1st Generation Toyota 4Runner Door Handle Face Lift

After decades of California sun, the plastic door handle bezels on my 1985 4Runner have really started to show their age.

About 15 years earlier I had swapped the bezels side to side to get a bit more life out of the plastic, but now all the sides are getting damaged. I can scrape off the degraded plastic with my fingernail.

I gave the plastic a light sanding to remove any very loose material and to smooth out the scratches in the surface. Also roughed up the inner recess to better accept paint. A quick wipe down with isopropyl alcohol helped clean off the dust and remove any traces of surface protectant.

I brushed on 2 coats of enamel paint and left the parts in direct sun a few hours to bake in the finish. Once the enamel paint was fully cured, it left a hard, scratch resistant surface. Nothing magic about the paint I used, it does come in a variety of colors and in a small bottle so not terribly expensive:
Krylon Short Cuts brush-on enamel paint:

More to come...
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