[danutcha]

Messed around with Plasti Dip and I got this out of it.
Well, lets step back. It all started when the clear coat on the Esprit was peeling in multiple areas and got a few quotes on a respray. Average was between $3-4k. Oh what to do... Do I repaint, wrap the car or just leave it alone. Then I found Plasti-dip (A removable vinyl spray). What a great tool! Messed around with it and added some graphics and did some carbon wrap to the top and the spoiler and here she is!!!!!
I'm debating if I should keep it. There are a few areas that I'm not happy with, but can be fixed. I'm keeping the carbon wrap.
Let the comments begin boys

 

[Jasonmiller]

Looks great, any pictures of the process?

thanks

 

[mpesik]

Fantastic!!

First of all you had the balls to do it!
I am your follower now. More information please.
Nice! Car looks fantastic! Better than mine.
Sweet.
Btw. Your wheels look like Shiite! Get another set.
Ill give you a decent offer on them.
To save you the embarassement of course.

BTW EXPLAIN!

 

[Lotus F1]

nice!

 

[ESPREE]

I usually prefer stock paint, but this looks nice!

 

[EspritNOOB]

Looks great. Better than I would have thought. I prefer the shiny gloss on all cars but this doesn't look bad at all!

 

[Plackslayer]

Well done!

 

[SwingLo]

Looks great. I'm really partial to white with dark accents these days.

It's all reversable too.

 

[danutcha]

The Process

@ Mpesik, I would love to sell you my Nova wheels, but I see way too many Nova for sale and nobody wants to buy them. It will look really Sh!ttae on your car and I don't want you to be embarrassed with them on your Lotus so I'll just keep these wheels

Thank you all for all of the comments
And now, the Process:

1- Take a look on YouTube "Plastidip". There are a couple good videos with DYC (DIP YOUR CAR) by "Fonzie". He has GREAT tips and techniques on dipping.

2- Mask off what you don't want to be painted. However, you don't need to mask it off, if you prefer to peel particular areas of paint. Have your kids do some work like I did. They did a superb job of taping/masking!

3- Decide where to paint. I did it outdoors and then regretted it when the wind kicked in, which caused some imperfections. I should have done it inside!!!! You can paint outside, but just tarp it well and check for no winds on the day of painting. Painting indoors will generate a lot of fumes which are very strong, so wear a respirator.

4- Lay down a base color (gray) if you're doing a light color. Dark colors are thicker, use less paint, and applies easier i.e. Black, gray, or blue. Light colors are thinner and need more layers if you don't lay the base color down.

5- Spray on 5-6 coats of color. The more you lay on, the easier it is to peel. Wait 15 minutes between each coat. But if you're doing an entire car, by the time you are done with one side, it's about 15 minutes.

6- Stand back and SMILE or kick and scream if it doesn't come out right.

7- Be ready to explain to your neighbors what you are doing, because more likely they will want you to plastidip their cars.

8- Wait a day for wash, wax and detail.

9- Change the colors whenever you get bored.

I bought my spray system at DYC.com. Good system for the price, but you can use a Wagner gun HVLP. I used 4 gallons total 1 gray / 3 white, but I think I can use another one. Just make sure you STIR THE PAINT WELL with a stir stick or you will have problems.

Now for the wheels. I removed the wheels off the car. Use index cards between the wheel/tire to prevent over spray on the tire. I just sprayed it with cans. Easier to control.
1 can per wheel. You can spray gloss over them for easier cleaning.
Home Depot or Lowe's are the cheapest prices for cans. My wheels cost less than $25 (all four) not bad at all!

BEST THING, IF YOU DON'T LIKE IT, PEEL IT.

 

[Gunpilot]

Adapt improvise and overcome. That is the way to do it!

 

[MTLDean]

Amazing work! Make sure you have 6-7 coats on for easy peelability later on. I had my Evora dipped recently in matte clear and the wheels done in copper, and I couldn't be happier with the result. If you want to see pictures, check out http://www.lotustalk.com/forums/f170/going-plastidip-whole-damn-thing-213186/

Will definitely be doing this every year or two.

One last thing: Keep an old rag or a sock in the trunk and make sure you catch any drip from the gaz nozzle when you're refueling - if any of the gas gets onto the plastidip, it melts it away instantly.

 

[shill68]

Very cool! I love the matte look right now, but I know I won't like it in a few years, so the idea of a "temporary" paint job is pretty neat.

 

[jfitz981]

I just plasti-dipped the wheels on my FX. The chrome was starting to pit and this was a great solution.

This stuff is very easy to work with and overall, if it holds up, it is a good temporary fix or change for sure.

Your car looks good!

 

[Vulcan Grey]

Looks like the stainless steel mesh, that you have in your radiator opening, is far too restrictive. The drag from all the round wires can really add up and could hurt your ability to cool the radiator, oil cooler, and AC condenser.

 

[greentengu]

Seconded! I agree with Travis--the mesh looks more like an impediment to airflow, rather than just protection for the radiator et al. Excellent eye, Travis (whom I've never met, but whose "eye" I've come to respect).

However, the Plasti-Dip looks just fantastic! I went to the link you posted, and WOW! The Evora there looks really sweeeeeeet, too.

Question:

You note that your clear coat was peeling. My car's clear coat looks like someone took a blowtorch to huge, dinner-plate sized portions of it in spots, revealing the flat-black underneath the clear and leaving rough, almost curling edges. Did you sand over the edges of the peeling portions or somehow strip the clear coat edges down to make it a smoother surface to apply the Plasti Dip?

Cheers,

Scott

 

[danutcha]

Good point on the Mesh for the radiator. I'll look into some mesh with bigger openings and I think it needs to be black.

As for the clear coat, on areas that were peeling bad, I took tape and started to pull it off until no more CC came off, then I sand it with 1500 grit for a smooth finish between the CC and paint.

 

[mpesik]

Is there such a thing as CLEAR Plasti dip?

 

[cyow5]

Is there such a thing as CLEAR Plasti dip?

Yup, "glossifier"




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[MTLDean]

Is there such a thing as CLEAR Plasti dip?

Or Matte Clear, which is what I used on my Evora.