OK, i've had literally over a dozen requests for this, so i figure the demand is high enough to write it up.
I'll start by saying that it was way easier the second time I did it. Took me about an hour and a half less the second time (5 hours total), because i knew what i was doing, and how to avoid cetain mistakes.
What you'll need:
- A MINIMUM of 13 cans of your choice color of plasti dip. Don't think you can get it done with less.. you can't. If you can't find 13+ cans, order some online. I ordered my white from amazon through acehardwareoutlet. If you don't use enough, the coat will be too thin; and then A. it won't cover, especially if you're trying to change the color of your car, and B. it won't be thick enough to peel off when you're done with it.
- 4 or 5 microfiber cloths - these are for helping you clean up overspray and whatnot
- Some sort of spray disolvent - Goo Gone, Goof Off, something that's made to dissolve adhesive and rubber - this is key, because you can't tape off everything, and wiping the glass/roof off with this sprayed onto a cloth makes things much easier
- LOTS of blue painters tape - i used the 3" roll
- something to mask the car - i used plastic dropcloths from home depot
- not necessary - but i have one of those trigger guns that you can pop a spray can into - then you just pull the trigger and hold it like a spraygun instead of using your finger on top of a spray can. makes it easier and more controllable.
Process:
Wash the car thoroughly. Make sure there are no bugs, dirt, crap - it has to be baby ass smooth.
I prepped the whole car at once. i didn't chose a panel, finish it, and move on. So start by taping and masking everything. EVERYTHING. all lights, backup camera, license plate, wheels, tires, mirrors, windows, window trim, windshield wipers, grille, foglights - everything that is not going to get painted. I traced large sections of the car and cut out pieces of the plastic drop cloth to cover the large areas. open the doors and put tape on the inside of the frame - in between the cracks. open the trunk and do the same thing - anywhere there is a crack, open it up and tape underneath. cover the exhaust tips too. walk around the the car 2 times making sure nothing is exposed.
Shake the hell out of the cans - they will spray clear if you don't mix them up. Start by picking one panel at a time, and your objective is to lay down a THIN coat at first. work your way from the door, to the next door, trunk, ect. the first coat is THIN, barely noticeable. You need to build it up slowly - trust me i learned the hard way.
You should go through about 3-4 cans laying down the first and second thin coats. Then the idea after that, is workin on one panel at a time per coat, move around the car, building up coat after coat - basically until you run out of paint. I think with the white i laid down 6 coats.
MOST IMPORTANT THING - there is a very small forgiveness zone as far as the distance of the spray. Too close - and it will be too thick, show streaks, and bubble up with little pin holes. Too far away - and it won't bond, will be way too textured, and will look like crap. The issue here is that once you find the good distance - which is about 6 inches away - you CAN NOT f*ck up. it doesn't matter if it's the first coat, or the last - if you go in too close on even one spray - you will have to redo the entire panel - because it will stick out like a sore thumb. Use a sweeping motion, releasing the trigger on each side to side pass.. and pay close attention to the distance of the spray.
The Hood - the hood is the biggest pain in the ass. For one, it's the largest surface area and a mistake will show big time.. Secondly, because it's horizontal. You can't turn the can sideways and face the can towards it -it will drip out of the nozzle. so here's how you do the hood. Lay down the first two light coats as close to the 6" distance as you can. When you get past the first two coats, you need to pop the hood - and spray it from the side as it's popped. That will give you that vertical surface to spray on to. MAKE SURE you get the middle of the hood. It's so easy to get the front and sides of the hood and leave it thin in the middle. Take your time and make sure you have even coverage on the hood - it's so difficult to get even.
this is where extra paint comes in - because there's a good chance you will create a wet spot, thick spot, pinhole bubbles, ect - and have to rip it off and do it again. take your time, and focus on keeping the right distance and even coverage.
I did it in my garage, and drove the car out into the sun to bake between coats. i waited about an hour, then removed all the tape and masking. then you start trimming. use the microfiber towels to rub off any plastidip that's not supposed to be there. for large areas with plasti dip "dust", spray some of the disolvent onto a cloth and wipe it off. after it's all cleaned up , i waited another hour in the sun, then gave it a wash. i used a soft microfiber washing mit, regular car wash soap, and never sprayed the car with water, i just let the hose dump water onto it without a nozzle.
then i dried with a shamee cloth, and let it settle. today it looks super smooth, very even, and borderline perfect. i hope i covered everything, if i left anything out - just ask.
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Originally Posted by bez101
Looked awesome especially the "Stealth Fighter!!" Fonz got some balz!!!!
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