Pete B's Build Thread

[Scott Rowland]

Holy smokes! Those certainly aren't going to fall apart. Heavy duty!

 

[John Symonds]

Fran,
Will the new style rear hinges be standard equipment on SL-C s going forward?

 

[PeteB]

:sneaky:

 

[John]

Wow!!!

 

[PeteB]

I decided to Plastidip it for now. I'll do something more permanent later, but I was tired of driving around in primer and gelcoat. The color is Flash Colorshift. Not perfect, but looks pretty good. Needs some more cleaning up, but here it is:

 

[Will Campbell]

Fascinating look with the Plastidip. Does it look as good in person as in the photos?

Did you just peel off the paint on the splitter? I noticed in the earlier pics that it looked like it had been painted.

 

[PeteB]

It's not perfect, but it looks pretty good in person. It peels off, so I didn't mask the splitter, the windows, or the headlights. I just peeled it off where I didn't want it.

 

[Mark B.]

Wow, that's very nice!

 

[PeteB]

Took it out tonight to take some pics. Unfortunately, there seems to be something wrong with my camera, as there's a dark blob in all the pics. It's not a dirty lens, as I cleaned the lens, then even tried another lens, and it's still there. Looks like I'll be looking for a new Nikon digital SLR.

Stopped at Kroger for gas on the way home and got mobbed. Had a crowd of about twenty people looking at the car by the time I finished filling the tank.

Anyway, here's some of the better ones:

 

[Scott Rowland]

Looks good! Liking that color.

 

[Brian Kissel]

Way cool Pete, well done.

 

[David]

Go Hawks, and it looks amazing!

 

[Jack]

Stunning Pete!

 

[A.J. Schreder]

Pete, those pics are outstanding! The color change really sets off the creases and detail of the car's body lines.

A.J.

 

[Scott Davis]

For your pearl coats did you use 1/2 gloss topcoat 1/2 matte clear pds?

 

[PeteB]

For your pearl coats did you use 1/2 gloss topcoat 1/2 matte clear pds?

No, pearl was mixed into DipPearl Topcoat, 25g/gal. I used about 1.5 gal for the pearl coat and another gallon of straight DipPearl Topcoat over it.

 

[PeteB]

I've had so many comments that "it looks like a Hot Wheels car!" that I may have to get some of these :laugh:

 

[PeteB]

Had some requests for pics of the new hinges installed.

Here's the clam fully open:


The hinge connection to the rear clam. I had to cut a slot to allow room for the hinge:

 

[Cam]

Pete - I'm thinking I would like to give plasti-dip a shot while I'm shaking the car down and maybe even as a permanent solution. Based on rough numbers using the DYC website I come up with 250-350 to paint the car. Seems a reasonable cost and something I can do every year or two if I get bored of the look.

Can you give a few details on the equipment you used? Did you build a paint booth or just have at it in the garage?

I've been spending some time on the DYC forums and watching their YouTube videos, is there another/better online resource?

 

[Bill Musarra]

One of the best experimenters with Plastidip is "The Puzleman" He will outline the methods and proper procedures as well as great places to buy the material. Even show you how to mix the stuff. The owner(I believe) of Plastidip is a guy named Fonzie. He developed the commercial end of the product from just a coating for tools to the application to the cars. They are hooked in with the "pigment and pearls" people and have a relationship with them. Search Youtube for all these keywords and you will find lots of stuff to view. The equipment is much better now than when they started out. Lays down a better pattern so the results are much better now than when they first started out. Also look for some of my old post here on the forum on it. There should be some Youtube links that should point the way. Most just paint in their garages and lay some tarps down. It actually is a fun way to paint your car. You can be as creative as you want to be and the learning curve is easy. If you screw up you just peel it off and start over again. Cost is nothing compared to a regular paint job. You will find that the compound curves are the hardest to do no matter whether you use this stuff or paint. You can even correct screw ups with thinner so that you can proceed with the complete job rather than peeling it all off. You will find that there has to be a thickness factor to making the peeling a breeze. If you decide to take it off before you get the proper thickness it is a bit of a pain. Should come off in huge sheets. Have fun with it and be sure to post your results(good and bad). Don't forget you can doi this on interior items as well. The Puzleman experimented with the "dipping" processes for the interior items.

Bill