Everything I know, I learned from the internet.

[Chillswitch]

It's 2015, and so I decided to some experimenting. I wanted to try out a black roof (white car) and see how it looks. I watched some You Tube videos about plasti dip and decided to go for it.

First, I washed and clayed the roof of the car to get a clean surface. I also removed the drip rails (long black plastic trim on roof) and the antenna, which I taped from the back side. I taped off around the roof and areas to be painted, then put a .5 mil drop cloth over the entire car and taped that in place. Then I cut out the roof section on the tape lines, so that only the plastic is cut and not the tape (or the paint underneath). After taping that edge down to the existing tape lines, I was ready to go. This is pretty much a fail-proof way to paint any panel, and I recommend it to anyone in the future. I wiped the roof down one last time and shot a tack coat, and let it dry 15 minutes. I ended up applying four wet coats, changing direction each time to avoid streaking. It didn't work--I still have streaks from the final coat.

While I was at the store getting supplies, I also picked up some red plasti dip and another drop cloth, because why not. I unrolled the second drop cloth to its full length and cut it in four sections. I stuffed it behind the spokes of the wheels and opened it up to cover the brakes and the barrel of the wheel. I also taped off the the threads of the valve stems and removed the center caps. I cleaned the wheel as best I could and applied paint the same way--4 wet coats after a tack coat. I didn't mask off the tires because everything I read said it should peel right off anyway (dirt, uneven surface, etc). While I did get a nice peel around the edge of the wheel, the thinner areas of overspray did not go as well. I used mineral spirits and brake clean to get the rest of the paint off. It took a LONG time, but the results are worth it.

You can see the streaks on the roof and the runs in the wheels, but I did it as an experiment! I wanted to drive around with this for a while and see if I like it, which I do! The car looks awesome. Reminds me a little of a gt3rs, from our boxer brethren Porsche. Next I'll get some vinyl for the mirrors and roof and hydrodip or powdercoat the wheels.

This little project was cheap--$50. That includes the 6 cans of paint, 2 drop cloths and a roll of tape. The results aren't impressive and I didn't anticipate perfection either. I just wanted to play with some colors and see what I could come up with. I'm so thankful for the internet for all the information we gather daily. While Back to the Future didn't predict the internet, it still got some things kinda right about 2015: Peelable paint--just not peelable face lifts. Soon, though, I'm sure.

[SloS14]

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[LucidMomentum]

It might have been easier to wrap the top, but not cheaper I bet. Looks good!

[FRSfan111]

Next time use a deck of cards around the outside lip of ur rim between the wheel and tire. It will stop overspray on the tire. Came out good though!

[SkAsphalt]

Looks cool! I do appreciate going for a GT3 motif haha

[Chillswitch]

Lucid, I do believe wrap would be easier. It my require two people to manipulate a sheet that size, but overall less work. The cost (for high gloss 3M vinyl) is around $90 from what I've seen so far, and I will certainly be adding it to my to-do list this year. I'm glad I did the wheels, too, because I think they actually are a decent design with a poor execution of the polished/painted look. I'm looking forward to more permanent materials as spring approaches!
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[adamg]

racekar

[Kiske]

Just FYI there is a couple members on here with whiteouts that were STAINED by plastidip. IIRC one was rocking a ghosted superman logo on his hood for a few months.

[-Tom-]

Originally Posted by Kiske

Just FYI there is a couple members on here with whiteouts that were STAINED by plastidip. IIRC one was rocking a ghosted superman logo on his hood for a few months.

I think that stain was caused by a higher power saying 'please don't do that again'.

[Jman1759]

Originally Posted by Kiske

Just FYI there is a couple members on here with whiteouts that were STAINED by plastidip. IIRC one was rocking a ghosted superman logo on his hood for a few months.

I have seen this twice now! Get that pastidip off now and go with 3m wrap!

[kodyo]

Originally Posted by Kiske

Just FYI there is a couple members on here with whiteouts that were STAINED by plastidip. IIRC one was rocking a ghosted superman logo on his hood for a few months.

I heard he was eventually able to remove the "stain" for what it's worth.
@SuperJimmyK

[Chillswitch]

Yikes. Thanks for sharing guys. I planned on taking it off in the next week or two, FWIW. I know that leaving it on for an extended period of time (months) will stain, and also it's harder to peel. I plan on ordering some vinyl soon!

[adamg]

so after doing that color combo you still want to wrap it like that..

[Chillswitch]

I definitely like the roof. I may leave the mirrors alone and do the wheels in gold. Red is a little too loud for me I think--no offense to red twins owners!