THE PLASTI-DIP MEGA THREAD!!!!!!

I did the same to my cup holder about 2 month ago and so far it's held up good.

 

plasti dip wheels

 

Well I thought I finally contribute something to the TW so here it goes. This is a simple how-to on changing your chrome bumper to black bumper using PlastiDip. Even though this was done on a 1st generation, the process can be used for a 2nd generation as well.




For those of you new to PlastiDip, it is a multi purpose rubberized coating originally designed to coat the handles of tools. The formula has changed a bit and is now marketed as an all purpose household and commercial coating solution. The most impressive thing about plastidip is it's relatively easy to apply, but most importantly is 100% removable. Here is a video I made using my wife's camera demonstrating exactly how easy was to remove.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b_biVOuEru8



Tools needed:

(1) Black PlastiDip aerosol can
(1) Roll of Blue Painter's Tape
(1) Painter's plastic protective covering
(1) Phillips Screwdriver
(1) Needle nose pliers
(1) Heat Gun (Blow dryer will not work)
(1) Rubbing Alcohol
(1) Washing mit, car shampoo
(1) Lint-free papertowels (Microfiber cloths will not work)
(1) Flashlight or Spotlight
(1) Razor Blade



Time Required to complete (3 hours)
Time Required to cure (Recommend min. 48 hours)
Skill Level/Difficulty required out of 5 stars (2 stars)



Before Pic. The chrome in my opinion makes the truck look dated. I also had the bed Line-Xed over the bed rails all the way around.

Step (1.) Start by washing the rear end of the truck and drying it. Then remove your rear license plate. I didn't post pics because I'm sure we all know how to wash our trucks. Very important, make sure the truck is COMPLETELY DRY before you begin. Water WILL get trapped under the step pads and underneath and water and wet Plasti-Dip will ruin the job.



Step (2.) Start by removing the black step pads using your fingers and gently pulling up starting on the outermost edges then move to the trailing edge. Continue to gently pull there are around 12 tabs or so holding each step pad. Be careful not to force it off the tabs are plastic and they will break under stress.





Step pads completely removed



Step (3.) Using needle nose pliers gently remove the (2) plastic screw inserts.



Step (4.) Remove the (2) license plate lights using a phillips screwdriver and unplug them completely. Tuck the both wire harnesses in the bumper hole.



Step (5.) Clean the bumper thoroughly with Rubbing alcohol and dry using lint free paper towels. I went over mine (3) times. This removes any contaminants such as soap, wax, dirt, etc. and promotes better adhesion. This is probably the MOST important step.



Step (6.) Cover the entire rear end of the truck including both rear quarter panels, tires, and wheels. Basically cover anything you don't want over spray on to just over the rear bumper. Make your tape line to the actual truck and the top of the bumper. Most likely you will have rust underneath the step pads, you are not spraying over that. You are only spraying the rear of the bumper.



Step (7.) Cover anything important to you. In this case I had a few bikes to cover...




Step (8.) Spray (3) LIGHT COATS, and (1) HEAVY COAT. As tempting as it will be do not overspray the first few coats this is how runs develop especially on the first coat. You want to spray about 12 inches away, spraying any closer could produce more runs. The first few coats should look blotchy. That is when you know you're doing it right. Below is a pic after the first coat. It should look blotchy and you should still be able to see the chrome through it. Let each coat dry for 30 minutes.



Step (9.) After the fourth coat is completely dry, using a flashlight inspect the bumper looking for any areas you might have missed. Look it over several times. LIGHTLY SPRAY over any areas you may have missed until you are completely satisfied.



Step (10.) Using a heat gun (Not a blow dryer) heat up the plasti-dip using left and right sweeping motions holding the gun about 12-14 inches away from the bumper. DO NOT HOLD IT ANY CLOSER you can heat the plasti-dip enough to bubble up and it will ruin the entire job. Heating the plastidip helps it "mold" and "contour" itself to the bumper and promotes better adhesion. Heat up every inch of the bumper for 10 mins.

Step (11.) Before you can remove the plastic covering, using a razor blade you need to completely cut the covering and tape away from the bumper. Lightly run the blade directly over the bumper where your tape and plastic meet. If you do not completely cut the entire bumper, when you remove the plastic you will peel off the plastidip. Take your time when doing this I cannot stress the importance of going slow you can completely ruin the entire job very easily.




Step (12.) Reinstall the step pads starting with the left side then the right. The order in which you install the pads is VERY important because the left side wedges itself over the right pad. When you reinstall the pad, start by inserting it in between the gap of the bumper and the tail gate, then with the outermost edges gently press down until your hear the tabs clicking into place, then press down on the center of pads. Notice the Plastidip line and where I stopped.

Step (13.) Let it cure. Once you are done your truck should be officially out of commission for at least 48 hours. Do not drive it or put any pressure on the bumper in this time. Driving it will collect and attract particles, debris, and dust which cannot be washed off in this time. Any pressure will remove the finish. During this time it will be extremely delicate.


FINISHED PICS!





Overall impressions on PlastiDip. Overall I really enjoy the look of this product. The results came out professional looking and produce a wrinkled matte black powder coat look that is amazing in person. This is a GREAT product, however I don't believe it's the Holy Grail of products that we have all been looking for simply because I'm sure at the time the engineers had no intentions of this ever being used on wheels, bumpers, grilles etc.. I think eventually they will reformulate this into an automotive specific formula. I have had this product on my bumper for one month now. I do not go mudding or rock crawling, my truck is basically a long haul highway commuter, but I do occasionally visit some local trails and fishing holes you see in the pics when it's nice and dry outside. My impressions are that if you mud or rock crawl I can't see this product holding up to the abuse of rocks hitting and debris hitting it at a high velocity. If you trail ride or highway commute like myself it seams to be holding up just fine. It has not peeled, chipped, or fallen off in any way. I'm very happy with the results and the product went on easily and smoother than any paint or coating product I've EVER used. I'll keep updating after a few months of road use to let you guys know how it's holding up.



Any questions feel free to PM me! Time to get ready for the New Year...



-Dave

 

Nice writeup. I did my grill and valence a few days ago. I didn't use a heat gun though.

 

I bought a can of this to maybe paint where my fog lights go.
after playing with it a bit, I realised you can not just peel off the tape after it dries, rips up the egde and looks nasty as stated above.

so im thinkin I would need to remove the tape while its still wet..but who knows... more field reseach needs to be done. Maybe Ill give my chrome bumper a shot, no taping required

rep for you...

 

I will probably be doing this. Looks great. I wanna do my rear bumper, fender flares, valance, and grille

 

Post pics after you do the valence, i wanna see how it turns out.

 

How did it hold up on your front bumper?

 

First, where do I get this stuff?

 

^Home Depot.

 

Great job. I've considered doing my valence a number of times but i'm still on the fence--I guess that's the beauty of it being removable

 

How thick is this stuff?

 

I put it on the front bumper just to test a small portion so...

Well the thing is that they use a thinner in the formula in order to make it in an aerosol application so it's not very thick. Hence the reason I put 4 coats. If it was a roll on application than it would probably be super thick but then it would be harder to work with.

 

Well, Ive got a nick in my valance thats grooved so I was wondeing if it would be enough to cover it or should I get some filler or something

 

I tried it on my badges. I think it was too cold outside (roughly 30 degrees if I remember right) It's supposed to break away where the letter meets the paint but it just peeled straight off. That is the beauty of it though... I was like oh damn I messed up... Peeled rightback off

 

Nice write up! Subbed to see how long it will last!

 

So I took my grill off, cleaned it up and got to work plasti dipping it. It's looking really, really good. I've put about 5-6 coats on, using the wifes hair dryer in between coats and I'm wrapping it up. I decide on 2 more coats and then letting it sit for a few hours to dry. So I put the last two coats on and just when I'm about to finish up the bottom of the can swipes the top of the grille leaving an inch long mark, with little dots of chrome showing. FML! I got careless cause I was hurrying cause I needed to start making dinner. I put on a few extra coats to try to cover it up, but it shows like a sore thumb because the rest of it looks perfect. I made it look better but I'm going to have to peel it off and do it again. It'll have to wait until maybe Sunday though. FUCK!!

 

That sucks dude

 

sux dude, got any pics of it?