plasti dip

theres a BUNCH of contradictory info out there. the miata I just picked up has some pretty hammered paint and bodywork. and its silver. and I want to experiment with plastidip. all the reasons I need for this thread.

anyway, want to dip it. but it will, at some point, receive proper paint and body work. what actually removes this stuff? how far does a rattle can go? what threads have the most valid and accurate info on prep, application, maintenance, and removal?

I don't want a headache. I don't want a significant apin in the ass. I want a flat black miata.

It peels off with mechanical force as long as you applied it correctly. You have to spray it with a sprayer to get it thick enough.

Buy it in gallons not spray cans, spray it on thick, remove it before two years.

In buckets, it's like a DIY condom kit.

If it won't peel off WD-40 and scrubbing works.

In reply to cabbagecop:

ok. and then wash with dawn dish soap to remove the wd40 prior to paint and body, right?

and what do you use to spray it? I'm trying to stay under a $100 bill here to make it less ugly....

Dusterbd13 wrote: In reply to cabbagecop: ok. and then wash with dawn dish soap to remove the wd40 prior to paint and body, right? and what do you use to spray it? I'm trying to stay under a $100 bill here to make it less ugly....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=doptehpZxW0

Watch this video.

I used Purple Power degreaser after I got the plastidip off using the WD-40. I got rid of the car before I ever had it painted.

DipYourCar.com is the leader in dip applications to cars. Tons of videos both on the site and on youtube.

Interesting story, the guy behind this website started early with rattle cans to cars. As I hear it, he then singlehandedly convinced the makers of Dip (a family, private business) to package the stuff in gallons for spray application.
The website guy is now the single largest distributor of the stuff and has transformed the otherwise sleepy family business.

Another option, vinyl wrap.
I wrapped the top half of the Challenge Quest in blue, by myself with vinyl wrap from Vvivid which I actually bought on Amazon.

I bought about $150 worth of vinyl expecting to have mistakes. Boy, I was right about the mistakes and learning curve. I wasted about $50 of the stuff but that left me with a Challenge budget of $100 to wrap the top half.

No long term negative effects to vinyl wrap. Easiest to take off on a hot day or with heat but will leave no long term issues. They claim if applied right it is good for about 7 years.

I bought Vvivid Matte Metallic Blue.

I've read somewhere, that it's upwards of 50-60 cans, if you were to spray that way. Get a bucket and a Wagner.

Is one gallon enough to do a, say, Jeep Cherokee sized vehicle? How many coats needed to get to the recommended thickness?

Furious_E wrote: Is one gallon enough to do a, say, Jeep Cherokee sized vehicle? How many coats needed to get to the recommended thickness?

I used two and a half on my E21. I bought it unthinned and thinned it too much so even that much was too thin. I had way more than a hundred in it. I'll try to find a link to my thread when I get time after work.

Furious_E wrote: Is one gallon enough to do a, say, Jeep Cherokee sized vehicle? How many coats needed to get to the recommended thickness?

No. We used 3 gallons on a buddy's Wrangler. Probably would have been fine with 2 gallons.

Whenever you've sprayed what you think is enough, spray it again. Thickness is key. Unless you hate your life and are made if money, don't use spray bombs.

The Dipyourcar guy said 84 cans to apply correct thickness to a car IIRC. You need at least 2 gallons to do a car, 3-4 if you do it their (DYC) way, they always put a white/gray/black base before the final color. Vinyl is way cheaper and no way you're doing a car "right" for under 100 with dip.

Here is my thread on it. The meat of it is on page two and the the end result is on page three. Hope this helps.

https://grassrootsmotorsports.com/forum/build-projects-and-project-cars/the-plasti-dipped-e21/52192/page1/

I used 1 gallon on Subarust's hood and front end, with a little left over that I gave the friend doing the spraying.

Nick (Bo) Comstock wrote: Buy it in gallons not spray cans, spray it on thick, remove it before two years.

If you add 1 or 2 fresh coats every two years that'll keep it from getting crusty and hard to remove.

For removal, go to Harbor Freight and pick up one of the Sanding belt cleaner sticks - it is a giant gum eraser. For the corners and difficult to peel spots, it was really easy to remove dip by giving it a rub with the eraser. This one.

Wow, that's more than I would have guessed, although I guess you've got to lay it down pretty thick. Going the Rust-O route would probably require a lot less paint and the cost/gallon is significantly less. Really don't wanna deal with all the prep work and downtime for a "proper" paint job though. Wrapping doesn't seem all that much cheaper than dipping and I think I'd much prefer to dip than wrap.

What are you guys using to spray the dip? Texture gun?

In reply to Furious_E:

I used an hlvp primer gun. I found the specs for the air pressure recommended after I was finished and I was about thirty psi off iirc. I have it in my thread linked above somewhere.

Yup. Im officially not going to dip it. Too much money and j7st as much work as real paint. Not viable.

So, tractor paint it is!

Hey guys,

Rather than start another thread on this I did a search, and found this one. I'm interested in possibly painting the roof of my Delica white after seeing another few vans painted that way, and always liking the look of the FJ40 Land Cruisers with the white roofs. Also the area around the front doors on the higher end models are all blacked out wrapping around the winshield,door frames, and below to the body line. My van is only blacked out below the window sill to the body line, and under the windshield, but not all around like I'd like to do. Would this be doable with Plasti-dip, and if so do they make a glossy option for the black to match the black that is on the van already? Also would I be best to get the whole spray kit with the gun, and such, or just go with rattle cans? I brought the van to a local body shop for this work, and they estimated $1400 to do this work with paint. Reasonable?

Thanks for your help,

Chris

Huckleberry wrote: In buckets, it's like a DIY condom kit.

*not a suitable substitute for actual condoms

Mazdax605 wrote: Hey guys, Rather than start another thread on this I did a search, and found this one. I'm interested in possibly painting the roof of my Delica white after seeing another few vans painted that way, and always liking the look of the FJ40 Land Cruisers with the white roofs. Also the area around the front doors on the higher end models are all blacked out wrapping around the winshield,door frames, and below to the body line. My van is only blacked out below the window sill to the body line, and under the windshield, but not all around like I'd like to do. Would this be doable with Plasti-dip, and if so do they make a glossy option for the black to match the black that is on the van already? Also would I be best to get the whole spray kit with the gun, and such, or just go with rattle cans? I brought the van to a local body shop for this work, and they estimated $1400 to do this work with paint. Reasonable? Thanks for your help, Chris

Doable? Yes. After using rattle cans on my kids wagon, I'd suggest using a spray gun for the area you're talking about. I don't have any specific details for that though.

They do make glossifiers and metallicizers that you use like a finish coat. They look good when done properly. I messed mine up when I did it, but have more than enough left over to do it again.