The picture below is of the roll bar that the PO had modified for my 914.





As you can see, it is powder coated a bright red color which doesn't really seem to fit the rest of the car. It really sticks out and I think it would look better in plain black.

So the question is this: Since the roll bar has a beautiful powder coat finish on it will I be able to get a new finish to bite and stick to the roll bar. I'm sure I could pay to have it sand blasted to bare metal and have it powder coated again, but that seems pretty expensive.

My first thought was to scotch brite it and shoot it with some sort of paint. My concern, though, is whether paint will adhere to the surface.

The second problem is that I am not familiar enough with today's paints to know which ones would hold up best.

Any ideas or suggestions?

Thanks

If you clean it with wax & silicone remover, scuff it with a red Scotch-Brite, clean it again with the wax & silicone remover, and spray some aerosol plastic parts adhesion promoter as directed, a good urethane automotive paint will stick.
If you don't have an air compressor and a spraygun and/or you don't want to mask the whole car off, well I've been really impressed with por-15. I've only tried their shiny black chassis coat stuff so far but brushed on it flows out to look as good as sprayed on paint. Its not UV resistant so I'm planning to try their other paints as well. I ordered a gallon of their Flex-Cote today to paint my boat's bilges.
After 15 years of painting cars I didn't imagine that I'd be impressed with a brushed on finish, ever.

If you don't media blast it before you paint it black, every time you nick it, you will have a bright red pimple

Cover it with neoprene

Looks like you have Rolands old car.

THAT is what I am trying to avoid. The good news is the bar is unbolted, so I can paint it outside the car. I was hoping to avoid having it blasted, so perhaps the aerosol plastic parts adhesion promoter and a good urethane automotive paint might work? It shouldn't be that fragile, should it?

Maybe I'll just get a quote to have it re-powder coated...




Yes it is. How do you know Roland or his car? This thing has been hidden in a garage since 1997......

Talked to him a bit when the car was up for sale. You got a killer deal.

Yeah, I came home with a stack of receipts for $30,000 worth of paint, body, plating and parts - not including any engine costs. Did he tell you what I paid for it?