AzteCypher
black ops modifications..
- :
- 2001 Mazda Protege LX
Loving the P5 and the Nissan. I might be using this type of paint to do some accents on my car.
2003 Protege5 back from the brink: budget rebirth.
- Thread starter hitncry
- Start date
I stripped the car down of most anything that would unbolt, then I used scotchbrite pads to scuff the clear over the entire car. Washed it, then used alcohol and clean cloths to wipe down the panels before I sprayed them.
I saw this and smiled, because When I sprayed some plastic with my graffiti paint it came out really nice( I was using Sabotaz matte neon green paint) but wasn't sure about how durable it would be! I was thinking of shooting this then applying a satin clear coat. Nice job on the vinyls and the overall result, she looks really orignial and you are bound to turn heads, Eager to see how the paint holds up!
visiongt9506
Member
- :
- 2002 protege5
love the color did an awesome job on painting it
digitalslacker
Member
- :
- Protege5
That looks fantastic. I love the color.
How far did you disassemble the car? Did you remove door handles and everything? Did you paint it with the bumpers and hood on the car? Or how much of it was just carefully taping off window trim and what not? I am curious about the paint, since you said it went on thick, did you have issues with small spaces and it clogging, particularly creases between door handles etc.
I removed my most of my interior panels so that I could remove my headliner to unbolt the 12 nuts that hold the roof rack on and to remove the FM antenna. Pulled the roof rack off. Removed the front bumper and all bumper lights, removed the headlights, removed the taillights, removed the wipers, removed the cowl, removed the rear spoiler, removed side mirrors and mirror caps, removed one side skirt (but broke every single dry-rotted plastic clip that holds it on so I left the other one on for paint.) Removed the front inner fenders... I carefully taped off and papered the windows and window trims. for the door handles I just wedged small nuts under them to hold them out on a near 45 degree angle so that I could paint every part of them and so paint didn't build up in the cracks. When I painted the doors I would tape and paper each door individually so that I could focus on a smaller area. Trying to do the whole side at once will never work good with a rattle can. I tried it on the 1st can. Overall the best way was to paint the car in sections. I also covered the entire engine bay with a plastic drop cloth. same thing with the ground in whatever area I was painting. I also cut open big black garbage bags to make covers for the wheels and tires.
I also pulled my hatch emblems and decided to have a friend weld up the holes and help me bodywork over the shaved holes. Used some high-build primer and sanded, used primer and sanded again then again a 3rd time so that the body filler didn't soak up the paint when I sprayed it.
Another thing to take note on is that I never intended to paint the roof or the main center of the hood. Those are also the 2 hardest parts of a car to rattle can and get an even finish because all your paint dust is just falling straight down onto the rest of what you just painted. I took a lot of time trying to find the right angle to spray the hood in the areas that I did spray it but since I did the 2 sides of it and the center front as sections it came out pretty good after a few tries.
Here are some mid work pics to show some of the masking. The finish was not ready yet so you can see some blotchiness on parts that I had to overcome with additional coats. Any spots that look blotchy were fixed before I de-taped and put the car all the way back together. (DON'T SPRAY AT NIGHT AND DON'T SPRAY WHEN ITS RAINING OUTSIDE) You'll just be wasting your time. Cold and moisture don't help.
Holding up great so far, not going to clear it. I like the matte finish that comes straight from the can. (it was my intended finish). I wash it like normal with a non abrasive soapy cloth and the hose. This paint acts like rain-x too so all the water just beads up and rolls off. then I lightly dry it with a clean shammy.
Oh and to answer another of TUSCH's questions when I say it sprays think I mean that it has really good coverage and the paint sticks well, I think there is only 1 small run in the whole paint job and it was my own fault for keeping my hand in one spot too long., but it dried in a way that you don't really see it. It's not a run that dripped down at all. just a heavy spot.
Thanks again for everyones support. I was hoping to have a change in wheels by this coming saturday, but looks like that is falling through. I still have wheels on the horizon though and it looks like I might be on custom air ride in a few months as well. I will be sure to keep you all updated with the progress as it comes.
Just for fun! Here is a link to a Shrunken down version of my roof art. I had to get this thing to shrink to under 20mb in order for flickr to let me upload it. The original flat file I sent to the printer was almost 200mb and the original Photoshop file with all the individual layers is over 4gigs. Making this was one of the most time consuming parts of the project. lots of waiting while the computer tries to keep up with me!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/7494563@N08/6832194227/sizes/o/in/photostream/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/7494563@N08/6832194227/sizes/o/in/photostream/
Holy hell that's a large image @ 20mb... I can only imagine it @ 200mb (rofl2)
- :
- Completely Stock P5
Plasti-dip your rims until you get some new ones.
I'm actually not that big of a fan of this plasti dip. It's way too expensive per can and I am seeing a few peeling issues with it in some spots and it grabs dirt and dust like nobody's business! so I would be kinda nervous to do my wheels.
