How To Paint Your Fiberglass Fenders

10. We know our Toyota S-Runner's paint is called Black Sand Pearl, but for a perfect match, Gary insisted we go out and use the chips to be certain.

11a &b. Who would of thought a black-metallic-looking paint would have this many ingredients, especially white? PPG breaks down the paint into a formula that is mixed up by weight.

12. Right before the tech started spraying the basecoat, a final wipedown with a tack cloth was performed to again ensure a smooth, dirt-free finish.

13a &b. This is a two-stage (basecoat/clearcoat) paintjob, so just a few coats of the Black Pearl base are required. The basecoat just provides the color, but has no shine to it, which is what the clear is for.

14a & b. Once the base was dry, the clear went on. Here is where the art of spraying really shines. The fenders will be bolted on and sit right next to our factory paint, so not only does the color have to be right on, but so does the finish, or orange peel. With a full-custom job, this peel would be color-sanded off, but we don't need to do the whole truck, so it's an art to match factory stuff.

15. After a few hours, they were dry enough to bolt back on the truck.

16. Isn't that much better? We think so. Now our truck at least looks complete and not under construction. Now that this is done, we have a blank canvas for our graphics.